The Office of Faculty Development provides programs and resources to ease your transition and support your professional development and wellbeing as you begin your career at UMass Amherst. Check out our Supporting Early Career Faculty & Librarians program!
UMass Amherst is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. NCFDD resources are available to all faculty at no cost. To activate your membership, visit the NCFDD website and sign in.
The NCFDD is an independent professional development, training and mentoring community of scholars and students from more than 450 colleges and universities. Its resources are intended to benefit faculty and students of color, as well as all who are in need of general mentoring and looking for support during their career transitions.
As members, individuals receive access to resources such as webinars, courses, discussion forums for peer mentoring, writing challenges, and more. The center also offers professional development training and intensive mentoring programs.
Workplace Learning & Development promotes employee and organizational growth, development, and empowerment by providing innovative, high-quality programs and services. Including: Grants Administration, Training, University Budget Series, and Summit Financials Reporting.
UMass Amherst students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning's online course library. Explore on-demand courses and career development paths at a time and pace that fits your schedule.
UMass Amherst faculty and librarians also have free access to the New York Times.
Scholarly writing support is a core part of OFD's programming. We run Writing Circles, facilitated by OFD Scholarly Writing Fellows. We host writing retreats and workshops to provide designated time and resources to focus on your scholarly pursuits.
The Office of Faculty Development hosts the Faculty and Librarian Commons, a space dedicated to faculty and librarians for scholarly work.
Housed in W.E.B. Du Bois Library and located on the 26th floor alongside the Office of Faculty Development, the Faculty and Librarian Commons offers ample space in a collaborative workroom with large tables and a great view of the Pioneer Valley and our beloved falcons.
Monthly Write-on-Sites and social events are often hosted here.
The FLC also has a “kid kit” including various toys for young children, as well as snacks and coffee for adults. If you have your child on campus, feel free to bring them to this family-friendly workspace.
The Commons is open and accessible to faculty and librarians all hours that the W.E.B. Du Bois Library is open. Entry requires a valid UMass Amherst faculty or librarian UCard. Faculty who wish to access the space can get their UCard coded for access by submitting a request through the Library's website.
The Office of Faculty Development’s Mutual Mentoring program supports faculty at every career stage in developing robust professional networks and sustainable communities. Mentoring promotes professional socialization, productivity, and satisfaction. The mutual mentoring model is distinct from traditional hierarchical mentoring relationships. In mutual mentoring, faculty cultivate reciprocal networks of mentors to exchange knowledge and share their experience within specific areas, such as research, teaching, the tenure process, or work-life integration.
OFD provides both the infrastructure and incentives to develop a culture of mutual mentoring on campus. We have a Mutual Mentoring Grant program for individuals and teams, an annual mentoring showcase, opportunities for ad-hoc mutual mentoring incubators, and resources for best practices in mentoring faculty in academia. We also provide 1:1 mentoring.
Non-tenure track faculty are welcome to all events run by the Office that are open to faculty. In addition, we have a dedicated Supporting Non-Tenure-Track Faculty program that addresses the professional development needs of faculty on the continuing appointment track, including clinical faculty, extension faculty, and lecturers.
To support mid-career faculty, OFD regularly offers workshops and programs on topics such as sabbatical planning, transitions from assistant to associate professor to full professor and from lecturer to senior lecturer to senior lecturer II. Workshops on scholarly and research productivity, mentoring, and leadership skills are also regularly offered. Check out our Supporting Mid-Career Faculty & Librarians program for more information.
MSP also offers "Pre-Tenure", "Promotion to Full Professor", and "Senior Lecturer Promotion" workshops on their website.
OFD's Supporting Advanced Career Faculty & Librarians program supports faculty and librarians within ten years of retirement and emeritus who are vital to our campus intellectual and cultural community.