Santa Clara University was one of six universities to receive an Alfred P. Sloan Award for Faculty Career Flexibility from the American Council on Education in 2007-08. The $200,000 award is intended to promote flexible career paths and work-life balance for faculty.
Senior Vice Provost Don Dodson directs the award program with the assistance of a new Faculty Work-Life Advisory Group composed of Linda Kamas, chair (Economics), Laura Ellingson (Communication), and Eleanor Willemsen (Psychology). Pedro Hernandez-Ramos (Education), Edwin Maurer (Civil Engineering), and Chuck Powers (Sociology) also served as members in 2008-09, and several new members will be appointed this fall.
Some initiatives undertaken through the Sloan Award include:
- A rich program of events and services will be offered in 2009-10 around the theme of faculty work-life balance. This program has been developed by the Faculty Work-Life Advisory Group and by Diane Dreher (English). It will include a public lecture, workshops, and community group lunches each quarter. Confidential coaching sessions around work-life balance may also be scheduled with a licensed therapist who can assist faculty with strategies for setting priorities, saying no, dealing with conflicts, and managing time. More information about these events and services will come from the Faculty Work-Life Advisory Group.
- New policies on tenure clock extensions and flexible course scheduling were approved last year upon the recommendation of the Faculty Affairs Committee. The committee is continuing to develop (1) a modified duties policy associated with various kinds of leaves and (2) a new faculty appointment model which would clarify policies and procedures related to different categories of faculty appointment, including renewable term lecturers.
- Assistant Vice Provost Ed Ryan developed a new Faculty Resources Website (www.scu.edu/provost/facultyresources). Please check out this website for resources that support teaching and scholarship, the community of scholars, and work life balance.
- Bill Sundstrom, Associate Provost for Faculty Development, developed Career Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: A Toolkit for Chairs and Deans and offered several training sessions in September.
- Linda Kamas and Laura Ellingson developed a new course on Vocation and Gender, which they taught for the first time in Spring 2009. This course is part of the Vocation pathway in the new Core Curriculum.
- Kieran Sullivan (Psychology) and Laura Nichols (Sociology) are developing a work-life survey.
- The Work-Life Advisory Group has been working with Human Resources and Kids on Campus to identify ways to make Kids on Campus more accessible to more faculty, particularly for infant care.
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