The Office of the Dean invites new and continuing Arts & Science chairs, academic directors & principals to attend the Academic Leadership Sessions.

The 2025–26 session descriptions are below. Please register for any and all sessions you find of interest using the links below.

For more information, please contact the A&S Faculty Development team: facultydev.artsci@utoronto.ca.

Winter/Spring 2026 Academic Leaders’ Series

The sessions in this series focus on Arts & Science-specific practices and policies and provide relevant information at key points throughout the year. Sessions will take place in person in the Dean’s Conference Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2014 unless otherwise indicated. Dates and times are listed in the registration form.

Register for winter/spring sessions

 

Continuing Status Review (CSR)

This session will review all parts of the Continuing Status Review (CSR) process.

Facilitators:

  • Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
  • Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life

Progress through the Ranks (PTR)

This session will be divided into two parts:

  • The first hour will provide an overview of the PTR process, including the role of the chair/director, the support provided by the Academic HR office, the handling of leaves, timelines, and information about central PTR and the Dean’s Excellence merit pools.
  • The second hour will discuss the recent changes to the Annual Activity Report (AAR).

You may register for the whole session or the second hour only. While in-person attendance is preferred, the second hour will run in a hybrid format to accommodate a larger audience.

Facilitators:

  • Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
  • Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life

Interim, Probationary, and Part-Time Reviews

This session will provide an overview of the interim, probationary, and part-time review processes. It will also discuss the Chair/Director’s role in communicating the outcome to the candidate and providing feedback relevant for their professional development.

Facilitators:

  • Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
  • Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life

Supporting Research in A&S

This session will focus on the role of the Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure in supporting Chairs and Directors with the achievement of academic unit research goals (i.e., related to funding, recruitment, retention, and research spaces and infrastructure), as well as outline the research resources & supports provided to A&S faculty members through the research portfolio (i.e., A&S research funding programs, and grant application/awards development services available within the A&S Office of Research Services).

Facilitators:

  • Kim Strong, Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure
  • Lisa Rumiel, Director of Research Services

Admin HR 101

As an academic administrator, you have a team of administrative staff who are partners with you in realizing the teaching, learning and research mission of your unit. This session will cover topics relevant to working with, supporting, and forming productive relationships with administrative staff.

Facilitator:

  • Kimberly Yeh

Tenure Review — Initiating the Process

This session will discuss the initial aspects of the tenure review process, focusing on the unit head’s role in reviewing candidate files, determining appropriate timing of the review, composing the committees, and securing external assessors.

Facilitators:

  • Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
  • Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life

 

Additional Programming of Interest:

National Centre for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)

The University of Toronto continues to maintain an institutional membership with the National Centre for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), a leading provider of professional development in higher education. Activate your membership in order to access on demand and live, webinars and resources.

Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life

You may also be interested in programming for chairs and directors that is offered through VPFAL.

The Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence (TIDE)

Please take advantage of the many resources offered by TIDE (The Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence). TIDE is a grassroots service group consisting of University of Toronto faculty members from across disciplines, with a focus on advancing equity, diversity and inclusion at U of T.