Framing and Maintaining a Research Agenda: A Blueprint for Success

blueprint for success

Author: Fred A. Bonner II, EdD For researchers in general, and tenure-track faculty in particular, perhaps the most critical task they must engage is to develop a clear and concise research agenda that will serve as the scaffolding for a career in Academe or also the workforce beyond the Academy. From developing a researchable topic to … Read more

Request Your Strategic Roadmap

Connect your strategic priorities to target faculty development

Connect Your Strategic Priorities to Targeted Faculty Development Your institution’s goals — from increasing faculty retention and research output to fostering a culture of support — all depend on one thing: your faculty’s success. That’s where NCFDD comes in. We work with colleges and universities to align their strategic priorities with proven, research-based faculty development … Read more

AASCU Summer Meeting 2025

aascu summer meeting 2025

What Does a Happy Future Look Like? Let’s Talk at AASCU 2025. 📍 July 15-17, 2025 | Indianapolis, IN | Booth #X As public universities navigate rising uncertainty—tight budgets, shifting demographics, AI disruptions, and growing skepticism about higher education—one thing is clear: faculty well-being is central to institutional resilience. That’s why we’re heading to the … Read more

3 Ways to Reframe Your Time around Writing

time

Author: NCFDD For many faculty, the biggest barrier to consistent writing isn’t a lack of ideas—it’s time. Or more accurately, how time feels. Unstructured. Fragmented. Constantly overtaken by urgent demands. It’s easy to blame teaching loads or service expectations (and yes, those are real). But underneath the surface, many faculty wrestle with deeper issues: guilt … Read more

Mentoring Gaps with Real Consequences: Who’s Affected and What Institutions Should Know

mentoring

Author: NCFDD Mentoring is widely recognized as essential to faculty success, but not all faculty experience it as effective or equitable. In our recent collaboration with the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), we took a closer look at national faculty survey data to better understand who’s being supported by current mentoring models—and … Read more

Building Resilience in Times of Uncertainty: Strategies for Faculty and Academic Leaders

strength

Author: NCFDD Uncertainty is a constant in higher education today. As we conclude the Navigating Uncertainty webinar series with the final session, Building Resilience, we reflect on how faculty and academic leaders can embrace change and adapt to the challenges of an unpredictable academic environment. From funding instability to the personal and professional pressures faculty face, navigating uncertainty … Read more

Beyond the Guru: Rethinking what Mentorship Looks Like in Higher Ed

rethink

Author: NCFDD For a long time, academic mentorship has followed a familiar formula: a junior scholar is paired with a more senior colleague—someone with experience, wisdom, and insider knowledge. This “guru model” was once the gold standard, designed for a time when faculty careers were more linear, roles more narrowly defined, and success pathways more … Read more

The Academic Leader’s Role in Navigating Uncertainty and Supporting Faculty Well-Being

well-being

Author: NCFDD In our recent webinar, Navigating Uncertainty in Higher Ed: Approaches for Academic Leaders, we focused on the most pressing concerns that higher education leaders face and shared strategies for guiding institutions and supporting faculty through these challenging times. Throughout the discussion, we heard from a panel of experts—Dr. Lisa Hanasono, Dr. Alison Levine, Dr. … Read more

Redefining Mentoring in Higher Education

Redefining Mentoring in Higher Education - a white paper from NCFDD and COACHE

A white paper from NCFDD and COACHE What does effective mentoring actually look like, how can institutions prioritize it, and how can you obtain it? Produced in partnership with NCFDD and the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) at Harvard University, this white paper examines the persistent gap between how important mentoring is … Read more

Beyond the Grant: Practical Approaches to Research Funding in Uncertain Times

money and leaf

Author: NCFDD As we continue exploring the complexities of navigating uncertainty in academia, our second webinar in the Navigating Uncertainty series focused on one of the most pressing concerns for faculty: research funding. In this session, we examined how faculty can adapt to shifting funding landscapes, identify new opportunities, and leverage both institutional support and external resources … Read more