As a well-renowned institution, students both undergraduate and graduate reap the benefits of the name of Stevens Institute of Technology. In 2018, a whopping 96% of Stevens graduates of the Class of 2018 had job security or admission to a graduate school within six months of graduation. While it is evident that Stevens students are given great opportunities, what’s in it for the faculty and staff?
According to the C2 goal outlined in the Culture and Governance section of the 10-year strategic plan, Stevens will develop a work environment “that fosters a culture of excellence by applying best-in-class practices and services to advance the overall mission, goals, and strategies of the university through the acquisition, development, retention, recognition, and support of a diverse, inclusive, and engaged faculty and staff.” The Center for Faculty Engagement and Advancement (CFEA) serves to help faculty members develop their skills and further their careers. To accomplish these stated goals, the Center has recently added programs, resources, and positions, “including serving as leaders in the departments/programs, schools/colleges, and university.” There are a variety of programs because “there is no one size fits all solution,” says Xiangwu Zeng, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and Faculty Affairs (AI&FA). Programs are held online, on campus, and off campus. Some online programs are “Academic Restructuring: Guidelines for Academic Leaders” and “How Can I Learn From Student Ratings.” These can be found on the CFEA website through myStevens. For those who learn better through in-person instruction, there is an on-campus program called “Leadership in the Academy: Conflict Resolution as a Key Competency” as well as workshops. The CFEA organized 10 workshops for faculty developments with between 10 and 20 faculty members in attendance. If faculty would like to participate in programs outside of Stevens there is a budget for that as well.
Dr. Zeng has recently joined our community on August 5, 2019. Some of his achievements include, but are not limited to directing Case Western’s online Master of Science in Civil Engineering program, serving as the Provost’s Faculty Fellow in International Affairs since 2017, and serving as the director of the SENCER (Science Education for New Civics Engagements and Responsibilities) Great Lakes Center for Innovation at Case Western since 2013. Even more impressive is his leading role as soil mechanics expert for NASA’s in-situ resource utilization and vehicle mobility projects, which are part of NASA’s lunar and Mars exploration program. Zeng is proof that we are hiring people who strive for achievement and will help create a community of leaders and innovators.
In the 2019-2020 school year, Stevens hired 24 new faculty members. The breakdown is as follows: 2 in the College of Arts and Letters, 5 in the School of Business, 3 in the School of Systems and Enterprises, and 14 in the School of Engineering and Science. There are 16 males and 8 females. Provost Christophe Pierre said, “This meets our strategic plan goal of at least 30% of all new full-time faculty hires as women.” 30% is not close to an even split, so there is more work that needs to be done in female presence. This is an issue not only within our faculty, staff, and administration, but the student body as well. The STEM career path is currently dominated by men, but with programs like “Girls Who Code” and “Women Impact Tech,” future generations of young girls will be exposed and encouraged to explore careers, interests, and hobbies in STEM.
As new members of the Stevens community, each new hire has been paired with a senior faculty member in their academic unit to help guide them in the early stages of their Stevens career. Our new professors and faculty will “learn about being effective researchers and instructors […] They will learn from senior faculty members who understand what it takes to advance in academia and at Stevens.” In addition to this mentor-mentee program, their regular teaching load will be reduced to help them become familiar with Stevens operations and begin their research program. To encourage the faculty to make progress, their performance in research, teaching, and service will be evaluated each year and will determine merit-based compensation increases and, if the time is right, a promotion and/or tenure.
In contrast, faculty satisfaction for the 2018-2019 year was not high. The main concerns according to faculty are salary and healthcare. Former Chair of the Faculty Senate of three years and current Professor of Philosophy, Michael Steinmann, stated, “There has been an effort to address faculty satisfaction which I think is an ongoing conversation […] there have been studies conducted on salary and how salaries have progressed over the years.” With the new buildings, the Gateway Academic Complex and the Student Center, finances have been a topic of concern. Additional points of dissatisfaction are “the need to regularly recognize contributions of staff, aligning staffing resources and institutional goals, fostering opportunities for career advancement and greater communication between administration and faculty and staff,” said Vice President for Human Resources Warren Petty. To answer these concerns, unnamed initiatives were conducted at the level of schools and divisions. To mark progress, there will be a follow-up engagement survey in the spring to address what needs have not been met.
Communication between faculty and administration is hierarchical and non-directive, and the Faculty Senate is one of the main ways Stevens tries to improve this communication. The Senate represents the interests of the faculty at large and communicates faculty concerns with consultations with administration. There are seven elected senators as well as three peer groups which represent teaching staff who are non-tenure stream, research faculty, and assistant professors. “The faculty senate has really tried to be more of an open platform and communicate with the administration,” said Steinmann. The Faculty Senate has open houses monthly and has been successful in gathering general concerns as well for professors to mingle with faculty from other departments and schools. In the past year, they have met with the Student Government Association to address shifting the academic year as well as improving student-faculty engagement, but “unfortunately nothing came from that […] the student faculty alliance doesn’t seem to be going anywhere,” said Steinmann.
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