Faculty Development

The Faculty Success Office (FSO) is a critical resource for faculty learning, development, communication, and policy-related matters. Its mission is to cultivate and support faculty through learning, development, and social opportunities, enhance faculty career capabilities through learning and development workshops, and accelerate their career advancement and recognition through our awards and grants programs.

The FSO also monitors faculty-related data (satisfaction and advancement) and policy changes to ensure our faculty are supported, treated equitably, and thrive in their careers. In addition to our VPAA departments, the FSO partners with many units across campus, including the Division of Planning, Division of Compliance, International Affairs, DSI-CLEAR, Branding, and the President’s Office, to support our faculty.

The Faculty Success Office sponsors workshops each year to support faculty in developing community, building their capabilities, and advancing their career. These include new faculty orientation, new adjunct orientation, promotion and tenure, well-being and mental health, faculty development leave, faculty writing groups, teaching workshops, and special topics in collaboration with our division and college partners to support the changing needs of our faculty. The Faculty Success Newsletter (August-May) will include a list of these events, which can also be found on the Faculty Success calendar.

Faculty Success supports two leadership development programs — Academic Affairs Fellows and Leadership Fellows. Both nine-month programs help emerging and current leaders interested in moving into administrative positions within academic affairs. Calls for applications will go out each spring, and selections occur late spring-summer. Academic Affairs Fellows work with the Vice Provost on university-level projects. Leadership Fellows work on college-level projects under the supervision of their Dean or Associate Dean. The FOS also oversees the Chair Academy and New Chair Training, which support unit administrators in their learning and development as leaders.

Department chairs play an important role in recognizing UNT's faculty by recommending or nominating faculty in their department for awards presented for excellence in teaching, research/creative activities, and service. The Faculty Success Office website contains a comprehensive list of awards, selection processes, deadlines and calls for nominations for the awards specific to faculty. Award categories include, but are not limited to:

• UNT Foundation Awards: Eminent, Community Engagement, Faculty Leadership, and Outstanding Lecturer
• University Distinguished Professorships
• Regents Professorship
• Teaching Awards
• Mentoring Awards
• Research & Creativity Awards
• Emeritus Faculty
• Service Awards

Faculty Success celebrates our faculty with the annual Salute to Faculty Excellence event each spring.

Faculty development leaves at UNT are authorized to increase the value of the recipients’ sustained contribution to the University. They provide the individual with an opportunity for professional growth and may be granted (upon application) for study, research, writing, field observations, or other suitable purposes. UNT Policy 06.010 Development Leave outlines the three classes of leave: eligibility, procedures, authorizations, leave period, and compensation. Applicants must initiate the request for faculty development leave with the department chair, who forwards the request to the dean of the faculty member’s academic unit for endorsement. The call, evaluation criteria, and application process guide for faculty development leave can be found on the Faculty Success Office website. Additional information can be found on the Faculty Development Leave webpage.

Chairs collaborate with Faculty Success in many ways, including the UNT Faculty Mentoring Program. Chairs are responsible for helping new faculty across ranks identify mentors and report mentor pairings to Faculty Success in September and, for Spring hires, January. FS emails the chairs each semester about reporting mentors for new faculty. The department chair should not be the assigned mentor, as they will mentor all the new faculty as their supervisor. The mentor is usually a faculty member of the same career track who has reached at least one promotion level above the new faculty member. The Mentoring Program provides new and continuing faculty with support and resources to help them transition into new roles and strengthen connections across campus departments.

Additional mentoring offerings for faculty include:

• CREATE Mentoring Grant: The Creative and Research Enhancement Activity Time for Engagement (CREATE) Program is also available for new assistant professors. The program aims to facilitate the development of new networks and collaborators for new assistant professors and enhance their scholarly productivity. Upon successful reappointment review in their third year, assistant professors will be eligible to apply for the award to be used during the fourth or fifth year of the faculty member’s appointment.
• Mentoring Grants: The Mentoring Grant Program provides financial support for full-time faculty across all ranks. During the spring semester, a call for proposals is publicized, and faculty members are encouraged to apply for individual or team grants. These grants help faculty gain institutional knowledge, support teaching and/or research efforts, and develop professional networks.
• Conference Support: The Conference Support program aims to help full-time faculty members become more outwardly visible in their field and develop robust professional networks to support their career development, including achieving tenure and promotion. UNT will reimburse each awardee for up to $1,000 towards participation in a top national or international conference, performance, development, or showcase venue relevant to their field. This award is to be used only for travel related to the faculty member’s employment responsibilities, namely, research, teaching, or service.

The Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research (CLEAR) works closely with faculty by supporting their development of effective and innovative course content. CLEAR’s services include instructional design, media production, accessibility and copyright guidance, and consultations on forward-thinking instructional practices. As the primary support for faculty designing and delivering digital learning experiences, CLEAR supports the creation of high-quality, engaging, and accessible courses across all disciplines.

The Teaching Resources site supports UNT faculty's ongoing pursuit of effective and innovative teaching practices. It features research-informed strategies, expert-led workshops, technology training, teaching innovation institutes, and communities of practice focused on instructional excellence. Faculty are encouraged to explore upcoming events, connect with peers, and discover new approaches to enhance the learning experience. Developed by experts in teaching and learning, these resources are designed to support faculty at every stage of their instructional journey.