UB Welcomes Site Visit for Landmark Faculty Career Grant
April 30, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
A May 4 site visit to the University of Baltimore by representatives of the American Council on Education will highlight early achievements of UB's new "Balance That Works" program, an initiative of the Office of the Provost to promote flexible career paths for tenured and tenure-track faculty—and even encourage retired educators to remain involved with the University through volunteerism, intellectual contributions and similar activities. The program was begun shortly after UB received an Alfred P. Sloan Award for Faculty Career Flexibility from the ACE. The two-year, $200,000 award is enabling the campus to research, implement and promote flexible career policies and programs that will encourage work-life balance for all faculty members. UB was one of six institutions nationally to receive the award.
To advance the University's efforts and establish best practices for a sustained positive environment for teaching at UB, the provost's office created the Faculty Work Life Office, where UB educators receive support in both professional and personal pursuits, and where research is conducted into issues related to the demands of education. Under the direction of Karen Skivers Drake, the office is addressing a number of work-life concerns for University faculty.
Over time, the Sloan grant will enhance UB's reputation as a desirable faculty workplace and strengthen its ability to compete both nationally and locally for top-ranked teachers. A number of UB's professors will reach retirement age over the next decade, and as the institution grows and changes, it must respond to marketplace demands in order to recruit and retain excellent teachers.
"Our goal is to attract and retain highly talented young educators, and blend them with venerable older faculty," Drake said. "We must recognize that we're living in changing times, and we must achieve a balance of work and life that is suitable to the highly skilled profession of college teaching."
Drake said UB's activities in this area could make the institution a model for faculty retention and job satisfaction. It is now recognized as a leader in the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, which is providing guidance on many work-life issues for faculty.
"We're doing quite a bit of investigation and networking with other institutions and the business world as we take a more aspirational stance on work-life issues," she said. "I believe that as UB grows, we can become known as a wonderful place to teach and conduct scholarship. Students, as well as their teachers, will benefit from this work."
The program's overall goal is to improve work-life balance issues over the course of a faculty member's career. Three collaborative faculty workgroups have been tasked with various responsibilities, and faculty ownership has been established via surveys, focus groups and personal interviews. Key issues identified so far include child care, dual career needs, and campus education about the requirements of faculty work.
UB is striving to enhance the experiences of faculty members not only at the beginning and end of their careers, but at the mid-point as well. One workgroup is developing research reward systems, creating new policies that can pause the "tenure clock" for educators who are dealing with personal or family issues, and considering other mid-career concerns.
Similarly, another workgroup focuses on the needs of both retired faculty and faculty who are considering retirement. Its initiatives include creating programs and policies that will encourage retired faculty to stay in sync with University life, by coming back to campus for guest lectures and volunteer efforts, working on special projects and otherwise continuing to make important contributions to the institution where they spent their professional lives.
Overall, the Sloan grant has created opportunities for UB to enhance its mission of promoting a culture of faculty collegiality and mentoring.
"It's natural for students to seek out the best teachers," Drake said, "and we are moving forward to ensure that every one of our professors is able to share their wonderful talents and insights every time they enter the classroom."
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.