The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) is an independent faculty development center that offers live and recorded webinars, courses, mentoring, and workshops on a wide variety of topics for faculty at different stages of their careers. Topics range from cultivating your network of mentors and sponsors, engaging in healthy conflict, overcoming academic perfection, mastering academic time management, the art of saying "no," and many others. 

Access to Online Resources for Faculty, Postdocs and Graduate Students  

The UM System has an institutional membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) which offers free access to the NCFDD’s online resources to all faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students at all four Universities, including UMSL. Eligible UMSL users can activate their memberships through the NCFDD website.

The NCFDD Faculty Success Program

The NCFDD's Faculty Success Program is a 12-week, intensive bootcamp where academics work directly with a coach and small group of other faculty to implement the skills and strategies to maximize their success. The program is for advanced post-docs, tenure-track faculty and tenured faculty who are looking for coaching and peer support to propel their research productivity and work-life balance to new levels. The NCFDD runs the program in spring, summer, and fall semesters. 

The program includes:

  • Weekly training modules where you learn the skills and strategies that increase productivity and promote work-life balance.

  • Small Group Support & Accountability Conference Calls that enable you to connect deeply with other academics and your faculty coach to receive individualized guidance, problem solving and support.

  • Access to an exclusive Faculty Success Program online community to track productivity, interact with other participating academics, ask questions, get feedback, share resources, exchange ideas, find support and more.

  • Access to private coaching with the program's Master Coaches.

UMSL is sponsoring scholarships for 3 tenure-track or tenured faculty to participate in the Faculty Success Program (FSP) in 2024. Applications to take part in one of the 2024 sessions are now open. The review of applications will begin on Monday, October 2, 2023. For fullest consideration, please apply before that date. Scholarship recipients will be able to choose which session they will take part in - spring (January to April), summer (May to August), or fall (August to November) – and will be notified in mid-October.

Tenured alumni of the Faculty Success Program may apply for a scholarship to participate in Post-Tenure Pathfinders, which is a 12-week program that builds on the principles introduced in the Faculty Success Program by using the same application form. Priority, however, is given to first-time participants the Faculty Success Program. Pathfinders usually runs only in the summer.

Apply to the Faculty Success Program

You may also access a recording of the February 25, 2022 NCFDD Informational Session for  more information:

NCFDD Informational Session 2022

Goals of the Program

The goals of the Faculty Success Program are to increase:

  • Success in publication and securing external funding for research

  • Confidence as independent scholars

  • Healthy relationships with departmental colleagues

  • Job satisfaction and commitment to the University of Missouri System

  • Individualized support for under-represented faculty

Scholarships for the Faculty Success Program

UMSL Academic Affairs will provides a modest number of scholarships to faculty to cover the cost of attending the Faculty Success Program. Information about the scholarships is posted here and a distributed to faculty via email. For information about the application process, contact Alice Hall at halla@umsl.edu.

Program Registration

If selected for a scholarship to participate in the Faculty Success Program, Academic Affairs will work with you to coordinate your program registration. If you are not selected for a scholarship but would still like to register for the program on your own, please contact Alice Hall at halla@umsl.edu.


Frequently Asked Questions


Yes, each of the following faculty members has taken part in the FSP and welcomes the opportunity to talk to others who are considering the program. You are encouraged to reach out to any of them directly for more information:

Name

Unit

Email

Wilma Calvert

College of Nursing

calvert@umsl.edu

Lauren Obermark

English

 obermarkl@umsl.edu

Aimee Dunlap

Biology

aimee.dunlap@umsl.edu

Amber Reinhart

Communication & Media

Academic Affairs

reihartam@umsl.edu

Lara Zwarun

Communication & Media

zwarunl@umsl.edu

Participating academics are expected to:

  • Act as responsible, self-directed adult learners who are open to feedback
  • Regularly review the weekly trainings in the online community
  • Attend and actively participate in the Small Group Support & Accountability Calls
  • Complete the weekly homework assignments guided and supported by your Small Group Faculty Coach
  • Track daily progress on writing, research and personal goals in the program's private online community

The program lasts 12 weeks and requires weekly training modules, small group calls and personal daily tracking. It is estimated that participation will require about three hours per week and a commitment to write (work on research output) at least 30 minutes a day during the 12-week session.

Participating academics are placed in a small group with three other faculty of the same rank from different institutions. Each group is led by a Small Group Faculty Coach who is a professor at a different institution. The groups are meticulously sorted by the program's coaching team around the grouping preferences stated in your intake survey, including: underrepresented status, gender, parenting, etc.

Yes. The application submission will be open until the end of the spring 2024 semester. Qualified applicants who are interested in the summer or fall FSP sessions can be put on a waiting list in case a scholarship recipient is unable to participate and a spot opens. You are also encouraged to submit another application next year, before the “fullest consideration” deadline for that cycle. Applications for next year should open over the summer.
The NCFDD also has a program called Post-Tenure Pathfinders. This is a 12-week program for tenured alumni of the Faculty Success Program. Tenured alumni of that program can apply for a scholarship for Post-Tenure Pathfinders through the same application form. However, priority will be given to first-time participants in the Faculty Success Program. We do not provide scholarships for someone to take part in the Faculty Success Program for a second time. If you are not selected for a scholarship for Pathfinders, but would still like to register for the program on your own, please contact Alice Hall.

The UM System has an institutional membership to NCFDD, meaning any faculty member, post-doctoral fellow, graduate or professional student at a UM System university can access the breadth of NCFDD resources at any time. Details on how to access these materials can be found on the UM System website.

Resources for Institutional Members

  • Monthly Core Curriculum Webinars
  • Guest Expert Webinars and Multi-Week Courses
  • Library of All Prior Trainings
  • Monday Motivator
  • 14-Day Writing Challenges
  • Dissertation Success Curriculum for Graduate Students
  • Buddy Matching (by request)