Professional Development Subcommittee Mission
The Professional Development Subcommittee (PDS) is a subcommittee of the Faculty Standards and Affairs Committee (FSAC). Professional development is defined as any activity that contributes to an individual’s career growth. As stated in the University mission, SSU is committed to “effective teaching, high standards of scholarship, and ongoing professional development.” As such, professional development at SSU is linked to university planning activities and core areas such as community engagement, diversity and sustainability. To this end, PDS has primary responsibility within the faculty governance structure for supporting professional development needs of the university faculty including but are not limited to:
- Serving in an advisory role to the Director of the Center for Teaching and Professional Development
- Supporting the orientation program for new tenure-track faculty which serves as an induction and community-building event
- Advocating that professional development opportunities be available to faculty throughout their career
- Supporting workshops on topics related to teaching and professional development
- Co-sponsoring or assisting with the coordination and development efforts for other campus entities
- Advising the Provost on budgetary and hiring decisions that impact professional development activities.