Learning and engagement is the theme of Stanford’s Faculty Resource Fair

Invitations to the 2020 Faculty Resource Fair have gone out across campus – some 4,000 in all – to faculty members, lecturers and clinician educators in Stanford’s seven schools.

Faculty and staff gathered last fall for New Faculty Orientation. (Image credit: Holly Hernandez)

Preparations are underway to transform the venue – the Stanford Faculty Club – for the Wednesday event, which will include a resource fair, breakout sessions and a reception.

The Feb. 26 resource fair, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m., is sponsored by the new Office of Faculty Development.

“What we’re trying to do is highlight the many ways faculty members can engage in the Stanford community throughout their career,” said Susan Drange, the office’s associate vice provost and executive director of programs, faculty development and diversity.

“The groups represented at the fair reflect the learning and engagement theme, with offices focused on learning and career development, networks and community, and engaging with students. Breakout sessions include programs for earlier in the career, like the panel on strategies for applying to internal Stanford grants, as well as late-career faculty members, like the session on the transition to retirement. Then there are the programs by the Center for Teaching and Learning, which are great at any career stage.”

During the resource fair, representatives from 30 offices across campus will be available to share information about their programs and services, and to answer questions.

Among the offices participating in the event are the Bing Overseas Studies Program, the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, the Faculty Women’s Forum, the Faculty Staff Help Center and the Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition.

The resource fair will feature breakout sessions from 2 to 4 p.m. Most of the sessions, which will be offered twice, will last 20 to 30 minutes, except for “Stanford Funding Opportunities,” which will be offered once, from 2:30 to 3:30, in the President’s Dining Room.

Breakout sessions include the following:

• “Stanford Funding Opportunities: Strategies for Successful Applications” will include a panel discussion and Q&A with Tanya M. Raschke, director for planning and operations at the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, and Ashley Dunn, program manager of the Stanford Clinical and Translational Science Award Program in the School of Medicine. The panel will be moderated by Pauline Larmaraud, manager of research information technology and innovation, Stanford Seed Funding, in the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research.
• “Navigating Sensitive Conversations in the Classroom” will offer strategies for creating a supportive classroom environment and for handling sensitive classroom moments, presented by staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning.
• “Success as an Academic Parent – Work and Life with a New Child” will explore how to manage the transition to teaching and research following a maternity/paternity or baby bonding leave, with information on the essential support services Stanford offers to help parents balance career and family.
• “So You Think You Aren’t Ready to Retire” will feature new members of the Stanford Emeriti Council discussing their transition to retirement. During the session, participants will receive a copy of A Self-Assessment of Readiness to Retire.

The Office for Faculty Development website lists more information about each of the seven breakout sessions.

Stanford faculty members and their families – partners, spouses and children – are also invited to a reception following the fair, which will feature live music, food and drinks, and face painting, balloon art and magic tricks for children.

The Office of Faculty Development (OFD) supports Stanford faculty through a variety of programs, such as orientation, workshop and events for new and early career faculty, department chairs and deans, and initiatives supporting faculty diversity. The Center for Teaching and Learning, which is now part of OFD, facilitates the development of teaching expertise and learner-centered approaches in teaching. OFD also assists in faculty recruitment and retention efforts to ensure that Stanford has an excellent and diverse faculty. Detailed information is available on the OFD website.