Faculty Development
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Welcome from the Provost
Welcome to the UMaine’s Faculty Development Website! Here you will find resources and links to opportunities to facilitate your professional growth. The website is aimed at all career stages, from newly-hired faculty to chairs and directors. Several programs leverage the training offered by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) while others were designed and implemented at UMaine.
UMaine’s flourishing depends on its faculty’s success. Fortunately, UMaine has a rich tradition of nurturing its faculty as they work to advance UMaine’s research, teaching, and service missions. An array of programs exist at the departmental, college and university levels. Between 2010 and 2016, UMaine’s NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Grant led to the creation of the Rising Tide Center (RTC). The RTC established new goals for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women faculty in STEM/Social-Behavioral Sciences; fostered positive change in workplace policies and climate; and sought to enhance the faculty’s overall satisfaction and sense of belonging.
Building on the RTC’s success, and under the leadership of our new Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, Gabe Paquette, UMaine currently offers a successful mentorship program, EMPOWER. EMPOWER, initiated in partnership with the OVPR and the Provost’s Office in 2021, is now welcoming its fifth cohort and to date, more than 100 faculty members have participated. Excellence in instruction is facilitated by the world-class Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL). 36 early career faculty have been sponsored to participate in the NCFDD’s Faculty Success program. New programs–including professional workshop series for chairs and early career faculty, launched in AY23-24. I invite you to explore and take full advantage of the resources on this site.
John C. Volin
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Please contact Jade Smickle, Special Assistant for Academic Affairs, at um.apfaafd@maine.edu with any questions regarding faculty development at UMaine.