League for Innovation in the Community College Learning College Summit 2007

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DEVELOPING AN ERUDITE FACULTY IN THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA (SUSLA)

• Two-year institution

• Comprehensive community college.
• 80 percent Black
• 70 percent female
• 2,534 students in fall 2005
• Open enrollment policy
• Offers 23 associate degree program; nine certificate programs.
• Evaluated for reaffirmation of its SACS accreditation in 2011.

THE FACULTY FELLOWS PROGRAM

• Planning began in fall 2006
• Piloted spring 2007
• Office of Academic Affairs
• Dubbed the Faculty Fellows Program
• Five members of the professorate.
• Year-long fellowship
• Work closely with the CAO

Program provides structured technologically-enhanced learning opportunities in these areas:

• Faculty involvement in research and professional meetings and conferences
• Faculty service on professional boards and professional advisory committees
• Faculty pursuit and successful acquisition of grant writing endeavors

FACULTY FELLOWS/DUTIES

Senior Fellow duties include the following:

• Assisting the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in planning and implementing faculty development projects
• Developing and implementing a Faculty and Staff Awards Program
• Organizing in-house institutes and workshops for the faculty development program
• Serving as Editor of a Faculty Newsletter and program deliverables

Secondary Fellow duties include the following:

• Assisting with in-house faculty development activities
• Attending and/or presenting at workshops and institutes
• Mentoring relationships (mentor/protégé)
• Planning to become presenters at workshops and seminars
• Building a professional portfolio
• Writing grant proposals in response to funding competitions
• Writing scholarly articles for publication

The program’s motto, It’s not about you; it’s not about me; it’s about students and SUSLA, personifies the authentic intent to build a community of faculty scholars who place learning first and who are thereby better prepared to serve the needs of students.

PROGRAM GOAL

To transform the campus professorate to a community of faculty learners and scholars who model academic excellence in support of student achievement of learning outcomes.

Fellows are required to produce evidentiary deliverables of enhanced scholarship, research, and service in teaching, as they promote the scholarship of teaching and learning, within and beyond the institution.

Products that should arise from the Fellows’ participation in the program include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Completing professional development activities
• Designing and implementing research projects
• Developing literary and artistic works
• Facilitating in-service workshops and seminars for peer faculty
• Writing articles for publication
• Writing grant proposals for supplemental funding

While these deliverables are fairly standard at some institutions—and particularly, at senior- and graduate-level institutions—they serve as a mechanism for inviting greater scholarship, interdisciplinary collaborations, and professional development for the SUSLA professorate.

Fellows afforded the opportunity to stay abreast of innovative technology, teaching, and learning strategies.

Fellows host on-campus and in-house professional development institutes for the broad professorate at SUSLA.

Fellows share information gathered from external conferences and heighten the awareness of the faculty regarding contemporary and innovative technology, teaching, and learning strategies.

Fellows also serve as role models, as they showcase best practices in instruction. The workshops promote the concept of “train-the-trainer” as Faculty Fellows serve as lead change agents in transforming the faculty from teachers to teacher scholars.

Frequent workshops and seminars provide recurring opportunities for these “grassroots” academic leaders to help “frontline” workers (peer faculty) address contemporary issues in teaching and learning.

Note: The Senior or Lead Fellow, June Phillips, helped the CAO, Dr. Ruby Evans, to draft much of the preliminary language that advanced the program’s conceptual framework, communicated its vision, and identified the roles and expected duties of the inaugural cohort.

RESULTS/DELIVERABLES

From January 2007 to July 2007, the Faculty Fellows Program has produced the following deliverables:

• 1 partnership with another community college frontrunner in online course development

• 1 online faculty development course, The Faculty Lounge
• 5 completed grant proposals (technology-based)

• 4 successfully funded grant proposals ($100K)
• 4 scholarly articles for publication

• 8 peer-reviewed and mentored Faculty Fellows’ presentations at national/international conferences
• 8 prestigious awards for teaching, learning, and leadership excellence
• 12+ in-house faculty development activities, including hosted presentations, webinars, faculty presentations

REFLECTIONS FROM THE

FACULTY FELLOWS

June Phillips, Div. Chair, Humanities, Assoc. Prof. English

The Faculty Fellows Program is a pilot initiative under the auspices of the Office of Academic Affairs. This fellowship provides an opportunity for faculty to apply for a year-long fellowship assisting the Chief Academic Officer. It also offers faculty members a chance to sit at the feet of and learn from a master scholar, similar to how scholars developed in

antiquity. The Fellows travel to more conferences and seminars, receive support to submit proposals for presentations at state, regional, and national conferences, encouragement and assistance in grant writing, and a time to explore new avenues and to develop their fullest potentials.

Nathaniel Manning, Coordinator, Bus. Mgmt.

The Faculty Fellows Program has enabled me to improve my services to the University. Over the past several months, this program has proven invaluable to my professional growth. The opportunities to conduct research and scholarship, to write scholarly articles, and to integrate new pedagogical methods into course delivery have strengthened my commitment to academic excellence. The Office of Academic Affairs has illustrated its commitment to the advancement of the faculty and Southern University at Shreveport by sponsoring a cohort of scholars, the Faculty Fellows, who are collaborating in multiple disciplines to improve student-learning outcomes.

Vanessa White, Coordinator, Math

My professional development through the Faculty Fellows Program has opened my mind to endless possibilities. Being a member of the inaugural cohort has taught me to ‘think outside the box.’ Additionally, I have learned new instructional techniques and technologies that enhance my classroom and instructional delivery. I have learned about the world of opportunity that is available to help two-year colleges, especially HBCUs, provide quality instruction for students. The best thing, though, is that I get the chance to share what I have learned, not only with my students, but with my colleagues through innovative on-campus peer-to-peer faculty development workshops.

Iris Champion, E-Faculty Trainer, Assoc Prof. C.S.

Though the Faculty Fellows Program, I have learned so much that to help our students. The possibilities for my professional growth, my ability to help our students, and my contributions through sharing what I learn with SUSLA faculty seem endless. My experiences as a Faculty Fellow are indeed helping me to be more scholarly and to move beyond the belief that the only thing I can and should do is ‘teach.’ I now realize that teaching is as much learning, as it is teaching. I am learning so much about teaching.

Mary Jackson, Coordinator, Legal Studies,

Several Faculty Fellows have been recognized nationally and have achieved recognition, not only as individuals, but for the institution. As Dr. Evans reminds us, ‘It's not about you. It's about SUSLA.’ I agree wholeheartedly with this perspective. When one of us (faculty, administrator, staff, and/or student) receives recognition, it is an achievement for the institution. Together, we are able to stand strong as one body—one entity—and to strive for even higher standards of excellence for the greater good of the University. That is the very essence of the Faculty Fellows’ program.

LESSONS

• Build buy-in by identifying emerging and/or established academic leaders on campus.
• Invite feedback from an internal peer review committee, inclusive of divisional administrators.
• Model desired outcomes at the program leadership level.

• Provide an interdisciplinary cohort of faculty scholars.
• Record evidence of deliverables.
• Secure support at the senior administrative level.
• Share lessons learned externally with peer faculty at home institution.
• Reflect qualitatively and quantitatively on program outcomes and deliverables.
• Recognize program successes.

Fellows have initiated contacts that have led to campus-based workshops in which the external facilitators share innovative materials, curricula, and strategies with SUSLA faculty. The Faculty Fellows Program has proven to be an excellent venue for forming collaborative bonds with other institutions and representatives of higher learning, both within and beyond the Southern University System.

Office of Academic Affairs

PH: 318-674-3315

TITLE III FUNDED CONFERENCE PRESENTATION: MERLOT 2007, NEW ORLEANS, AUGUST 7-10, 2007