Karen Sobel / Faculty Development

What do we talk about when we talk about Faculty Development?

  • Role Models

    Hello, everyone– I’m working from home in Golden, Colorado, working from home the day before the holiday. Snow is drifting down, and the mountains have disappeared for the moment. Two weeks ago, I returned from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) conference in Florida. Here’s something that I’ve been thinking about since attending… Read more

  • The Dread

    Hello, everyone– It’s Sunday morning and clouds are rolling in over the Rockies. We’re waiting for the first snow of the year to begin this evening. It’s a lovely moment, full of promise (assuming that you can put up with at least a little bit of snow). Typically when faculty members come to me to… Read more

  • Tenure on a Flexible Timeline

    Hi, everyone– I hope that your working life is shifting peaceably into summer mode. (Southern Hemisphere friends, I wish you a similarly peaceable winter!) Here’s something new that’s come up in conversations frequently in past weeks. It took several iterations for me to realize quite how new & different this was. This is the time… Read more

  • Bouncing into Graceland

    Hi, everyone— I hope that your semester is wrapping up successfully, and that you can take a vacation soon. Or at least a nap! Recently a favorite faculty member and I had a conversation that I’ve had before. The faculty member is about my age, and we relate on many aspects of life. “Suddenly,” they… Read more

  • Power

    Hello, colleagues– It’s been a while. Last year, I began thinking about my specializations within faculty professional development. And then my husband needed surgery (which I wrote about). And if that wasn’t enough, over the summer, I was diagnosed with cancer. I promise that this isn’t a health blog — and we’re both doing relatively… Read more

  • Where You Want to Be

    Hi, everyone– 2023 has been the year of life-changing events happening in my household; I’ll just say that. (We can check in individually if you’d like more detail.) As a faculty development professional, it’s made me think about “where I want to be” in many senses. To my colleagues — relax, “where I want to… Read more

  • Life Intervenes.

    A few months ago, I wrote my first post. Big plans – I was going to write and post twice a month, come hell or high water. Respond to those who shared thoughtful responses. Build community. Life intervened. Life intervened in ways that have made me think about what faculty members *really* need in times… Read more

  • Back…with a new focus

    Hi, everyone– When I last posted, eons ago, I was discussing one of my professional passions: students’ motivations behind information-related behaviors. Since then, much has changed. I became a director of faculty development at my institutions two years and eight months ago–I’m only counting in a good way. 🙂 My whole career, and the topics… Read more