TO:
President McKinney, Dr. Karla Hull, and the VSU Campus Community
FROM:
The Faculty Excellence Initiative
Kathleen S. Lowney, Chair
RE:
Report and Recommendations
DATE:
March 1, 2013
HISTORY OF THE FACULTY EXCELLENCE INITIATIVE
The members of the Faculty Excellence Initiative (FEI) were appointed by Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost Phil Gunter and we started work in October 2011. Believing that
we needed more information about faculty development on our campus and on other
campuses, we initially split into two subcommittees, which had the following tasks.
Subcommittee on Needs Assessment
During Spring semester 2012, this subcommittee worked on gathering data from current VSU
faculty, administrators, and graduate assistants. This subcommittee began by drafting and
revising a survey for each of those constituencies and then pilot tested them.
The faculty survey asked questions about workload, what mix of teaching, research, and service
the faculty member felt was the best for him or her and how the faculty member felt that mix
was perceived by one’s supervisor. The survey also asked about what kinds of development
opportunities and what delivery mechanisms would be most meaningful and most used by the
faculty member. Approximately 325 faculty members completed all or part of the survey.
The administrators’ survey asked many of the same questions as the faculty one, but it also
elicited information about why recent faculty candidates did not accept jobs at VSU and what
reasons faculty who recently left their jobs had given for leaving. Administrators were also
asked about were their own faculty development needs, timing of when they would like to see
development opportunities offered for them, etc. Approximately 30 administrators completed
all or part of the survey.
The graduate assistants’ survey was a briefer instrument which focused on if they felt prepared
for teaching, research, and grant activities they might encounter, either as a GA or in their
graduate classes and what type of opportunities they might want to see offered.
Executive summaries of these surveys can be found here.
Based on these survey results and other data we gathered, during Summer 2012, the
subcommittee worked hard to create some questions which were used in focus groups to
probe further about concerns and visions for what faculty development could be at VSU.
During Fall semester 2012, seventeen focus groups, made up of various faculty constituencies,
were held. Graduate Student Assistants Nicholas Grisak, Sherifa Johnson, and Kenya Wiggins
were assistant note takers for the focus groups. Rebecca Murphy, Dr. Michael Black, and Ieshia
C. Walker, the latter two members of the staff of Strategic Research and Analysis, volunteered
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to be moderators for the focus groups. Ms. Wiggins did her graduate sociological practice with
Dr. Lowney, researching the scholarly literature on teaching and learning centers (their
creation, programs offered, and how they are assessed) as well as researching grant agencies
which might be possible funding agencies at a future data.
Executive summaries of all the focus groups can be found here.
Subcommittee to Research Other Institutions of Higher Education
The other subcommittee focused on researching how other institutions of higher education
implement programs supporting professional development for faculty, administrators, and
graduate assistants. The subcommittee members gathered data from VSU’s list of peer
institutions, aspirational institutions, as well as data from every school in the USG system. They
examined what kinds of development activities were offered, where the office or center was
housed, and what kind of organizational model it used. A 60+ page document was created from
that research. From that dataset, they narrowed the list of schools to six which had activities or
models which piqued the subcommittee’s interest and which seemed feasible given VSU’s
governance structure. Subcommittee members individually phone interviewed the director of
each of these six schools, using an interview protocol designed by one member and approved
by all the subcommittee.
Preliminary Recommendations and Conversations
In October-November 2012, the FEI began to pull all the data together from the surveys, the
focus groups, the interviews with other Directors of Teaching and Learning Centers, and the
data obtained from other institutions’ websites and to come up with some recommendations.
The main recommendation that the FEI drafted was that VSU needed some sort of Center
which would focus on faculty and staff development, at least in the areas of teaching, research,
and service (See executive summaries for supporting data).
While the FEI was beginning that drafting work, we felt that we needed to share our results and
our draft recommendations with President McKinney and Interim Vice President for Academic
Affairs and Provost Hull. In advance of that meeting, they were given all the executive
summaries and other data that the FEI had been gathering since it came into existence. That
meeting occurred on December 5, 2012.
Drs. McKinney and Hull stated that they appreciated the depth of data and analysis that the FEI
had already done – and even before we began to talk about the need for a center, they told the
members of the FEI that they were convinced of the need for, and supported the creation of, a
Center. They felt that, that they would be able to find resources to support the work of the
Center. In fact, they announced that a house on Georgia Avenue had already begun being
renovated to house the Center.
After the December 2012 meeting, the work of the FEI shifted away from articulating a need
for a Center to creating a proposed organizational structure and draft policies for the Center.
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Dr. Hull met with the FEI in late January and suggested one possible idea about how to do that.
Since that meeting, the members of the FEI have been debating possible structures and are
ready to make our final proposal for the Center.
RECOMMENDATION 1: Create The IDEA Center: Innovative Designs to Enhance
the Academy on Georgia Avenue, Valdosta, GA
Rationale: Faculty and administrators repeatedly shared in both the surveys and in focus groups
that one centrally-located facility which could facilitate collaborative efforts to improve the
teaching, research, and service efforts of faculty would be helpful to strengthen the mission of
the University.
MISSION STATEMENT:
Bringing together a committed community of professionals to collaborate and enhance their
individual and joint endeavors in teaching, practice, research, and service to Valdosta State
University, and to our regional and global communities.
CORE VALUES OF THE IDEA CENTER:
-Collegiality
-Collaboration
-Creating a culture of excellence
-Communication
-Contemplation
-Transformation
-Coordination of activities
-Cohesiveness
-Community
-Commitment
-Innovation
VISION AND SCOPE OF THE IDEA CENTER:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed
it‘s the only thing that ever has.” --Margaret Meade
The goals of the IDEA Center include but are not limited to the following:
 To provide learning spaces for a community of professionals;
 To provide opportunities for faculty and staff collaboration on ways to increase student
learning and retention;
 To assist faculty members in moving successfully through the promotion and tenure
process;
 To help educators recognize and build on their strengths;
 To foster interdisciplinary collaboration within professional communities;
 To energize research across all disciplines and advance professional endeavors;
 To help bring cohesiveness in learning across disciplines;
 To provide a center for experiencing shared cultures in learning and research through
instructional practice, reflection on educational principles, and exploring theories
through periodic workshops, lectures, and symposia;
 To provide space for enhancing professional and institutional development;
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To provide access to a variety of education resources through the IDEA Center’s web
site and campus location on Georgia Avenue;
To uphold the mission of the University, particularly in regard to the respect for
individual dignity and our commitment to social justice;
To provide a safe refuge for the mind – a place to relax with a cup of coffee.
RECOMMENDATION 2: INITIAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE
IDEA CENTER
A. One Fellow-in-Residence will serve as the coordinator of the IDEA Center activities,
will report to the Dean of the Honors College, and will receive a one course load
reassignment each semester for these duties.

Help create and manage Center activities, such as
o Public calendar of events
o Creation and updating of the Center website
o Advertise Center activities
o Create evaluation tools for use in Center activities, for
assessment purposes

Outreach to and help to establish ongoing conversations between:
o Departments, Divisions, and Colleges
o Other campus organizations which are also involved in teaching,
learning, and research activities, such as

The Writing Across Curriculum (WAC) group

The STEM group who are working to strengthen student
learning in STEM courses

Supersection faculty group

Advising Centers

The E-Learning staff

Data Warehouse staff

The Honors College and its Dean and Fellows

New faculty

The HUB Learning Cooperative

Office of Sponsored Programs staff

The Access Office

Office of Social Equity

First Year Learning communities
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
Informal groups of faculty who are working on similar
activities
B. An initial cohort of up to ten Faculty Fellows (one of whom is the Fellow-inResidence) will participate in a variety of activities with the Center during the
duration of their fellowship. All Fellows should be tenured faculty members. One of
the primary duties of the Faculty Fellows is to act as coaches/mentors for faculty and
staff who apply for Center funding or who use other Center services. Faculty
Fellows will share their expertise regularly with the campus community as well as
serve as ambassadors for the Center, helping to spread the word about Center
activities and services on campus and in VSU’s service region. Normally, a Faculty
Fellow will serve for two academic semesters, with a one course load reassignment
each term. Center funds will be used to reimburse the Department/Division for this
one course load reassignment each semester. Fellowships may be renewed for two
additional semesters, with approval.
C. All Fellows will be required to:

Participate in Center Activities
o Attend retreat(s) and any other shared activities, such as reading groups,
etc.
o Work with Fellow-in-Residence to promote Center activities and build
up the number of faculty, staff, and graduate students using Center
services
o Have hours-in-residence at Center on a regular basis
o Provide Fellow-in-Residence updates about activities as requested
o Other duties referenced in specific Fellowship description, below
o Complete an end of semester and an “End of Fellowship” evaluation.

Share Expertise with Communities of Learning
o Provide private mentoring and coaching to faculty and staff who seek
their assistance
o Organize/lead at least one event based on their Fellowship area per
semester
o Participate in on-campus scholarship of teaching and learning events such
as the Core Matters Conference, the Online Lifeline Conference, etc.,
where appropriate to Fellowship
o Be professionally active beyond the VSU campus
o Develop recommendations for the future growth and administration of
the Center.
D. Normally, the ten Faculty Fellows would be broken down this way: up to 4 teaching
fellows, 2 research fellows, and 1 fellow from all the other types (inclusive of the
Fellow-in-Residence).
E. Duties of Specific Fellows (NOTE: Much of the content of these descriptions arose
from comments about faculty needs, which were stated in the FEI surveys done last
5
year, in the focus groups, 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.)

Community Engagement Fellow: This Fellow would 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.
o Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to


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

Establishing a partnership of university knowledge and resources
with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship,
research, and creative activity

Enhancing curriculum, teaching and learning through interaction
with regional communities

Preparing educated, engaged citizens who incorporate democratic
values and civic responsibility into their decisions and who work
toward the public good

Facilitating community retreats

Addressing critical societal issues.
Diversity and Social Equity Innovation Fellow: This Fellow would bring his or her
knowledge of the importance of diversity and social justice to assist faculty and
staff in “building a campus climate that upholds the dignity of each community
member” (Elon University Inclusive Community Council).
o Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to

Working to ensure that the curriculum and classroom
environments are welcoming and inclusive for students

Working on creating strategies to recruit and retain a more
diverse faculty

Working with campus staff to ensure that international students
understand the academic and social culture of VSU and have
opportunities to share their cultural traditions with the campus
and community
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
Encouraging faculty use accessible materials so that all students
can be successful.
 Entrepreneurial Innovation Fellow: This Fellow would bring her or his
experience to help others translate research findings into the non-academic
world. This fellowship fosters transformational thinking that can be applied to
creating entrepreneurial opportunities consistent with our mission and the
facilitation of creative ideas and solutions, implemented for the purpose of
positively and productively improving processes within the University.
o Specific duties could include, but are not limited to:

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Creating opportunities for cross-disciplinary conversations that
target the generation of solutions for campus issues
Supporting faculty and staff interested in creating entrepreneurial
endeavors consistent with the university mission and goals
Developing a resource of exciting entrepreneurial endeavors
being implemented at other universities
Collaborating with other campus entities, such as the Faculty
Research Seed Grants, the Office of Sponsored Programs, the
Small Business Development Center, and the Center for Applied
Social Sciences, to encourage research immediately usable by
organizations and non-profits in VSU’s service region
Working with community partners to create entrepreneurial
opportunities in our region.
Research Fellow: This Fellow would bring his or her expertise in conducting
research to consult with and train other faculty and staff, in order to help with
the development of their research or publication of their scholarship.
o
Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to
 Outreach to academic programs, departments, and the Graduate
School to ascertain the needs and concerns related to research

Planning and coordinating group activities to inform the VSU
community about research and publishing opportunities and
to encourage involvement in those venues

Coordinating access to research tools and tutoring in areas such
as statistics, literature searching, and requirements of the
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects
(IRB) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
(IACUC)

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.
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
Teaching Fellow: This fellowship serves to 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.
o Specific additional duties could include, but are not limited to


Exploring ways of developing more effective teaching techniques,
which may lead to :
 Faculty becoming more effective teachers
 Improvement in faculty member’s SOI scores
 Development of peer review techniques and models
 Improvement in super-sections pedagogy
 Learning new teaching skills

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
Technology and Education Fellow: This fellowship fosters a multi-disciplinary
learning community that explores possibilities and good practices in technologyrich learning environments, produces scholarship in this area, and advances
faculty leadership around these issues.
o Specific 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:
 Creation of online classes
 Teaching across disciplines
 Delivery of super-sections
 Grants and External Funding Fellow: This fellow will serve as a resource, coach
and mentor for faculty and staff interested in pursuing external funding.
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o Specific duties could include, but are not limited to:

Working collaboratively with the Dean of the Graduate School
and Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs to assist
individual faculty/staff in
o identifying external funding sources
o writing the proposal
o developing the budget
o submitting the proposal

Alerting faculty/staff to promising external funding sources

Providing “brainstorming” circles to assist faculty/staff in turning
ideas/dreams/research into a viable funded project
F. Executive Committee and Advisory Board for the IDEA Center
 Executive Committee
o For 2013-2014, members of the Faculty Excellence Initiative will be asked
if they want to stay on and help to implement the vision for the IDEA
Center.
o Duties might include
 Act as screening committee for Fellowship selection
 Work with Fellow-in-Residence on
 Website design
 Initial Center programming and advertising of activities
 Faculty database created/implemented
 Creating process for how next Executive Committee will
be selected, how terms staggered, etc.
 Advisory Committee
o Broader constituency, perhaps with a community member, a member of
the VSU Foundation Board, and VSU campus organizations, such as
Student Success Center, E-learning, Information Technology, Writing
Across the Curriculum, etc. This Committee would advise the Executive
Committee by bringing a variety of skills and perspectives to
conversations and by promoting the mission of The IDEA Center.
RECOMMENDATION 3: INITIAL SERVICES AVAILABLE AT THE IDEA
CENTER
 Interactive calendar of Center and related campus events
 Private consultations related to the Center’s mission
 Quiet place to write and conduct research
 Teaching, research, and writing circles to help faculty members to succeed in the
promotion and tenure process
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Funded projects that will emerge from other Center activities, mentored by the
appropriate Faculty Fellow(s)
Workshops, seminars, and public lectures presented on an on-going basis
RECOMMENDATION 4: FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA CENTER
Adequately fund the IDEA Center for a minimum of three years. Yearly assessment will occur
about Center activities, usage of the Center, etc., in order to determine continued funding.
Written collectively by the Members of the Faculty Excellence Initiative
Bonni S. Cohen, College of Nursing
Michael H. Eaves, College of Communication Arts
Kathleen S. Lowney, College of Arts and Sciences, Chair
James Martinez, Dewar College of Education
Anita L. Ondrusek, Library and Information Science
Michael Sanger, Division of Social Work
Ronald A. Stunda, Langdale College of Business
Teresa Williams, The Graduate School
Ex-officio members:
Sheri L. Gravett, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Peggy L. Moch, Faculty Senate former Executive Secretary
Rebecca B. Murphy, Assistant Director of Human Resources for Employee Development
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