Family Medicine Prof. Dr. Susan Pollart has been appointed the senior associate dean for faculty affairs and faculty development.
Medicine School Dean Dr. Nancy Dunlap, Provost John D. Simon and Dr. Sharon Hostler, vice provost of faculty development, made the appointment.
“We picked her out of an academic and leadership group,” Holster said.
Pollart worked within the office of faculty development prior to her appointment, and expressed admiration for Holster’s work in the position from 2003-07.
“[She] showed great leadership for many years and carried out great work in harvesting leadership out of faculty,” Pollart said. “The overall goal in this position is meeting needs of all faculty in a professionally holistic approach.”
The office of faculty affairs and faculty development works to support faculty in their personal and professional lives by facilitating professional skill development, promoting faculty engagement and vitality, and assisting with preparation for academic advancement.
“[Dr. Pollart] has done an absolutely great job in the past from what I’ve heard from faculty and from myself,” Faculty Senate President Chris Holstege said.
Holstege said there are things that can be improved through faculty training and the tenure process, such as “mentorships and advising students and junior faculty.”
“Faculty development is so beneficial right now since [the Medical School] is seeing a decrease in funding for teaching and patient care,” Holstege said. “[Pollart has] been around for a long time — [she is] a completely experienced person.”
According to Pollart, one of the many challenges of faculty development is maintaining the size of faculty, which is around 1,000 members for the Medicine School alone.
“The few new hires we receive every year are filling the positions of those who’ve either retired or have been recruited to other places,” Pollart said.
Faculty development in recent years has focused on increasing engagement with students. A change in the Medicine School’s curriculum in 2010 required a change in teaching methods.
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