Office of Faculty Development

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

Todd Beer, Senior Faculty Associate

Elizabeth Benacka

Elizabeth Benacka, Senior Faculty Associate

Chloe Johnston

Chloe Johnston, Senior Faculty Associate

Ajar Chekirova

Ajar Chekirova, Junior Faculty Fellow

Rebecca Delventhal

Rebecca Delventhal, Junior Faculty Fellow

Andrew Gard

Andrew Gard, Junior Faculty Fellow

RL Watson

RL Watson, Junior Faculty Fellow

Connie Corso

Connie Corso, Academic Technologist

Dawn Abt-Perkins

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). 

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