Federal funding has long been the gold standard for research support, but today’s realities tell a different story. Award rates are shrinking, political climates are shifting, and many scholars are left scrambling to keep their work afloat. Faculty who once relied on NIH or NSF grants alone are now asking: what other options exist? That … Read more
Author: Chavella T. Pittman, PhD, Effective & Efficient Faculty Most campus procedures for reviewing teaching for retention, tenure, and promotion run counter to best and evidence-based practices. This means that faculty must be intentional and proactive about their teaching review materials. This is especially important for diverse faculty because we often face unfair teaching threats … Read more
Author: NCFDD Artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education. Tools that can generate text, summarize sources, or analyze data are now freely available to anyone with an internet connection. For faculty, this shift brings both opportunity and uncertainty. Will AI accelerate research or diminish originality? Will it enrich teaching or undermine student learning? The answer depends … Read more
When you first imagined your academic career, you may have pictured the mid-career stage as a time of ease. Tenure would be behind you, the pressure of constant evaluation would lessen, and you would finally have the freedom to pursue the work you love. For many faculty, the reality looks very different. Instead of freedom, … Read more
Author: NCFDD Ahead of the launch of our new Rethinking Your Research Funding course, we are spotlighting the experts who helped shape the curriculum. Jolie Sheffer, PhD is one of those experts, bringing deep experience as both a faculty member and an academic leader to the conversation. As Associate Dean in the College of Arts … Read more
Securing research funding is a high-stakes process for faculty. Whether you are applying for your first major grant or working to sustain a long-term project, the time and energy you invest is significant, and competition continues to rise. Before starting your next proposal, asking the right questions can help you focus your efforts, strengthen your … Read more
Author: Rebecca Pope-Ruark, PhD As we enter this new academic year, we do so confronting a sea of change, concern, and uncertainty based on our current national landscape, cuts to research funding and DEI programs, and a host of other challenges we will have to work through together. In this environment, many faculty will find … Read more
At NCFDD, we’ve spent the past 15 years building programs, tools, and resources to support faculty development at every career stage. But one thing we kept hearing from graduate students, new assistant professors, and tenured faculty alike was this: “I feel like I’m doing this alone.” Whether it’s the pressure to publish, the struggle to … Read more
Faculty burnout isn’t new, but it’s getting harder to ignore. Between competing demands, shifting expectations, and an ever-growing to-do list, faculty continue to be stretched more thinly than ever before. The pursuit of teaching excellence, groundbreaking research, and meaningful service often comes at the expense of personal well-being. At NCFDD, we’ve spent 15 years partnering … Read more
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