Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs

Photo of Boise State Campus in the Spring — Spring Campus Scenes, photo by Madison Park

Mission

It is our mission to foster an inclusive environment that supports the ongoing career development of faculty and the growth of effective academic leaders. We work with partners across the university to provide leadership development programs; establish best practices, policies, procedures; and collaborate on development programs that help faculty members of all ranks reach their full potential as teachers, scholars, and university leaders. The office contributes most directly to the University’s Strategic Planning goal to Foster Thriving Community.

Faculty and Academic Leaders Resources

Goals

The goals of the Office of Faculty Affairs include to:

Enhance faculty’s personal well-being and professional effectiveness
Advocate for faculty interests and perspectives in the overall leadership of the University
Facilitate professional development opportunities to enhance career progression and success
Manage the tenure and promotion processes to ensure excellence and equity in tenure and promotion decisions
Facilitate human resource functions related to faculty to ensure equitable employment practices
Support avenues for the advancement of women and faculty from underrepresented groups

Primary Areas of Responsibility

What Does the Assistant Provost for Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs Do?

The Assistant Provost provides leadership to the campus and support to the Provost on issues related to faculty and to academic leaders through developing and implementing programs and services related to academic leadership development, faculty recruitment and retention, faculty career progression, and overall support services for faculty and academic leaders.

Collaborative Partnerships

The Office of Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs coordinates a variety of activities associated with faculty life and academic leadership development. To accomplish these goals, our office works collaboratively with

the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL)
the Institute for Inclusive and Transformational Scholarship (IFITS)
Human Resource Services
the BUILD (Boise State Uniting for Inclusion and Leadership in Diversity) Program
the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and the Office of Research Development
the Office of Institutional Research (IR)
the Office of Information Technology (OIT)
the Center for Global Education (CGE)
the Faculty Senate
other units that support faculty directly and indirectly

What kinds of support does the office provide?

To support faculty success and professional development, the Assistant Provost

is the Provost’s office point of contact for faculty career flexibility programs including tenure clock extension, dual career opportunities, and part-time appointments
is the point of contact for questions about promotion and tenure, leaves of absence, annual evaluations, faculty rank, and related issues
provides consultations for and a program of workshops on tenure and promotion processes
collaborates with the Center for Teaching and Learning to support faculty development in teaching and learning and new faculty orientation
collaborates with the Division of Research and Economic Development to support faculty development in professional achievement and scholarly activities
collaborates with the Faculty Senate on policy revisions that affect faculty and Senate initiatives that contribute to the overall success and wellbeing of faculty
collaborates with other units to assess faculty needs
develops programs for faculty of all ranks that address their professional goals and enhance a sense of belonging
collects and organizes campus resources for academic and administrative faculty

The Assistant Provost serves as an internal management consultant to department chairs and directors as well as other academic leaders by

coordinating the Provost’s monthly information updates (in person, electronic) for chairs, deans, and directors (the Academic Leadership Council)
facilitating “consultation services” for academic leaders and connecting them to the support they need
facilitating an annual New Academic Leaders Program for those who are new to their administrative positions
assessing the needs of academic leaders and offering professional development opportunities that address those needs

The Assistant Provost is responsible for creating and sustaining leadership development programs for faculty and academic administrators and department chairs. To that end, she collaborates with experts across campus to foster faculty and academic leaders’ professional growth and leadership through

mentoring and facilitating academic’ leadership and management skills
participating in strategic planning regarding faculty training and development in teaching, professional achievement and growth, and contributions to campus and community
creating informal opportunities for identifying potential leaders who may not self-identify with special attention to creating a deep and diverse pool of potential leaders
reflecting and promoting diverse leadership styles and practices in leadership development programs: in content programming, in the selection of mentors, in the recruitment of participants
Implementing effective practices in creating and sustaining a culture of reflective leadership

The Assistant Provost works closely with the Provost on faculty policies. In particular, the Assistant Provost is responsible for

developing policies and procedures for equitable workload and compensation for academic administrators
representing the Provost in discussions with schools, colleges, and University-wide groups on issues concerning the faculty
serving as the Provost’s liaison to the Faculty Senate, working with/coordinating with the Faculty Senate and the University Policy Director on issues related to faculty affairs policies
serving as Provost’s office liaison for policies, processes, and systems related to faculty

The Assistant Provost works closely with Human Resources and with department leaders and deans to facilitate faculty administrative personnel processes from recruitment to retirement, including but not limited to:

coordinating processes for tenure and promotion and managing the digital tenure and promotion platform
coordinating training for departmental and college T&P committees and committee chairs
coordinating the post-tenure review process
collaborating with the Office of Institutional Research, chairs, and deans on the annual evaluation process for faculty and academic deans
providing leadership in assisting, managing, and communicating the appointment and compensation changes for all faculty

collaborating with HR to support and track the hiring process and search outcomes for faculty, with special attention to diverse applicant pools and hires
developing faculty data analytics related to career progression that enables data-informed policy and program recommendations (e.g., Faculty 180) as well as leadership opportunities for individuals