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Academic Affairs

Faculty Work/Life Balance

Work-Life Balance Readings

The position of professor comes with multiple roles and responsibilities. Within a day we may shift from teacher to scholar to committee member to administrator to advisor. Across the term and the year, the demands of the job will shift. Similarly, across the course of a career, a faculty member’s commitments and contributions will change – both at work and outside it. Adapting to those changes, finding ways to organize and prioritize is an essential part of successful faculty development. The resources listed below may help faculty in this direction.

Union College has an institutional membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, commonly referred to as NCFDD; they offer many helpful resources. To sign in to your Institutional Membership, complete the following steps:

  1. Go to http://www.ncfdd.org/join.
  2. Choose your Union College from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select “Activate my Membership”.
  4. Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (i.e., @union.edu).
  5. Check your email to find a confirmation/welcome email. Click “Activate Account” in the email.

Managing your time:

  • Don’t let teaching push research aside. The NCFDD Core Curriculum offers resources to help faculty align their time with their priorities and make time for research and writing during the term.
  • Manage student needs by drawing/maintaining reasonable boundaries. We do not expect you to be accessible to students 24/7/365!
    • Use “schedule send” to send email only during normal working hours
    • Try to disengage intentionally and in a professional manner: “I will be working on my research tomorrow, but I’d be happy to meet with you on X day.”
    • Know when to refer students to additional resources such as the counseling center, academic support services, etc.
  • Be strategic with service before tenure or renewal review.
    • Know what your department expects.
    • When collegewide service opportunities present themselves, think carefully about your time commitments, say no graciously (“Thank you for thinking of me, but I need to focus on [course prep, research, etc.]”), and engage your department chair as an ally in protecting your time. See NCFDD – The Art of Saying “No”.

Growth and change over the course of your career:

  • Your priorities will shift as you go along; be intentional and reflective at crucial moments (before and after sabbatical intervals, after promotions, during transitions in and out of administrative responsibilities).
  • The Employee Scholarship fund offers support for learning additional skill sets.
  • Be intentional with service after tenure or promotion:
    • Play to your strengths and interests. What can you offer the College? What do you want to learn about? What do you care about? What are your career goals?
    • Know what the departmental and collegewide service expectations are, especially if you are thinking about promotion to full professor or senior lecturer.
    • Each year the Director of Faculty Development and Dean of Academic Departments and Programs will offer workshops on shaping your path after tenure, and on promotion criteria and processes.
    • New Directions in Higher Education: Work-Life (re)negotiation for mid-career faculty

Managing your well-being: