Faculty Development

The Center for Faculty Success and Engagement offers a variety of professional development opportunities to support faculty success and satisfaction at UC San Diego. These include:

On-campus seminars and webinars
Institutional membership with NCFDD
Sponsored participation in the NCFDD Faculty Success Program
Spring and Summer Writing Retreats

Join our mailing list and keep up to date on events and opportunities. Read on to learn more about our programs and upcoming events.

The New Faculty Academy

The New Faculty Academy (NFA) is a cohort-based professional development program for new and early career faculty at UC San Diego. NFA is designed to help new faculty understand general expectations and learn strategies for faculty success and advancement, while building a community of colleagues across campus. The year-long program consists of 8 sessions all on Fridays, including an opening and a closing session. At least half of the 6 content sessions will be held in person.

NFA is open to faculty from General Campus and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Health Sciences faculty can find faculty development resources through the Health Sciences Office of Faculty Affairs website.

Schedule

Session 1: Orientation and Community Building Date: Friday, October 3, 2025, 12 - 1:30 p.m., optional campus tour afterwards (In Person) Location: Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club, Atkinson Pavilion

Session 2: Developing a Network of Mentors, Sponsors, Collaborators and Mentees Date: Friday, October 17, 2025, 12 - 2 p.m. (In Person) Location: Raza Resource Centro Conference Room 104 Facilitators: Vic Ferreira, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Success and Engagement, and Professor of Psychology; M. Myrta Leslie Santana, Associate Professor of Music; Stanley Lo, Teaching Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology; Kumiko Haas, Director of Engaged Teaching, Teaching + Learning Commons Description: In this workshop, we will cover the different types of relationships important to your academic career, and strategies for cultivating a broad network of mentors, sponsors, collaborators, and mentees. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their current needs for mentorship, support, and connections, and identify ways to expand their existing network to meet those needs.

Session 3: Research Development and Funding Opportunities Date: Friday, November 7, 2025, 12 - 2 p.m. (Virtual) Facilitators: Corporate and Foundation Relations; Research Development; Linda George, Senate Analyst Description: This workshop will focus on UC San Diego resources to help you secure grants and funding for your scholarship, teaching, and service, including both internal and external sources of funding.

Session 4: Establishing a Consistent Writing Practice Date: Friday, January 16, 2026, 12 - 1:30 p.m. (In Person) Location: TBD Facilitator: TBD Description: In this workshop, we will discuss the importance of establishing a consistent writing practice to increase your writing productivity and decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and guilt. We will share some of the common challenges among new faculty with regard to writing, as well as new tools and ways of thinking about writing to help you develop a healthy, consistent routine that will allow you to meet your department’s expectations for tenure and promotion.

Session 5A: Launching a Successful Research Practice (for non-STEM Faculty) Date: Friday, February 6, 2026, 12 - 1:30 p.m. (Virtual) Facilitators: TBD Description: Building and maintaining an active research agenda as well as a cohesive and productive research team or group are often components of a successful research practice. In this session, we will share strategies for launching a successful research practice, including how to prioritize projects and publications, how to secure resources, how to effectively manage multiple projects and people, and how to delegate work tasks.

Session 5B: Launching a Successful Research Lab (for STEM Faculty) Date: Friday, February 20, 2026, 12 - 1:30 p.m. (Virtual) Facilitators: TBD Description: Most new faculty start with limited knowledge and training about the responsibilities of managing a research lab. In this session, we will share the responsibilities of being the leader of a research lab, and the skills and competencies needed to effectively manage multiple projects and people. Topics will include managing your start-up funds, purchasing equipment, selecting competent and motivated lab team members, building a cohesive, productive and inclusive team, and delegating responsibilities.

Session 6: Getting Started with Effective and Equity-Minded Teaching Date: Friday, March 13, 2026, 12 - 2 p.m. (In Person) Location: TBD Facilitators: Kumiko Haas, Director of Engaged Teaching, and Carolyn Sandoval, Senior Director of Instruction and Pedagogy, at the Teaching + Learning Commons Description: In this workshop we will focus on the essentials of effective and equitable teaching in the college classroom. Specific topics will include identifying learning goals, aligning assessments and teaching practices, and ensuring that all students are supported and empowered to succeed in your classroom. We will share concrete, manageable strategies to support your success and well-being as you begin teaching at UC San Diego.

Session 7: Strategies for Tenure and Promotion Date: Friday, April 17, 2026, 12 - 2 p.m. (In Person) Location: TBD Facilitator: Vic Ferreira, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Success and Engagement, and Professor, Department of Psychology Description: Tenure and promotion at the University of California is a complex and policy-bound process with multiple reviews, checks and balances. Knowing the critical details that will set you up for a successful tenure can be daunting for new faculty. In this workshop, we try to demystify the process and share tips on how early career faculty can best prepare and avoid common pitfalls. The workshop will cover common challenges and allow plenty of time for discussion.

Session 8: Closing Ceremony Date: Friday, May 15, 2026, 12 - 2 p.m. (In Person) Location: Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club, Atkinson Pavilion

Faculty Workshops and Events

Past Events

How to Prepare a Teaching Portfolio for Your File
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
12 - 2 p.m.

Faciliated by: Teaching and Learning Commons
Carolyn Sandoval, Sr. Director, Instruction and Pedagogy
Kumiko Haas, Director, Engaged Teaching
Josephine Relaford-Doyle, Assistant Director, Engaged Teaching
Paul Hadjipieris, Education Specialist, Teaching and Learning Commons

UC San Diego has recently moved toward a more fair and transparent system of evaluating teaching that supports both student success and faculty development. This workshop will cover essential information about the holistic evaluation of teaching, what to expect, and how to best prepare a teaching and mentoring statement and portfolio.

View the recording | Download the Slides

Life After Tenure at UC San Diego
Monday, October 14, 2024
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

So you got tenure. Now what? This workshop, facilitated by Associate Vice Chancellor and Professor Victor Ferreira, is designed for mid-career faculty building and thinking about their career trajectory. This workshop will review shifts in roles, responsibilities and expectations of tenured faculty; leveraging professional development and leadership opportunities; as well as UCSD policies on promotion and advancement, and available resources for retentions, accelerations and career equity reviews.

View the recording | Download the Slides

Demystifying Tenure & Promotion: Strategies for a Meritorious File
Friday, May 12, 2023
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Please join AVC Victor Ferreira for a special hybrid workshop to review the tenure and promotion process, and get tips on how to best prepare and avoid common pitfalls, particularly for early career and underrepresented faculty. The workshop will cover common challenges and allow plenty of time for discussion. Come prepared with questions and let's dispel myths together.

View the recording | Download the Slides

NCFDD Membership

UC San Diego is an institutional member of NCFDD. NCFDD provides online access to mentoring, tools, and support needed to be successful in the Academy. It focuses on helping academics achieve extraordinary writing and research productivity while maintaining a full and healthy life off campus.

For more information or to activate your account click here.

NCFDD Faculty Success Program

The acclaimed Faculty Success Program (FSP) is an intensive 12-week virtual boot camp offered by NCFDD. It combines empirically-tested methods, coaching, peer support, and online tools to help academics thrive in their careers and achieve work-life balance.

The boot camp is intended for faculty who want to:

Set achievable professional and personal goals and create a realistic plan to meet them
Establish a consistent and sustainable daily writing habit
Develop a publication profile that exceeds their institution's promotion criteria
Better manage their time spent on teaching, service, research, and writing
Prioritize their physical and emotional health

➤ How the Program Works

Participants will be assigned to a small group led by an NCFDD-Certified Coach. Every week, participants will complete self-directed modules and coach-guided homework, and meet with their small-group to discuss their goals and progress. Participants will log on to the FSP platform, WriteNow, to check in and track their daily progress on writing, research, and personal goals. By the end of the program, participants will have developed the skills and habits they need to move forward with increased research and writing productivity and a better work-life balance.

➤ FSP Schedule

FSP participants should anticipate spending 1.5 - 2 hours each week watching the weekly training videos and completing the homework assignments.

Additionally, FSP participants will meet with their small group and coach for a 75-minute call every week at a recurring time. Participants are asked to select one of the following times.

Tuesdays - 9am-10:15am PT OR 12pm-1:15pm PT
Wednesdays - 9am-10:15am PT OR 12pm-1:15pm PT

Take a look at a sample schedule of a typical FSP participant.

➤ FSE Sponsorship

Though most NCFDD tools and webinars are free to members—which includes all UC San Diego affiliates—the Faculty Success Program has a registration fee of about $5,000. This FSE award covers the fee for eligible faculty to encourage and facilitate participation. However, sponsorships are limited each year and contingent upon available funding. Interest in the program sometimes outpaces the funding we have available to sponsor participation. For this reason, we ask that you indicate in the application if you have access to your own discretionary funds that you could use to pay for your registration. If you do, and if we have more interested faculty than funding available, we will return to you to ask if you would be willing to cover your own registration. Thank you for helping us make the most of our funds to benefit as many faculty as possible

➤ Eligibility

All Academic Senate faculty and non-Senate faculty at UC San Diego with expectations for teaching, service, and research (with a heavy emphasis on publication) are eligible to apply. Non-senate faculty must have a long-term contract or permanent position.

➤ Award Requirements

Participants are expected to complete the 12-week program and participate in weekly calls and exercises.

We hope sponsorship for this program will encourage you to share the knowledge that you gain with colleagues and mentees. FSE maintains an FSP alumni database, and we also encourage previous sponsorship recipients to stay involved as part of this network by sharing their experiences, communicating about the program, and attending related FSE events.

➤ Apply to the Fall 2025 Program by August 1, 2025

Program Dates: September 15 - November 23, 2025
Deadline to Apply: August 1, 2025

Applications are collected through UC San Diego's InfoReady system, you will need to log in via SSO to apply.

Note: If you are not already an NCFDD member, please make sure to go to https://members.ncfdd.org/institutions/ucsd and activate your membership (for FREE access). Being a member is required to be enrolled in the boot camp and doing it ahead of time will facilitate registration.

For inquiries, please email vcedi-faculty@ucsd.edu.

Faculty Writing Retreats

Summer 2025 Faculty Writing Retreat

WRITE WITHOUT DISTRACTION + GET SUPPORT + BUILD COMMUNITY

Tuesday, September 9 - Thursday, September 11, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily

Professional success in academia depends largely on one’s writing and research productivity. Yet faculty who prioritize teaching, mentorship, and service can struggle to find the time to write and stay on course with publication goals. Writing retreats can offer support and increase writing productivity, as well as connection and well-being.

At the FSE Faculty Writing Retreat in the summer, faculty will have the opportunity to join a supportive writing space in a beautiful setting and make progress on scholarly writing projects. Participants will have plenty of time to write without distraction while building a diverse community of UC San Diego scholars. The retreat will be facilitated by Chrissy Sharp, Director of Writing and Communication Learning Services at the Teaching and Learning Commons.

For inquiries, please email the Center for Faculty Success and Engagement at vcedi-faculty@ucsd.edu.

➤ Program Details

Location: Mission Beach Women's Club, 840 Santa Clara Pl, San Diego, CA 92109

Cost: Free

What's Included: Facilitation, writing consults, meals, and support for dependent care

Eligibility: All Senate and Non-Senate Faculty, Project Scientists, Project Researchers, and Academic Coordinators are eligible to apply.

Application Timeline: Deadline: July 29, 2025

Notification of Admission: August 8, 2025

➤ Daily Schedules

Participants can expect

Breakfast, lunch, and coffee/tea throughout the day
Daily reflections and writing intention setting
Focused writing sessions with optional pomodoro
Structured and unstructured breaks
Optional writing consults to discuss a writing project or process issue

Faculty are expected to be fully present for the scheduled period. Exceptions can be made for dependent care responsibilities. However, please do not schedule other meetings or appointments during the retreat.

➤ Application Process

Please complete an application by July 29, 2025

Applications are collected through UC San Diego's InfoReady system; you will need to log in via SSO to apply.

➤ Support for Dependent Care

In support of broader and equitable participation in the writing retreat, we are offering financial assistance to those with dependent care responsibilities who would need to pay for caregiving services in order to participate. The maximum support is $300.

For the purposes of the Writing Retreat, eligible dependents for dependent care support are:

A healthy child (≤ 12 years) who resides with the applicant and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver;
A child/adolescent (≤18 years) who is physically or mentally disabled, requires assistance with daily activities, resides with the applicant, and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver;
A disabled adult/elder (e.g. spouse, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent) who spends at least eight hours every day in the applicant's home and for whom the applicant has responsibility.

Please note that pets are not eligible for dependent care support. Caregiving services provided by a spouse, partner or immediate family member are not eligible for financial assistance.