I hope everyone had a restful break and that your semester is off to a good start. I am excited to be working with all of you as the new Director of the Faculty Center for Professional Development. I want to thank longtime director Bill Bernhardt and recent co-director Michael Anderson for their help in undertaking this position.

Along with the Center’s full-time staff, Fausto Canela and Michael Castelli, I am pleased to announce the Center’s programs for Spring 2017. I encourage you to join us for as many as you can—and spread the word to colleagues who might be interested. Unless otherwise noted, all programs will take place in in the Library (Building 1L), Room 203.

This semester, the Center will co-sponsor two multi-part series:

  • The Student Success Institute, co-sponsored with the Student Success Task Force, targets adjuncts from all disciplines; however, individual sessions will be open to all faculty members. The Institute will meet on the following dates: Thursday, Feb. 23; Thursday, Mar. 16; and Thursday, Apr. 27 from 12:15pm to 2:00pm. The February meeting will focus on Workshopping Student Success Strategies developed by participants. ​The Provost has made available funding for stipends for a number adjuncts. The announcement and application are online; please forward to any adjuncts you think may be interested.
  • The Center is also working with College’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program to co-sponsor four workshops, which are open to all faculty. The first one will be Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm, focusing on Using Narrative Writing to Help Students Learn. The remaining workshops will focus be: Tuesday, Mar. 7: Digital Writing and Student Engagement; Tuesday, Mar. 28: Writing-to-Learn Activities; and Tuesday, May 2: Bridging Writing-to-Learn Activities and Formal Assignments​.

In addition, the Center will offer the following stand-alone programs:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 21: Overview of the Center for Student Accessibility (with a special focus on meeting needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder)
  • Wednesday, Mar. 1: Universal Design for Learning–Presented by the Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program
  • Thursday, Mar. 23: Instructional Technology for Course Design
  • Thursday, Mar. 30: Navigating IRB Software and Research Integrity–Presented by the Office for Protection of Research Subjects

We are also pleased to host the Schwerner Poetry Series, sponsored by the English Department and the Dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities (dates included on the Faculty Center Calendar of Events). Additional events at the Center may be announced as the semester progresses.

Some other important things to know about the Center:

  • The Center is open as a workplace/quiet meeting place for faculty members. Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm.
  • Faculty members may reserve the Center for meetings related to faculty interests and responsibilities. Please go online to launch our online Faculty Lounge Reservation Form. Fausto Canela will get back to you regarding date and time availability.
  • The Center staff is available for individual consultations with faculty members by appointment on Blackboard and instructional design. We are also available for departments, schools, etc. to provide customized professional development sessions related to these topics.  Please contact the Faculty Center at 718.982.4007 for further information.

Please contact me (david.allen@csi.cuny.edu) with any questions about or suggestions for the Center’s programs and operations. Please also consider serving on the Center’s Advisory Board (meeting approximately twice per semester).