Professional development seminars

We offer a holistic array of professional development seminars and panels to support faculty and academic staff success. Offerings include seminars on strategies to improve scholarly productivity, networking and mentoring, work-life balance, and cultivating a positive workplace culture, and seminars focused on career advancement in which successful colleagues discuss their strategies for career and leadership development. Programming for the current academic year can be found below.

Reach out to our office for recordings of previous seminars you may have missed.

Upcoming professional development programming

Click on the session titles for more details and to register. Be sure to check back frequently as we add programming throughout the semester.

Effective graduate mentoring

Dec. 10, 11 a.m. | virtual

Jeff Pruchnic, Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the Graduate School, will cover best practices for graduate student mentoring and how to navigate challenging advising scenarios. 

December faculty chat

Dec. 10, 1:15 p.m. | virtual

Join us for an informal virtual coffee break. This will be a great opportunity to take a breather, connect with colleagues, and ask questions or discuss a variety of topics in a relaxed setting.

Visualizing your next steps

Dec. 11, 2 p.m. | virtual

In the second session of our Associate to full workshop series, intended to provide tenured Associate Professors with tools to support their pursuit of promotion to Professor, we will focus on several key areas, including figuring out what to do next, identifying and understanding your factors, and assessing your readiness for promotion.

Accessibility 101

Jan. 15, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Learn how to employ accessibility to reach all your students and how to provide an equitable educational experience to everyone in this introductory accessibility workshop.

Engaging leadership and dismantling myths

Jan. 30, 2 p.m. | in person

In the third session of our Associate to full workshop series, intended to provide tenured Associate Professors with tools to support their pursuit of promotion to Professor, we'll host a panel of department chairs and administrators who have supported faculty in their units on their path to promotion.

Your course and the library

Jan. 31, 1:30 p.m. | virtual

Learn about the many different services your library and subject librarian can provide, including a variety of instructional resources to guide students in library research to meet your assignment goals.

Examining burnout in academia

Feb. 5, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Join us for a virtual session with a diverse group of our colleagues participating in a panel discussion focused on the issues of burnout and stress in academia, followed by topical breakout rooms on relevant areas such as work-life balance, mental health resources, institutional policies, and personal coping strategies.

February faculty chat

Feb. 6, 1:30 p.m. | virtual

Join us for an informal virtual coffee break. This will be a great opportunity to take a breather, connect with colleagues, and ask questions or discuss a variety of topics in a relaxed setting.

Navigating IRB processes

Feb. 7, 10:30 a.m. | virtual

Discover all the crucial support, resources, and training the IRB offers to investigators. We'll share practical tips for preparing an IRB submission for approval of human participant research.

Learning activities that take 10 minutes or less

Feb. 19, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Whether you’re looking to fill an extra 10 minutes of class time, searching for new activities to try during class, or want to incorporate more active learning for your students, the OTL has an activity for you.

From “my courses” to “our program”

Feb. 25, 2:30 p.m | virtual

Learn about supporting your program’s mission with learning outcomes, curriculum maps, and assessments,a nd hear from faculty colleagues whose programs have benefitted from engagement with these tools.

Writing for The Conversation

Feb. 27, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Learn from an editor of The Conversation and a panel of WSU faculty who have written for them how to craft and pitch articles to help you find a new way to engage in public scholarship.

Marketing and Communications resources for new faculty

Mar. 6, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Learn about resources available to faculty from the Office of Marketing and Communications, like public relations, design and photography, editorial services, web planning, design and development, and video services.

Finding support from the Family Advocacy Network

Mar. 19, 2:30 p.m. | virtual

Learn about WSU resources on work, family, and life, like parental leave, caregiving, benefits, and more, including the Family Advocacy Network (FANs), a faculty-to-faculty support program initiated with NSF funding.

How the OSVPE supports students and faculty

April 2, 10 a.m. | virtual

Join us for an overview of the services offered by the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education (OSVPE) in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month; learn how we can support students who have experienced sexual assault or gender-based violence and how OSVPE can support you in your classroom.

Crafting your narrative and strategic plan

April 11, 11 a.m. | virtual

In the final session of our Associate to full workshop series, intended to provide tenured Associate Professors with tools to support their pursuit of promotion to Professor, we'll summarize the year, share encouraging stories, and discuss best practices for crafting your narrative and planning the next moves you should make toward promotion to full.