The Office of Faculty Development aids the work of faculty at Lake Forest College through a focus on three priorities:
We support faculty at all stages in their careers in developing effective pedagogical techniques that create an inclusive learning environment for our diverse student body.
We assist faculty in creating and sustaining a community of colleagues who learn from and support each other.
We facilitate and celebrate faculty achievement in scholarly and artistic production.
Services for Faculty
- General teaching consultations and mid-course checks
- Teaching Shapes program
- Mentoring program
- Orientation programs for new faculty
- Input on grant proposals
- Faculty writing retreats
- Advising training
- Grants for curricular development
- Programming for faculty development, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programming
Visit the Center for Academic Success for resources to assist students!
Associated Faculty and Staff
Todd Beer, Senior Faculty Associate
Elizabeth Benacka, Senior Faculty Associate
Chloe Johnston, Senior Faculty Associate
Ajar Chekirova, Junior Faculty Fellow
Rebecca Delventhal, Junior Faculty Fellow
Andrew Gard, Junior Faculty Fellow
RL Watson, Junior Faculty Fellow
Connie Corso, Academic Technologist
Dawn Abt-Perkins, Director of Writing Programs
Office of Faculty Development Program Series 2022-2023
All events will take place in Brown Hall 515, except the events on January 25 and April 4. The January 25 event will be in the Tarble Room (ChatGPT Roundtable) and the April 4 even will be in Glen Rowan (with author Jonathan Malesic).
Contact Us
Gizella Meneses
Director, Office of Faculty Development
North Hall 201
meneses@lakeforest.edu
847-735-5279
Fall 2022 Programming
Faculty and the Workplace
ARRC, CPC, and FPPC. Making Faculty Governance More Meaningful—for Junior and Senior Faculty Members
Tuesday, September 13
Noon
Panel: Liz Benacka, Chloe Johnston, and Linda Horwitz
What do these major faculty-elected committees do? What are our roles? How does faculty governance work?
Avoiding and/or Recovering from Burnout
Tuesday, October 25
4:00 pm
Session Leader: Todd Beer
Understanding how burnout emerges can help us identify ways our institution, our departments, and individuals can work together to recover from it or avoid it in the first place. Join us to begin the discussion on actionable steps we can take.
DEI and Social Justice
Disability 2.0—Beyond Accommodations
Wednesday, September 28
Noon
Session Leader: Kara Fifield
In this session, Kara will focus on moving beyond accommodations and working towards accessibility and inclusion in the classroom.
Bias and the Student Experience
Wednesday, November 9
4:00 pm
Remote Session
With Professor Cyndi Kernahan
Despite the important implications of racism and stereotyping for our students, many of us do not always understand how racial bias influences student persistence and success in concrete and specific ways. Translating the research Cyndi will explain how racial bias, at both the individual and institutional levels, affects students and what we can do in response. The emphasis will be on practical, actionable, and research-informed strategies
Programming for Faculty Cohorts
International Faculty: Jumping Hurdles
Thursday, October 20
Noon
Panel: Ajar Chekirova, Tessa Sermet, and Yoalli Rodríguez Aguilera
Learn how to mentor junior international faculty members and know more about various processes that your colleagues have had to navigate.
What To Know Before Third-Year Review
Monday, November 28
Noon
Spring 2023 Programming
Faculty and the Workplace
ChatGPT: A Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday, January 25
Noon
Tarble Room
Roundtable: Patty Buenrostro, Holly Swyers, Josh Corey, Daw-Nay Evans, Cynthia Hahn, Rachel Whidden, Ravi Agarwal, Tommy Crawford, Daniel Henke, and Dawn Abt-Perkins
Advising: Navigating The Complexities—Degree Audit
Tuesday, February 14
Noon
Session Leader: Jennifer Kenworthy
What are the roles and expectations in advising? How can we streamline?
Burnout Culture in Academia: Where It Comes From and How We’ll Get Beyond It.
Tuesday, April 4
4:00 pm
Glen Rowan House
With author Jonathan Malesic.
A vexing problem for academics is burnout: the experience of exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness that results from stretching across the gap between the ideals of your academic vocation and the reality of your academic job. In this workshop, Professor Malesic will address what burnout is, why college faculty are so vulnerable to it, and how building more compassionate institutions can help prevent and heal burnout.
DEI and Social Justice
Supporting Undocumented Students—Student-Led Panel
Wednesday, February 22
4:00 p.m.
Student-Led Panel
How can faculty and staff support Undocumented Students (US)? This workshop will provide a brief overview of the US experience in higher education by centering the experience of current undocumented Lake Forest College students. The session will include a student-led panel, providing an opportunity for students to share their perspectives and for community members to ask questions.
Brown Bag Lunch, OFD and OIR: LGBTQIA+ Campus Inclusion
Thursday, March 2
Noon
Session Leader: Nevin Heard
The Brown Bag Lunch Series offers an informal space for faculty and staff to gain an understanding of inclusive practices pertaining to specific marginalized identities or sociocultural issues. Attendees are invited to actively engage in discussion around these sensitive topics with the aim of creating greater belonging campus-wide.
This Brown Bag Lunch will focus on creating a more inclusive campus culture for LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff. We will discuss identity, harm mitigation, best practices, and allyhood.
Bring your lunch and let’s unpack this together!
Incorporating Community-Based Learning In & Out of the Classroom
Wednesday, March 8
Noon
Session Leader: Stephanie Caparelli
Inviting professionals, practioners, and other community members as guest speakers can create valuable additions to class sessions as a means of exposing students to practical application of coursework. How can we take these vital one-time class discussions increase their value for students and community partners alike? In this session, we will discuss how students can join with community partners to effectuate change by incentivizing community work through student internships, portfolio building, and paid projects.
How to be an Advocate & Ally for People with Disabilities
Wednesday, April 12
4:00 pm
Session Leader: Kara Fifield
In this session, Kara will focus on how you can use your resources and story to be an advocate and ally for people with disabilities. Topics that will be covered include a background on disability law, culture, and etiquette.
Programming for Faculty Cohorts
How to Revamp Your Pedagogy
Thursday, March 23
Noon
Panel: Holly Swyers, Cassondra Batz-Barbarich, and Ben Zeller
In this session you will learn about curricular and policy changes our panelists have incorporated in their courses. Bring your questions and insights.
Preparing Yourself for the Tenure Process and Recalibrating post-tenure
Thursday, April 20
4:00 pm