Free Resources from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity

by Jordan Orris

All University of Mississippi faculty, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and staff have access to resources provided by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The Office of the Provost and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement has renewed the University’s NCFDD Institutional Membership.

This institutional membership provides free services and programs designed to “help those in academia thrive by increasing their research and writing productivity, creating networks of support on campus and across institutions nationwide, and developing a stronger sense of work-life balance.”

The following resources are provided with no cost:

• Weekly Monday Motivator
• Twelve monthly core training webinars
• Twelve monthly guest expert webinars
• Multi-Week Courses
• Audio, slides and transcripts of all workshops so members can learn at their convenience
• Private Discussion Forum for peer-mentoring and problem solving
• Moderated monthly writing challenges https://www.facultydiversity.org/14-day-challenge
• Member Library, which includes workshop materials, referrals, and readings

Here are some quotes from graduate students currently utilizing NCFDD resources:

“My name is Emma Kate Thome and I am a first-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences & Disorders department. My advisor, Dr. Susan Loveall, introduced me to NCFDD. I am interested in pursuing my PhD after completing my Master’s. The Monday Motivators have provided insight about what to expect from a faculty position should that be the route I choose to take. In addition, I am signed up for the 30 day writing challenge in order to develop functional writing habits. Thank you for providing this resource to the students and faculty at University of Mississippi.”

“I signed up for NCFDD as soon as Dr. Kirsten Dellinger (Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, College of Liberal Arts) made me aware of our institutional membership. Right now, I find their Monday Motivator emails particularly useful. Every Sunday evening, the founder of NCFDD, Dr. Kerry Ann Rockquemore, sends a universal email to members, containing an inspiring pep talk for the week and addressing common issues that arise for graduate students, early career fellows, and tenured/tenure track faculty in maintaining a research-teaching-life balance. The email always leaves me feeling ready to take on the week, and provides an important sense of support that makes me feel less alone in my academic journey.” – Laura Wilson

To take advantage of this opportunity by activating a confidential, personal membership, complete the following steps:

1) Go to http://www.FacultyDiversity.org/Join

2) Choose “University of Mississippi” from the drop-down menu.

3) Select “Activate My Membership”

4) Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (i.e. @olemiss.edu or @go.olemiss.edu)

5) Go to your institution email to find a confirmation email. Click “Activate Account” in the confirmation email.

If you have any questions or comments, contact Tanya Nichols, project manager for the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, tmnicho2@olemiss.edu, 662-915-2933. If you have any technical questions, please email NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.