Faculty and Staff Development

Goal 1: Recruitment

Strategy 1: Leverage the institutional systems and resources to enhance recruitment of faculty and staff to attract and hire a diverse pool of excellent candidates for key positions at the university
Strategy 2: Increase consistency of how different departments conduct searches in order to make sure that we are using best practices, with emphasis on faculty searches
Strategy 3: Develop an intentional five-year hiring plan for faculty and staff in the college, inclusive of succession planning
Strategy 4: Design an intentional plan for meeting start-up needs for faculty

Goal 2: Development

Strategy 1: Develop tools to identify strengths and weaknesses and provide support for key leaders
Strategy 2: Develop processes by which we identify emerging leaders and equip and train them before they step into leadership roles
Strategy 3: Provide intentional and diverse opportunities for mentor training and mentoring
Strategy 4: Gather feedback about key leaders and provide them the supports to adapt their leadership in response to feedback
Strategy 5: Help faculty and staff to recognize the career life cycle, place themselves within that, and develop them from stage to stage in that cycle

Goal 3: Retention

Strategy 1: Provide opportunities for success and recognition of that success in the faculty or staff position
Strategy 2: Address the process by which the college awards merit increases for faculty and staff
Strategy 3: Implement faculty and staff performance review processes that better align with performance expectations
Strategy 4: Foster a professional culture that builds institutional loyalty

Christopher Cheatum

Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical and Social Sciences

Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities

Faculty recruitment, development, and retention

Created a DEO nomination, selection, and evaluation policy aligned with the published expectations of DEO leaders
Increased frequency of 1-1 meetings with DEOs (every 2-3 weeks)
Redesigned faculty reviews and faculty promotion workshops to provide better career-development feedback
Conducted 1-1 meetings with faculty to recognize strong performers and better understand those facing challenges in career trajectory
Successful DEO recruitments in CSD and Biology including first UI transformational hire
Overhauled the faculty merit review process
Addressed longstanding salary compression (ongoing)
Revised the 5-year review process and trained DEOs on annual and 5-year reviews
Supported development of performance improvement plans (PIP)
Implemented feedback and development program and professional coaching support for ADs

Staff recruitment, development, and retention

Co-led an administrative review of roles and responsibilities, resulting in identifying areas to improve consistency in the search process
Piloted 2023-2024 staff proposal review process for advancements, promotions, and new staffing, and anticipated changes in 2024-2025
Developed and provided training for supervisors on giving performance feedback and performing stay interviews
Identified and sponsored emerging leaders for UI Lead
Provided supervisory training for staff performance management, addressing evaluation, feedback, and retention efforts
Piloted CLAS New Staff Orientation – half day session for staff new to the college (new hire and transfers from other UI units)

Arts and Humanities

Initiate Humanities Strategy Group to strengthen support of these areas and
Continue partnership with OVPR to support arts and humanities in CLAS
Work with GSO, OVPR, Provost’s Office, and Obermann Center to increase faculty success in external awards
Support Obermann Center leadership transition
Pursue transformational hire in Arts & Humanities
Strengthen organizational structure in DWLLC
Support SAAH repositioning efforts
Collaborate with DEOs on social analysis areas charge and related changes
Support greater coordination of Writing Hubs
Reassess joint appointments

Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences

Work with DEOs and departments to update 5-yr hiring plans and use them for long-term strategy
Develop a leadership pipeline and succession plans in CLAS departments
Develop new sources and long-term plan for faculty startup funding
Develop a cohort-based leadership training program for emerging mid-career faculty leaders
Work with DEI committee to create a CLAS faculty mentoring program with mentor training
Meet with groups of faculty in strategic areas to engage in long-range planning conversations
Continue to look at salary compression across departments
Complete 1-1 meetings with faculty
Meet with groups of faculty in strategic areas to engage in long-range planning conversations
Work with DEOs and ADs to develop a framework for differential teaching loads in the sciences
Support structural evolution in environment and sustainability-related areas
Support evolution and strengthening of communication-related areas including faculty, assessing staffing needs and structure, and developing shared programs and resources
Pursue senior, potentially transformational, hire in Physics and Astronomy
Work with DEOs to revise/update/strengthen strategic plans

Human Resources

Align administrative and HR procedures through an updated roles and responsibilities document for searches
Revisit staffing proposal process for improved communication and process, with a 2–3 year horizon
Develop and implement unconscious bias training for staff searches that aligns with the faculty search process
Develop a process for multi-rater departmental administrator performance feedback and evaluation
Continue AD feedback and development program
Evaluate annual staff recognition in collaboration with CLAS Staff Council
Develop a template for supervisors for determining merit increases
Develop an evaluative process for merit increases for department administrators