The Office of the Dean invites new and continuing Arts & Science chairs, academic directors & principals to attend the Academic Leadership Sessions.
The 2024–25 session descriptions are below.
Please register for any and all sessions you find of interest using the links below.
- Fall 2024 Academic Leaders’ Series
- Winter/Spring 2025 Academic Leaders’ Series
- Additional Programming of Interest
For more information, please contact the A&S Faculty Development team: facultydev.artsci@utoronto.ca.
Fall 2024 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. All sessions will take place in person on Friday mornings in the Dean’s Conference Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2014 (unless noted otherwise).
Budget and Finance at the Unit
Friday, September 6, 10 am–12 pm
This session will focus on faculty current budgeting mechanisms and their application to unit-level budget allocations. The faculty is planning to transition to a revised funding model May 1, 2025. That model will not be discussed at this session. Copies of your respective unit’s budget will be shared. Please consider inviting your 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
Leading Practices in Faculty Recruitment
Friday, September 13, 10–11:30 am
This session will discuss effective practices relating to recruitment and retention of faculty members, with particular attention to recruiting and retaining diverse faculty.
Facilitators:
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Bharat Saini, Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Promotion Process
Friday, September 20, 10–11:30 am
This session will review the promotion process, as well as the chair/director’s role in reviewing and communicating readiness for promotion to faculty members.
Facilitators:
- Melissa Rotundo, Assistant Director, Academic Human Resources
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
The Faculty Appointments Committee (FAC)
Friday, November 1, 10 am–12 pm (Note: this is the same as the session that will 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 FAC in evaluating requests for new appointments and the Tableau data that inform the process.
Facilitators:
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
- Mubin Merchant, Director, Planning, Data & Analysis
Tenure Review—Completing the Process
Friday, November 8, 10–11:30 am
This session will focus on the latter half of the tenure review process. This includes convening the committees, documentation collection and dissemination, and compiling and submitting the completed tenure dossier to Academic HR.
Facilitators:
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
Supporting Teaching & Experiential Learning in Arts & Science
Friday, November 22, 10–11:30 am
This session will provide an overview of the services and resources provided by the Faculty of Arts & Science's Teaching & Learning and Experiential Learning & Outreach Support teams, including support for pedagogical innovation and experimentation, grant and fellowship applications, teaching awards, and experiential learning supports and initiatives.
Facilitators:
- Vicki Lowes, Executive Director, Experiential Learning & Professional Development
- Erin Macnab, Director, Academic Operations & Strategic Initiatives
- Colin McMahon, Associate Director, Experiential Learning
- Alexandra Logue, Assistant Director, Teaching & Learning Initiatives
Continuing Status Review (CSR)
Friday, December 6, 10–11:30 am
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
Winter/Spring 2025 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. All sessions will take place in person on Friday mornings in the Dean’s Conference Room, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 214.
Register for winter/spring sessions
The Faculty Appointments Committee (FAC)
Friday, January 17, 10 am –12 pm (Note: this is the same as the session that was 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 FAC in evaluating requests for new appointments and the Tableau data that inform the process.
Facilitators:
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
- Mubin Merchant, Director, Planning, Data & Analysis
Progress through the Ranks (PTR)
Friday, February 28, 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.
Facilitators:
- Mikael Swayze, Director, Academic Human Resources
- Tamara Trojanowska, Vice-Dean, Faculty & Academic Life
Interim, Probationary, and Part-Time Reviews
Friday, March 7, 10–11:30 am
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
Friday, March 28, 10–11:30 am
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:
- Stephen Wright, Vice-Dean, Research and Infrastructure
- Lisa Rumiel, Director of Research Services
Tenure Review — Initiating the Process
Friday, April 11, 10–11:30 am
This session will discuss the initial aspects of the tenure review process, focussing 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 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
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.
- Unconscious Bias Education Modules
- TIDE’s Recorded Talks, including the Inclusive Practices in Recruitment workshop