The Office of the Dean invites new and continuing Arts & Science chairs, academic directors & principals to attend the Academic Leadership Sessions. These sessions focus on Arts & Science-specific practices and policies, and provide relevant information at key points throughout the year.
The 2023–24 session descriptions are below.
Please register for any and all sessions you find of interest using the links below.
- Workshop on Managing Difficult Situations
- 2023–24 Academic Leadership Fall Sessions
- 2023–24 Academic Leadership Winter/Spring Sessions
- Additional Programming of Interest
For more information, please contact the A&S faculty development team: facultydev.artsci@utoronto.ca.
Managing Difficult Situations (Half-Day Workshop)
Register for Managing Difficult Situations
Tuesday, October 17, 8:45–12:00 pm
Facilitated by Caroline Rabbat (Director, High Risk, Faculty Support & Mental Health) and Bharat Saini (Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion), this half-day session will focus on how unit leaders can better manage difficult or high-risk situations as well as mitigate the fallout from any such incidents. An optional lunch will follow the workshop from 12–1 pm.
2023–24 Academic Leadership Fall Sessions
All sessions will take place in person in the Dean’s Conference Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 214.
Budget and Finance at the Unit: Session I
Friday, September 15, 2023, 10 am–12 pm
This session will focus on Faculty budgeting mechanisms and their application to unit-level budget allocations. Copies of attendee chairs/directors respective unit budget will be shared. Please consider inviting the unit’s business officer to attend as well (however, the session is not intended for business officers alone).
Facilitators
- Horatio Bot, Executive Director, Faculty Budget, Planning & Finance Office
- George Taylor, Director, Faculty Budget & Finance
- Lisa-Ann Leung, Senior Finance Officer, Base Budget & Financial Operations
Hiring: Best Practices
Friday, October 13, 2023, 10–11:30 am
This session will discuss effective practices relating to recruitment and retention of faculty, with particular attention to recruiting and retaining diverse faculty.
Facilitators
- Bharat Saini, Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
Tenure Review: The Chair’s Role
Friday, November 3, 2023, 10–11:30 am
This session will focus on the aspects of the tenure review process that are specifically related to the chair and directors role in the process at this time of year (i.e., collection of materials & chairing the committee).
Facilitator
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
Continuing Status Review
Friday, November 10, 2023, 10–11:30 am
This session will review all parts of the Continuing Status Review (CSR) process.
Facilitator
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
The Faculty Appointments Committee
Friday, November 24, 2023, 10–11:30 am (Note: this session will also be offered in January)
This session will provide an overview of the role of the Faculty Appointments Committee (FAC), including a review of factors considered by the FAC in evaluating requests for new appointments and the Tableau data that inform the process.
Facilitators
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Mubin Merchant, Director, Planning, Data & Analysis
The Promotion Process
Friday, December 8, 2023, 10–11:30 am
This session will review the promotion process, as well as the chair and directors role in reviewing and communicating readiness for promotion to faculty members.
Facilitator
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
2023–24 Academic Leadership Winter/Spring Sessions
All sessions will take place in person in the Dean’s Conference Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 214.
Register for winter/spring sessions
The Faculty Appointments Committee
Friday, January 12, 2024, 10–11:30 am (Note: this session was also offered in November)
This session will provide an overview of the role of the Faculty Appointments Committee (FAC), including a review of factors considered by the FAC in evaluating requests for new appointments and the Tableau data that inform the process.
Facilitators
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Mubin Merchant, Director, Planning, Data & Analysis
Supporting Research in A&S
Friday, January 26, 2024, 10–11:30 am
This session will focus on the role of the Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure in supporting chair and directors with the achievement of academic unit research goals (i.e., related to 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
- Vince Tropepe, Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure
- Lisa Rumiel, Director of Research Services
The PTR Process
Friday, March 1, 2024, 10–11:30 am
This session provides 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.
Facilitator
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Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
Interim & Probationary Reviews
Friday, March 8, 2024, 10–11:30 am
This session will provide an overview of the interim and probationary review processes. It will also discuss the chair/directors 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
Tenure Review: Committee Composition and External Assessors
Friday, May 10, 2024, 10–11:30 am
This session will focus on the early aspects of the tenure review process, including composing the committee 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 and 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
Members may also be interested in programming for chair’s 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.
- Unconscious Bias Education Modules
- TIDE’s Recorded Talks, including the Inclusive Practices in Recruitment workshop