Faculty Development

Thomas More University provides ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. There is a range of ways that the university provides such development: the distribution of faculty development grants, the support of sabbatical leave, the support of faculty who pursue externally funded grants, the coordination of faculty development day during general assembly, and the offering of several faculty workshops/book clubs.

Faculty development is housed in academic affairs in the office of the provost.

Forms and documents related to faculty development can be found on MYTMU page under “Faculty/Staff”, “Forms/Documents”.

The University, through the Faculty Relations Committee and the director of faculty development, supports sabbatical leave. Sabbatical leaves are granted through a competitive process.  Applications are reviewed and recommendations are made by the Faculty Relations Committee. Those recommendations are then sent to the provost and then the president for approval. Faculty are granted sabbatical leave either for one semester at full salary, or for one year at half salary.  Faculty members may apply for sabbatical leave after seven years of service.THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY SABBATICALS 1989-2020

The university, through applications to FRC, support for faculty wishing to finish their terminal degree.  These are $1,000 per year.

For 17/18 Year: One faculty received funding for support of graduate degree.

For 18/19 Year: Two faculty received funding for support of graduate degree.  Of the two who received funding, one of those faculty finished their terminal degree.

FRC and faculty development director host book clubs for interested faculty. Some of the most recent books discussed are:  Small Teaching:  Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning by James M. Lang and The Slow Professor: Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber.

The faculty development director and members of the Faculty Relations Committee meet with applicants in a fall workshop, usually in September, to provide information on the process and answer questions. An online promotion/tenure application is located on MYTMU. Applicants submit all materials digitally (unless situation permits otherwise) to provost’s office and on a Canvas created page. A course is created on Canvas to display promotion and/or tenure materials to members of FRC, provost, academic affairs of the Board of Trustees, and ultimately the president.

FRC creates and supports faculty development workshops throughout the academic year. Titles of previous faculty development workshops are listed below. Faculty attendance is encouraged but not required. Preference to presenters is given to faculty who received faculty development funding the previous year.

17/18 Workshops

8/18/17, “Health and Wellness Initiative Go365”

“How to Create Discussion Groups,” Christy Petroze

“Revising your Syllabus,” Kim Haverkos

“New Online Tools,” Sue Bartow

8/31/17, “Motivate, Engage, and Inspire:  Tips for Teaching Modern Learners,” Webinar

10/14/17, “A Day in the Life of a Canvas User,” Jodie Mader/Nathan Hartman

10/20/17, “Interacting with Historical Genealogy and Our Family Stories,” Maria Mitchell

10/20/17, “KIIS Opportunities,” Luis Sierra

1/19/18, “Scotland:  More Than Just Haggis and Castles,” Shannon Galbraith-Kent

3/28/18, “Wine and Canvas:  Using Canvas in Your Class,” Nathan Hartman

4/13/18, “My Sabbatical:  Using PreteXt to Produce a Better Online Text (or Lab Manual,” Joe Christensen

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18/19 Workshops

9/7/18, “Concussions and Your Student,” Justin Farr, Faculty Member

9/14/18 “Culturally Responsive Teaching,” Karin Admiraal, Christian XXX, Outside Speaker

10/12/18, Slow Professor and Small Teaching, Faculty Book Club

11/16/18, “From the River to the Stars:  How I Spent My Sabbatical,” Wes Ryle, Sabbatical

1/25/19 “Becoming Bridges because Walls are Unbecoming:  Reflections on a Journey of Service to and learning from the Migrant,” James Camp, Faculty Member

1/11/19, “Navigating a Book Contract,” Luis Sierra and Dr. Bonnie Erwin (Wilmington College)

1/11/19, “Faculty/Staff Open Forum,” with Cabinet and President

3/7/19 “The Influences of Social Media,” Katy McCray, Faculty Member.

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2020 workshops

1/24/2020, “Teaching Strategies,” Jodie Mader

2/12/2020, “Thomas More University Campus Garden,” Shannon Galbraith-Kent

2/14/2020, “Team Teaching,” Cate Sherron

3/20/2020, “Possibilities in Canvas,” Sarah Blackwell

3/25/2020, “Benedictine Library Innovation,” Michael Wells

4/15/2020, “Annunciation House,” James Camp

Congrats to these faculty who have been awarded

Tenure and/or Promotion for the 2020-21 Year

at Thomas More University:

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Promotion to Associate Professor:

Debra Allen
Meenakshi Bansal
Justin Farr
Christine Griffiths
Caitlin Powell

Promotion to Professor:

Jodie Mader
Zachary Taylor

Tenure:

Elizabeth Neal
Caitlin Powell
Jyoti Saraswat
Charles Zimmer

Dr. Chris Lorentz 2020 Report