DEVELOPING AN ERUDITE
FACULTY IN THE TWO-YEAR
COLLEGE
Dr. Ruby Evans, Chief Academic Officer
and Professor of Mathematics
Faculty Fellows who contributed to this
presentation:
Professor June Phillips, Lead Fellow
Dr. Iris Champion
Dr. Mary L. Jackson
Professor Nathaniel Manning
Professor Vanessa White
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT
SHREVEPORT LOUISIANA (SUSLA)
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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
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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:
o Faculty involvement in research and professional
meetings and conferences
o Faculty service on professional boards and
professional advisory committees
o Faculty pursuit and successful acquisition of grant
writing endeavors
FACULTY FELLOWS/DUTIES
Senior Fellow duties include the following:
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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:
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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:
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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 graduatelevel 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.
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RESULTS/DELIVERABLES
From January 2007 to July 2007, the Faculty Fellows
Program has produced the following deliverables:
o 1 partnership with another community college
frontrunner in online course development
o 1 online faculty development course, The Faculty
Lounge
o 5 completed grant proposals (technology-based)
o 4 successfully funded grant proposals ($100K)
o 4 scholarly articles for publication
o 8 peer-reviewed and mentored Faculty Fellows’
presentations at national/international conferences
o 8 prestigious awards for teaching, learning, and
leadership excellence
o 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
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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