Celebrating Professional Track Faculty
Having grown to more than half of UMD's faculty, Professional Track (PTK) faculty provide important contributions to achieving the institution’s teaching, research, and service mission. The Symposium was held to celebrate that importance by providing a place for PTK faculty to gather and share knowledge, learn from experts, find support, and network towards higher aspirational goals.
A group of PTK faculty, with support from the Office of Faculty Affairs, organized the event based on responses to a Spring 2018 survey of PTK faculty. That survey revealed a significant interest in a campus-wide event focused on PTK faculty, with particular interest on the topics that became the focus of the breakout sessions.
Program Highlights: PTK Success Story Presenters
William Braniff
Professor of the Practice and Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), will discuss START's achievements and the roles PTK research faculty play in that success.
Cindy Clement
Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics, will share the early challenges of, and her eventual successes at, being the director of a degree-granting program.
Pam Lanford
Assistant Research Professor and Director of Animal Research Support, IACUC, will discuss departmental stewardship, and playing to your strengths while building on new opportunities.
Daniel Levin
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Teaching & Learning, Policy & Leadership, will explain why becoming clinical faculty at UMD has proven to be far more rewarding than was the tenure-line position he left.
Jan Plane
Principal Lecturer, Director of the Maryland Center for Women in Computing, and Associate Director of the ACES Honors Program, will discuss her success building computer science programs in under- developed countries and promoting computer science for all.
2018 Breakout Sessions
(En)Countering Bias due to Rank
Participants will learn strategies and techniques for responding constructively when colleagues make dismissive or derogatory comments related to someone's faculty rank.
Building PTK Support Structures
Participants will develop strategies for enhancing professional development and networking opportunities for PTK faculty.
Communicating with Non-Experts
Participants will explore strategies for effectively communicating with non-experts or stakeholders with different expertise.
Course / Curriculum Redesign
Participants will discuss ideas for implementing course redesign strategies to existing courses or curricula.
Improving the Climate for Faculty Work
Participants will identify actions PTK faculty can pursue to help build a better workplace climate.
Managing Centers or Programs
Participants will learn techniques for being successful when assuming administrative roles.
Policies and Shared Governance
Participants will examine the recent policy changes and new procedures affecting PTK faculty, as well as the role PTK faculty now have in shared governance.
Scholarship Across PTK Roles
Participants will examine the range of scholarly contributions made by PTK faculty, including those that fall outside the measures typically used for tenure-track faculty.
Service Across PTK Roles
Participants will explore how PTK faculty can meet service expectations when many of the options re often relegated to tenure-track faculty.
Teaching Portfolios
Participants will learn about building a teaching portfolio, which is now a required element for instructional faculty members' promotion dossiers.
Understanding the Promotion Dossier
Participants will discuss the role of the dossier in the promotion process as well as the various materials that are included in it.