Faculty at Vanguard University play an essential role in shaping the academic, social, and spiritual growth of our students. To support resident faculty members’ ongoing development and ensure their continued success, we offer professional development funding opportunities designed to enhance professors’ skills and knowledge and extend their scholarship. Funds are available for significant conferences, meetings, events, and for other related professional activities. Applications for Professional Development are reviewed and voted on by Vanguard’s Faculty Development Committee and are overseen by the Division of Teaching + Learning.
Types of participation
There are two broad types of participation that faculty engage in with their professional development pursuits:
- Active participation is defined as a presentation of original scholarly or creative work, support of student presentations or scholarly work (e.g. student posters), active administration of a conference or event, panelists, workshop facilitators, and select continuing educational activities directly related to enhancing the teaching effectiveness of the faculty member in the relevant discipline.
- Passive participation is defined as attendance at conferences, symposiums, or other related events.
Extending the Learning
Enhancing the impact of our investment in professional development at Vanguard involves faculty sharing what they gained through their participation. Fund recipients extend their learning by contributing a short piece about their takeaways from the experience to be posted on the Teaching and Learning website.
More information about professional development funding may be found on Faculty Central – Faculty Flourishing + Advancement (VU login required).