Task Force on Faculty Talent at IUPUI

Task Force on Faculty Talent at IUPUI

Faculty are the lifeblood of any institution, and IUPUI faculty make significant contributions to the teaching and learning, research and creative activity, and community engagement foci of our mission. The nature of faculty work is increasingly defined by inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches; technology that redefines when, where, and how work is performed; and a need to frequently develop and enhance individual and collective knowledge, skills, and perspectives to keep pace with changing student demographics, technology, external stakeholder expectations, disciplinary ways of knowing, and broader societal needs. Thus, IUPUI should regularly revisit its policies, approaches, and resources related to faculty to ensure that the campus is well-positioned to attract, develop, retain, support, reward, and advance its wide-ranging faculty talent. The Task Force on Faculty Talent is charged with: (1) identifying current initiatives, best practices, and future trends related to faculty roles, rewards, recognition, and development; and (2) making specific recommendations that can foster IUPUI’s ability to find, keep, and motivate its faculty talent. In conducting its work, the Task Force might consider the following as suggested questions for framing its discussions:

• What roles do IUPUI faculty members play in support of the campus mission? 
• To what extent do our promotion and tenure guidelines accurately reflect the multi-faceted nature of faculty work?
• How can we support updates in school and departmental promotion and tenure standards to keep pace with the changing roles of faculty?
• How well served is our campus with respect to our present faculty rank structure?
• In what ways do we need to better engage and support our associate/adjunct faculty talent?
• What are meaningful ways to develop, reward, and recognize faculty work relative to their roles and career development stages?
• To what extent has the advent of online course delivery impacted faculty work, and how do we recognize innovations and outcomes in this arena?
• To what extent does variability in faculty workloads across units, tracks and area of excellence need to be addressed?
• In what ways might we foster and promote greater inter- and multi-disciplinary connections between faculty in various departments, schools, and disciplines?
• How well do we provide opportunities, resources, and support for faculty engagement with the broadly-defined external community?
• What do we need to do to better identify and develop future administrative leadership talent from within our faculty workforce?
• What additional support do current administrators need to provide best practice leadership for our faculty?
• How can we use mentoring and other approaches to provide an inclusive, supportive environment for faculty?
• What can we do to promote work-life balance for faculty?
• How can we assure that faculty maximize their potential for promotion to the next rank? 

This Task Force’s work is part of the umbrella strategic initiative: Develop Faculty and Staff. The group will have a liaison or relationship to a task force for staff in order to explore any overarching recommendations that emerge from both groups.

Faculty Talent Task Force Membership