At the beginning of each semester, many faculty set thoughtful goals. Finish a manuscript. Restart a stalled grant proposal. Make visible progress on a long-delayed project. The intentions are sincere, and the stakes feel real. Yet as the weeks pass, those plans often slip beneath the weight of teaching, meetings, service, and daily responsibilities. What … Read more
Author: NCFDD Faculty rarely overhaul their grant strategy because of a single failed submission. More often, it is a steady pattern. You work hard but your proposals feel rushed. You generate strong ideas but struggle to shape them into a compelling narrative. You know funding is essential, but the process feels fragmented, unpredictable, and more … Read more
Author: NCFDD Academic life is often portrayed as collaborative, intellectual, and community driven. In reality, many faculty describe it as isolating from the earliest stages of graduate school through the years leading to tenure. The pressure to perform, the expectation to manage everything independently, and the lack of built-in peer support can make even the … Read more
As another semester closes, faculty often find themselves stretched thin, managing heavy workloads and the emotional demands of academic life. In her live NCFDD workshop Planning for Rest and Recovery: An Agile End-of-Year Reflection, Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark invited faculty to pause and reflect, to consider what it means to end the year with intention rather … Read more
Watch the Recording: Planning for Rest and Recovery: An Agile End-of-Year Reflectionn Host:Rebecca Pope-Ruark, PhDDirector of the Faculty Professional DevelopmentGeorgia Institute of Technology Take a deliberate pause, recharge, and step into the new year with clarity, focus, and renewed energy. Have you had a year of intense teaching, research, service, meetings, and deadlines? It’s time to … Read more
Theme: Rising to the Moment 📍November 9–11, 2025 | Philadelphia, PA We’re excited to share that NCFDD will be attending the 2025 APLU Annual Meeting! This year’s conference theme, “Rising to the Moment,” celebrates the bold leadership and innovative spirit of public and land-grant universities as they adapt to meet extraordinary challenges and opportunities. The … Read more
Author: Rebecca Pope-Ruark I spend a lot of my time teaching faculty and academic leaders about burnout, which the World Health Organization (2019) defines as “a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It has three characteristics: exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism toward those you work with, and real or perceived … Read more
Burnout in higher education is widespread and deeply felt. Faculty are teaching, mentoring, researching, and serving their institutions all at once. The workload rarely slows down, and many academics find themselves running on empty long before the semester ends. What was once fulfilling can start to feel like survival. Recognizing burnout is not a sign … Read more
Watch the Recording: The AIs Go Marching On: Finding Our Way with AI in Education Host:Lance Eaton, PhD – Senior Associate Director, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research, Northeastern University Navigating the New Frontier: Making Sense of AI in Higher Education AI has arrived in our classrooms, whether we invited it or not. In … Read more
Theme: Collective Brilliance: Advancing Research, Mentorship and Leadership 📍 October 30–November 2, 2025 | Atlanta, GA We’re excited to announce that NCFDD will be attending the 2025 Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, hosted by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The conference theme, “Collective Brilliance: Advancing Research, Mentorship and Leadership,” aligns perfectly with our commitment … Read more