The Office of the Provost offers matching funds to support eligible faculty members to participate in the NCFDD Faculty Success Program. Details are outlined below.

The University of Illinois is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The Center provides all Illinois faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students free access to a number of the NCFDD’s programs and resources. The NCFDD programs and resources deal with various aspects of academic life and professional development.

Overview

The NCFDD Faculty Success Program is an intense, 12-week, online-based program where participants learn strategies to increase their research productivity, gain control of their time, and live a full and healthy life beyond campus. The program is designed to transform the personal and professional life of participants.

The program is intended for tenure-track and tenured faculty members who are looking for the perfect combination of empirically tested methods to improve research productivity through intense accountability, coaching, and peer support and to propel their work-life balance and personal growth to a completely new level.

Participation in the NCFDD Faculty Success Program is open to all tenure stream faculty who are active NCFDD Individual and Institutional Members. (Learn more about membership.)

Program Outcomes

Develop an achievable set of personal and professional goals as well as a realistic plan to meet them.
Develop a consistent, healthy, and sustainable daily writing routine.
Move forward in developing a publication profile.
Master best practices in academic time management.
Develop a set of strategies to move through barriers.
Nourish physical and emotional health.
Enjoy a full life beyond campus.
Participate in an intensely supportive community that processes day-to-day challenges, pushes individuals when they need it, and celebrates members’ successes as they occur.

Session Dates

The NCFDD Faculty Success Program is offered three times per year, 12 weeks per session, approximately on the following schedule:

FALL Session: August – November (Early/discounted registration date: June)
SPRING Session: January – April (Early/discounted registration date: October)
SUMMER Session: end of May – mid-August (Early/discounted registration date: mid-April)

Cost

Standard tuition is $4,750 per participant. Early Bird tuition rate is $4,250, and Priority Registration is $3,950.

Program Support

The Office of the Provost provides up to $2,500 per person in funding assistance for up to eight recipients (5 pre-tenure faculty and 3 tenured faculty) per year for full-time, tenure-stream faculty to participate in this program. Faculty will be required to pay for the difference of the remaining tuition cost, such as with matching funds from the faculty member’s home department, college, their start-up funds, or other sources.

Faculty members may apply for funding assistance for the fall, spring, or summer session. See application information below. (Please note that matching grants cannot be applied retroactively.)

Calendar

Applicants must note the timelines of both the Office of the Provost, as well as NCFDD registration, in order to participate in the Faculty Success Program.

May 10 – Deadline to apply for matching funds from the Office of the Provost.

Faculty Members who wish to participate in NCFDD’s Faculty Success Program must register individually, according to the appropriate NCFDD timeline:

Eligibility

Full-time, tenure-stream faculty members at Illinois are eligible to apply for program support funding. Faculty may apply for funding each year, but can receive these funds only once.

Expectations and Requirements for Recipients of Program Funding Support

Faculty who receive funding support are expected to complete the Faculty Success Program and to participate in the weekly calls and exercises, as described in the program. (It is important to note that NCFDD’s Faculty Success Program is nicknamed “boot camp” for a reason!)

Also, within a year following completion of the program, recipients either individually or in small groups are expected to share with others in the university community what they learned from their participation in NCFDD’s Faculty Success Program. Sample activities include:

Facilitate a weekly or monthly writing group with graduate students or faculty in your department or college.
Host one of NCFDD’s virtual workshops for faculty and students in your department or college.
Create a podcast or write a professional blog for your department’s or college’s communication outlets (e.g., social media accounts) on relevant topics related to lessons learned from your participation in the program (e.g., career planning).
Via a brown-bag seminar or colloquium, present to students, staff, or faculty in your department or college, relevant lessons learned from your participation in the program (e.g., time management).
Agree to lead a workshop or participate in a panel session for campus-wide seminars on related topics organized by campus units (e.g., Office of the Provost’s faculty seminar series, CITL workshops, Graduate College, etc.).
Develop and distribute a handout, poster, or other visual or audio-based materials to students, staff, or faculty in your department or college on relevant topics related to lessons learned from your participation in the program (e.g., work-life balance).

Application for Funding

Complete the online form to apply for funding from the Office of the Provost. Applications must be received by the May 10 deadline.