Faculty Scholars
All Scholars will be faculty who have taught at VSU for at least six years. All Faculty Scholars
who are not the Scholar in Residence will receive a one course load reassignment and a
maximum $2,000 stipend per semester. Each will receive a base stipend of $1,000 (except the
Scholar in Residence) and then receive additional monies based on the number of circles/groups
the scholar leads during the semester and the number of workshops the scholar gives. The
number of Faculty Scholars selected will depend on the applicant pool, the budget, and the
programmatic needs of the IDEA Center.
Faculty Scholars may focus their activities in a number of areas (see below), but all have the
following responsibilities:
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Meet regularly with the Scholar in Residence and other Faculty Scholars to plan and
implement IDEA Center programming
Maintain regular hours at the IDEA Center
Design and deliver outreach activities (workshops, teaching circles, retreats, etc.) in the
Faculty Scholar’s area of expertise
Mentor individual faculty members.
Scholar in Residence
Receive a one course load reassignment and $5,000 stipend each semester for these duties:
 Supervision and Management in the IDEA Center
o IDEA Center Budget
o IDEA Center Graduate Assistant (if budget permits)
o IDEA Center programming (in coordination with the other faculty scholars)
 Involvement in the Mission of The IDEA Center
o Coaching and mentoring (approximately 5 faculty per semester)
o Directing at least one Dissertation Dive Group (online or face-to-face) in
conjunction with the Graduate School
o Planning and implementing New Faculty Orientation activities
o Representing the IDEA Center as needed at meetings (on campus and USG)
 It is helpful to have knowledge of (or to receive training in) Cascade (basic,
intermediary, and MyVSU ad creation); R25 Calendar program; and Qualtrics.
SPECIFIC DUTIES OF FACULTY SCHOLARS
Teaching Faculty Scholar
This Scholar will foster and enhance the teaching skills of VSU faculty in an effort to hone skills
in the traditional teaching environment while developing skills in new and rapidly emerging
teaching environments.
Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to:
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Exploring ways of developing more effective teaching techniques, which may lead to:
o Faculty becoming more effective teachers
o Improvement in faculty member's SOI scores
o Development of peer review techniques and models
o Improvement in super-sections pedagogy
Working with the Graduate School on the continued development of graduate
assistantships
Preparing faculty for the different types of classes they might teach (online, super
sections, face-to-face, hybrid, weekend style) and different types of students (returning
adult learners, students with disabilities, military students and veterans, digital natives,
etc.) that they might encounter in classes
Sharing best practices of developing and refreshing courses
Sharing best practices of using graduate assistants in the undergraduate learning process
Assessing the best way to reward good teachers.
Teaching with Technology Faculty Scholar
This Scholar will foster a multi-disciplinary learning community that explores possibilities and
good practices in technology-rich learning environments, produces scholarship in this area, and
advances faculty leadership around these issues.
Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to:
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Collaborating with eLearning, Information Technology, and other entities with
technology expertise to aid faculty with best use of new technological teaching
strategies
Showcasing best practices in technological pedagogy through workshops, webinars, or
other appropriate means
Effective use of technology in teaching which would assist in:
o Creation of online classes
o Teaching across disciplines
o Delivery of super-sections
Research, Writing, and Publishing Faculty Scholar
This Scholar will foster strong academic writing skills across the campus community. The
person will work with individual writers to develop better writing habits, address writing issues,
and understand the publishing process.
Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to:
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Leading 1-2 writing groups per semester
Lead at least 1-2 Dissertation Dive In groups (face to face and/or online)
Lead AcWriMo on campus
Offer workshops about writing and publishing
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Helping faculty apply outcomes of their research to the other areas of excellence, i.e.,
teaching, community engagement, technological innovation, diversity and social equity,
and entrepreneurship
Community Engagement Faculty Scholar
This Faculty Scholar will encourage collaboration between institutions of higher education and
local/state, national, and global communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge
and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Will lead at least one teaching
circle/semester and lead at least one workshop/semester.
Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to:
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Building relationships (outreach) and helping to implement change
Helping to fold international students and their cultures into VSU’s and our region’s
cultural patterns
Working with faculty, staff, and community partners to create community-based
activities which are well integrated into the learning process
Devising ways for VSU to interact more effectively with the many communities in which
it participates:
Enhancing curriculum, teaching, and learning through interaction with regional
communities
o Facilitating community retreats
o Addressing critical societal issues
o Establishing a partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of
the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative
activity
Preparing educated, engaged citizens who incorporate democratic values and civic
responsibility into their decisions and who work toward the public good
Note
Much of the content of these descriptions arose from comments about faculty needs, which were stated
in the Faculty Excellence Initiative’s surveys done in Spring 2012, from its focus groups conducted in Fall
2012, and from data gathered from similar Centers across the country, as well as language from
educational policymakers, such as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.