Across the University, we work collectively to provide a welcoming, supportive environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, discovery, and innovation. It is within this environment that students find their passions and chart their futures, faculty advance knowledge and make discoveries, and staff support and strengthen all aspects of the University. The different perspectives and experience each of us contributes enrich and inform the environment — and the impact that comes from it.
As I noted in my town hall presentation last month, we must encourage, maintain and protect our connections to each other in this moment and for the future. And in unpredictable times, we must use our differences as our guide to expand the relevance of our mission to all.
Because we are committed to fostering a culture where each person feels confident in expressing their opinions and concerns — and because faculty play a vital role in that outcome — the Office of the Provost is piloting two programs that we plan to continue in years to come. One is training to assist faculty in navigating and resolving conflicts in academic settings, and the second is the Provost’s Academy to cultivate the next generation of UW academic leaders and bring additional perspectives to University-wide work.
Conflict Engagement and Resolution Training
Deans, associate deans, chairs, and faculty from all three campuses are learning how to navigate conflict effectively in academic settings through the Conflict Engagement and Resolution Training Program. This program is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Academic Personnel and Faculty, in partnership with Professor Christine Cimini and Emeritus Associate Professor Alan Kirtley from the School of Law’s Mediation Clinic.
These in-person, hands-on training sessions cover the basics of conflict theory, as participants learn to:
- engage in difficult conversations in a respectful and productive manner,
- de-escalate situations that may become hostile or inflamed,
- and approach conflict constructively to reach resolutions that benefit all parties.
Seventy-two participants will engage in the training in three cohorts, meeting in March, May, or June.
Provost’s Academy
Because our University’s greatest strength is the people who create our unique take on the academic mission, elevating diverse perspectives from different vantage points is key to our continued excellence.
To provide a pathway for integrating those perspectives into institution-wide projects, the Provost’s Academy is designed to recognize and engage emerging faculty leaders throughout the University. The Provost’s Academy provides a dynamic experience that blends experiential learning, collaborative projects, networking and mentorship to foster both personal and professional growth for participants and to advance our academic mission.
The participants are engaging in strategic thinking and planning alongside senior UW leaders as they develop a deeper understanding of the issues that affect the administration of UW programs and initiatives and their interconnectivity.
The six faculty, listed below, in this inaugural cohort are gaining insights, through direct participation in a project, into one of the major functional areas of the Office of the Provost, each led by a vice provost.
Cecilia Aragon, professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering
François Baneyx, vice provost for innovation and director of CoMotion
UW faculty consistently develop ideas, algorithms, designs, and methods with significant potential, yet many faculty remain hesitant to pursue commercialization due to unfamiliarity with entrepreneurial processes and terminology. Cecilia Aragon is identifying barriers, friction points and challenges from the perspectives of CoMotion staff and faculty participants. Then, she will develop either a low-stakes, time-efficient entrepreneurial environment or enhancements to CoMotion’s existing programs to reduce barriers to faculty engagement and accelerate the translation of academic innovation into market-ready solutions.
Ted Poor, associate professor, Music
Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean or undergraduate academic affairs
At the core of great music lies many principles, skills and perspectives that transcend the field of music to other areas of study – intensive listening, improvisation, and sustained focus, to name a few. Ted Poor is gathering ideas from faculty and undergraduates on creativity, improvisation, and how individuals can leverage their perspectives to work towards excellence and discovery. This work has the potential to spark new collaborations in faculty research and interdisciplinary, project based, research-forward courses.
Emma Spiro, associate professor in the iSchool and a co-founder and faculty director of the UW Center for an Informed Public
Fred Nafukho, vice provost for academic personnel and faculty
Mari Ostendorf, vice provost for research
Building on her center’s collaborations with units across campus, Emma Spiro is designing UW policy for developing proactive measures and responses to incidents of researcher intimidation and harassment. In addition, she is gaining a deeper understanding of the Office of the Provost’s responsibilities, especially those related to academic personnel and faculty.
Casey Self, teaching professor, Biology
Becca Price, professor, Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell
Phil Reid, vice provost of academic strategy and affairs
Course and program learning outcomes are essential in defining our general education curriculum. They are a critical component of instructional quality and are requisite to meet certain accreditation standards. In light of this, a task force, co-chaired by Becca Price, is identifying a process to define and curate undergraduate learning outcomes. At the same time, Casey Self, who is a member of the task force, is focusing on ensuring that learning outcomes are aligned with the core elements of effective teaching, as defined by Faculty Senate’s recently approved Class A legislation. Subsequent work will involve implementation of the task force recommendations.
Heather Hill, professor, Evans School
Mari Ostendorf, vice provost for research
Heather Hill is helping the Office of Research expand and rethink efforts to communicate the breadth of UW research impact to the public, including telling stories of the people who benefit from UW research and fostering conversations that help researchers see new opportunities for their work to benefit the people of our state.
Already, Mari Ostendorf has found value in working with the Provost’s Academy participants. “They bring perspectives of different research disciplines that contribute to my decision making and problem solving. It’s also an opportunity for the fellows to learn about the variety and complexity of challenges facing leadership, particularly right now.”
Open to full-time faculty members on all tracks and all three campuses who have been appointed at the UW for at least three years and are beyond the first promotion review, the program received more than three dozen applications for the six spots in inaugural cohort.
UW faculty are renowned for their innovative thinking and collaborative approach. These programs highlight faculty enthusiasm for expanding the reach of these assets to advance all aspects of our University. Especially during these times, I know that it will be the engagement of our faculty that will pave the way to our continued success.