Skip to main content

Support for Assistant Professors

Item Tagged With:
Go to Full Page:

The Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) and our partners in the Office of Academic Affairs– ADVANCE, the Center for Leadership and Organizational Change (CLOC), and the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center (TLTC)--offer a variety of resources, workshops, programs, and events that provide professional development for faculty members at all stages. We recommend the
programs listed here in particular to assistant professors. More detailed information about these events will be announced as it becomes available. We list our programming in our monthly newsletter, which is distributed to all faculty members. Please contact faculty@umd.edu with any questions.

First Year Resources

  • Welcome to Teaching at University of Maryland
    • TLTC offers this online course for instructional faculty members as an introduction to UMD’s educational technology systems.
  • New Faculty Orientation
    • A two-day event held by OFA each August before the fall semester. Slide presentations from this event and other resources are available year-round via New Faculty Resources on our website.
  • New Faculty Checklist
    • We recommend that you work through this list with your Department Chair/School Director and/or mentor(s).

Before 3rd Year Review

  • The Road to Tenure: Recent Successes, ADVANCE and Office of Faculty Affairs
    • “The Road to Tenure” series provides information and support for faculty members on the
      tenure track.
      • “ADVANCE+Recent Successes”: The director of the ADVANCE program offers insight into succeeding on the tenure track. This session also includes newly tenured faculty members who will discuss their experience and offer advice.
      • “Research at UMD”: Learn about research development and administration with representatives from the Division of Research.
      • “Working with Graduate Students”: Learn best practices for supervision of GAs, TAs, and RAs with OFA and the Graduate School.
      • “APT Workshop: Promotion and Tenure”: Learn about the overall appointment, promotion, and tenure (APT) process.
  • TLTC Teaching Academy
    • Fill your teaching toolbox with pedagogy basics, in live sessions, self-paced digital courses, and multi-session learning communities.
  • Teaching Portfolio Guidance
    • Information provided by TLTC to help you learn why and how to keep and assemble a powerful portfolio.
  • Excellence in Supervision Program
    • Facilitated by CLOC for faculty members supervising students, staff, postdocs and other faculty, to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to create positive work experiences and environments as well as foster growth, success, care, and inclusive excellence. The program is required for those newly taking on supervisory responsibilities.
  • Research Development Office
    • The Research Development team provides resources and helps with funding proposals and grant applications, including customized services to help faculty members across the university turn ideas into action.

After Third Year Review and Approaching Tenure Review

  • APT Workshop: Promotion and Tenure
    • Understanding of the tenure process, what happens when, and strategies to prepare.
  • APT Workshop: Dossier Preparation
    • Go through the nuts and bolts of dossier preparation and timing of the review process. All Assistant Professors are welcome, but the program is especially tailored for faculty members in the year before going up for tenure.
  • Assistant Professor Promotion Bootcamp - "Going Up" for Tenure
    • Intensive ADVANCE facilitated workshop for faculty members who are preparing for promotion to Associate Professor. Participants will dedicate time to dossier preparation and personal narratives, receive feedback, and gain insight from campus insiders.
  • Teaching Philosophy Statement
    • TLTC provides guidance on constructing a narrative that reflects your teaching philosophy and practice, to be included in your teaching port

Assistant Professors at All Stages

  • The Assistant Professor Coaching Circle
    • A cohort-based program facilitated by CLOC and ADVANCE, designed to support tenure-
      track assistant professors as they navigate the path toward tenure, with an emphasis on centering the experiences of assistant professors who identify as women.
  • Course Design Offerings
    • A TLTC program offered in person, online live, or online self-paced for new or refreshed practices in course design.
  • Course Observations, Feedback, and Consultations
    • Collaborate with TLTC to refine your teaching skills through peer review, guidance on feedback collection, and additional resources.
  • Research Funding Opportunities
    • The Research Development Office offers guidance for locating and securing internal and external funding, as well as limited submission grants and awards through InfoReady.