New Faculty

Being a new faculty member can be overwhelming given the variety of responsibilities and demands on your time. Effectively prioritizing your tasks by scheduling them based on urgency and importance is key. 

We can offer guidance on balancing your time based on your workload model through a time-management workshop on MediaSpace. We invite new faculty to participate in our PI Academy soon after joining KSU, so be on the lookout for an email invitation. Because scholarship and creative activity (SCA) is a major factor in qualifying for tenure, a lack of research productivity is a key reason for faculty being denied tenure. Schedule a one-on-one coaching session with us for advice on meeting the promotion and tenure guidelines set by your college and department. Consider joining NCFDD to take advantage of their online seminars and writing challenges.

The quality of your teaching does not have to suffer on account of your research, but new faculty often struggle to design a teaching plan that is both effective and efficient.

We highly recommend utilizing KSU’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), as increasing your teaching effectiveness and efficiency will enable you to increase your research productivity. 

You have likely been told to establish your brand, and, if you need a lab, to grow your lab. Obstacles you may be facing include spending your start-up package, developing your online presence, and recruiting students.

Schedule a one-on-one coaching session with us for assistance with purchasing, completing hiring paperwork, and setting up your ORCiD and Google Scholar accounts. Connect with the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and the Graduate College for help with recruiting students. 

Research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative, so as you look to grow your research, connecting with your peers will be essential.

Consider joining one of KSU’s research communities to meet colleagues seeking meaningful interdisciplinary research experiences. Interested in mentorship? Schedule a one-on-one coaching session with us for assistance with reaching out to possible mentors or mentees. 

Sometimes new faculty equate productivity with volume, but volume must not come at the expense of quality and significance. In the funding acquisition phase, your time will be better spent carefully crafting a few compelling grant applications than taking a shotgun approach. Also, do not underestimate the value of improving a grant application or research article that has been returned for revision.

If you need to find funding, check out our pages on Internal Funding, External Funding, and Limited Submissions. To boost your grantsmanship, accept your PI Academy email invitation, enroll in our six-week-long Summer Research Fellows workshop, or attend one of our workshops. We maintain a database of grant-writing resources on D2L. To request access, email us and ask to be added to the RDSI Resources for Faculty course. When you reach the stage of generating publications, check out the KSU Library’s resources that support research and publishing.