Kim Cotzias 
Faculty are navigating one of the most complex grant funding environments in recent memory. Federal priorities are shifting. Budgets are tightening. And competition for research dollars continues to rise. At the same time, institutions continue to depend on external funding, but often without updating the systems and structures that help faculty pursue it effectively. For … Read more
Securing external funding is often seen as a key marker of academic success. It supports research agendas, opens doors for collaboration, and plays a major role in tenure and promotion decisions. But what’s less talked about is how much time, energy, and emotional bandwidth it takes to get there. For many faculty—especially those early in … Read more
If you’ve served as a department chair, you know the role is unlike anything else in academia. It sits at a crossroads: part administrator, part faculty peer, part conflict resolver, part strategist. On any given day, you might be handling budget requests, onboarding a new faculty member, addressing student concerns, fielding institutional mandates, and navigating … Read more
Continuing the Conversation: NCFDD and COACHE on Rethinking Faculty Mentoring Earlier this year, NCFDD and Harvard’s Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) released a joint white paper—Redefining Mentoring in Higher Education—that challenged long-held assumptions about what effective faculty mentoring looks like. Drawing on COACHE survey data and NCFDD field-tested strategies and programs, the … Read more
Faculty mentoring is widely acknowledged as essential to academic success. It supports research productivity, retention, and career advancement, etc. However, many faculty report receiving ineffective mentoring, Why? Because good intentions alone don’t build sustainable mentoring systems. This conversation was at the heart of Rethinking Faculty Mentoring: What Institutions Can Do Differently, a recent webinar co-hosted … Read more
Writing is core to academic success, but it’s often the first thing to get pushed aside when schedules fill up. Teaching, service, mentoring, administrative tasks, and life outside of work can easily crowd out even the most well-intentioned writing plans. For faculty and academic leaders alike, the challenge isn’t knowing that writing matters: it’s figuring … Read more
Author: NCFDD In higher education, student success is a top priority. Institutions dedicate significant resources to advising, academic support, and student engagement initiatives. But one essential factor often doesn’t get the attention it deserves: faculty. Faculty success isn’t separate from institutional success. It’s the driving force behind it. When faculty are supported—through development opportunities, mentoring, … Read more
Since its inception, the Faculty Success Program (FSP) has supported thousands of academics across disciplines, institutions, and identities as they navigate the demands of scholarly writing, research productivity, and sustainable work-life integration. From assistant professors just beginning their careers to full professors seeking renewed focus, FSP provides a proven structure and community to help faculty … Read more
For many faculty, stepping into a department chair role can feel like a detour—an administrative obligation that pulls time and energy away from research, teaching, and personal goals. But the chair position doesn’t have to be a pause in your career. When approached with intention, it can be a strategic opportunity for growth, visibility, and … Read more
On many campuses, mentoring is widely valued but loosely defined. It’s often left to individual departments or informal pairings, without much structure or accountability. While many institutions recognize the importance of faculty mentoring, building a coordinated, sustainable approach that works across all career stages remains a challenge. At Emory University, efforts to strengthen mentoring began … Read more