Events

Affinity group

Tuesdays: Apr 16, Apr 30, and May 21 | 2:00–3:00 | Via Zoom | Zoom link provided upon registration

Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Facilitated by Andrea Verdan

The Center for Faculty Development and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are excited to offer an affinity group for term faculty of color. The group is open to both full-time and part-time term faculty of color.

Aims of the group

In this space, participants will aim to support one another in

• sharing experiences to increase community and belonging across campus,
• exploring the impact of race, power, and privilege on our various facets of work, at all stages of our careers, and
• pursuing our work and personal lives with more balance, confidence, and agency.

Why create a group for term faculty of color?

The university’s goal to Promote Inclusive Excellence (RSD Goals 4) calls for initiatives to support diverse faculty to develop and thrive at Seattle University. This includes term faculty of color, whose intersecting identities are minoritized both socially (as a person of color) and professionally (as a non-tenure-track faculty member).

This affinity group aims to foster an equitable faculty culture and structure where all members of the community thrive and experience fulfilling work. Additionally, research on affinity groups shows that they enhance participants’ agency and optimism, while providing access to beneficial information and support. Finally, from our own conversations with members of the SU community, we know that term faculty with marginalized identities need a space where they can discuss their unique experiences in a supportive environment with peers who are similarly situated.

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Faculty Learning Community

Unraveling faculty burnout: Pathways to reckoning and renewal

In an academic culture that values productivity, competition, and external recognition, it is unsurprising when faculty find themselves stressed, overwhelmed, and weary. Left unchecked, these feelings can lead to burnout, characterized by energy depletion, work-related apathy or cynicism, and feelings of inadequacy.

In this learning community, we will read Unraveling Faculty Burnout, a book by Rebecca Pope-Ruark, who explores how we can reframe our experiences and conversations to mitigate burnout, specifically addressing the stressors unique to female and female faculty of color. From the book:

Pope-Ruark “helps faculty not only address burnout personally but also use the tools in this book to eradicate the systemic conditions that cause it in the first place. As burnout becomes more visible, we can destigmatize it by acknowledging that women are not unraveling; instead, women in higher education are reckoning with the productivity cult embedded in our institutions, recognizing how it shapes their understanding and approach to faculty work, and learning how they can remedy it for themselves, their peers, and women faculty in the future.”

In this three-session Learning Community, facilitated by Samantha Hoang (Mechanical Engineering) and Michelle DuBois (Biology), we will discuss strategies and practices to counter burnout. In this space we invite faculty to engage in open and honest conversations about academic culture that often asks us to hide our failures, lulls, and periods of low productivity.

What can you expect?

Over the three sessions, you'll learn about the “four pillars of burnout resilience,” as discussed in the book:

• Re-discovering your purpose and sense of meaningful work
• Practicing compassion for yourself and others
• Deepening connections with peers and mentors
• Re-establishing realistic balance through self-care and setting boundaries

Who is it suited to?

This learning community is open to all faculty, though the book's author tends to focus on female faculty and female faculty of color.

Unraveling Faculty Burnout is 256 pages long, and reading will be split across the three sessions to be manageable for participants.

What are the dates?

This learning community meets in person on:

• Thu, Apr 18 | 2:00–3:15 | Wismer Center (LOYA 200)
• Thu, May 2 | 2:00–3:15 | Wismer Center (LOYA 200)
• Thu, May 16 | 2:00–3:15 | Wismer Center (LOYA 200)

Coffee and tea will be provided for all sessions.

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Smoothing frictions to facilitate organizational change

Co-sponsored by the Center for Faculty Development and Reimagine & Revise the Curriculum

Co-facilitated by Colette Hoption and David Green (Center for Faculty Development)

Some of the best ideas in organizations are never realized because of four common forces or “frictions:” inertia, effort, emotion, and reactance.

Based on the book, The Human Element, the Center for Faculty Development has developed a self-assessment exercise and corresponding videos to help our community tackle each friction.

Now, we are offering four hyflex clinics (one per friction) to raise questions, share experiences, exchange ideas, and problem-solve around each friction. These are ideal spaces for fine-tuning plans for minimizing frictions, unpacking attempts to minimize frictions (whether successful or not), and testing out strategies on a friendly audience. Each clinic will begin by reacquainting participants with their self-assessment scores, and then, open the room for conversation and brainstorming.

By the end of each clinic, you will have:

• Heard examples from peers of how one friction has presented itself in change initiatives here.
• Translated some of The Human Element strategies for our Seattle University context.
• If relevant, developed the next steps in your action plan for ushering in your change initiative.

Who is this workshop suited to?

This workshop is especially suitable for RRC coordinators, department chairs, and program directors, as well as any faculty member who has recently led, is leading, or will be leading a change initiative at Seattle University.

What are the clinic dates?

• Clinic #1: Reactance | Tue, May 7 | 2:30–3:30
• Clinic #2: Effort | Mon, May 13 | 11:00–12:00
• Clinic #3: Inertia | Wed, May 22 | 11:00–12:00
• Clinic #4: Emotion | Tue, May 28 | 1:30–2:30

All sessions are hyflex, with participants meeting in person in Loyola 201 and simultaneously on Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

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