Fitting in at the University can sometimes be a challenging undertaking.
Whether it is standing in line at Observatory Hill dining hall or teaching history in front of a 100-person class, student and faculty newcomers alike can easily feel lost in the crowd.
The University's Excellence in Diversity Fellowship Program, which establishes connections between first-year faculty and various members of the University community, has nearly doubled in size this year, according to program founder Jose D. Fuentes.
In the program's second year, the number of first-year faculty fellows has increased from eight to 14. Fellows hail from many of the University's undergraduate and graduate schools.
The fellowship gives participants the opportunity to apply for up to $1,000 in funding in professional development areas, hosts workshops and seminars, sets up connections with senior faculty consultants and increases dialogue with University administrators.
Fuentes said the program serves to cultivate a sense of belonging in the University community among junior faculty members.
"It is our hope, our intent, that they will choose to remain in the University and develop their professional careers here," Fuentes said.
Marva Barnett, a member of the fellowship's steering community, said the goal of the program was to retain a diverse faulty and "build a better intellectual community" in addition to retaining faculty.
"We hire the best and brightest," she said. "Other universities try to poach them away -- and sometimes they do. We think that people who feel more connected to the broader University community, who know other junior faculty, are more likely to stay and be successful."
Program coordinator Dorothe Bach said application to the fellowship program is offered to all first and second-year tenure-track faculty hires.
"This year we had 60 incoming faculty and 28 applications," she said. "We take in a variety of criteria [in selecting fellows]. We want a diversity of backgrounds and differences."
History Prof. Katherine Lebow, one of last year's fellows, said the program helped acclimate her to the University.
"It was really helpful in a variety of ways," Lebow said. "It introduced me to a peer group of new faculty outside of my department. We were able to share experiences. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between departments. It gave insight into what is peculiar and specific in career paths and promotion."
Lebow added that the program provided a unique venue to speak with high-level University administrators in a small group -- uncommon for first-year faculty members. Lebow said she was able to discuss tenure and promotion issues with the administrators.
"It gave me the sense that the administration was genuinely interested in our concerns," she said. "I think the way the program was structured forced me to think more consciously about how to succeed, be happy at U.Va., and set my priorities."
According to Fuentes, the fellowship program is funded by the deans' offices of various University schools.
Read More
Two measles cases confirmed in Charlottesville this spring
By Nicolas Biernacki | 6 hours agoVirginia’s first case was confirmed in April, with the patient being a child under the age of 5 and from the Northern part of the state.
Summer construction on Grounds disrupts traffic, foot pathways
By Ford McCracken | 13 hours agoOne of the two largest disruptions to traffic is at the three-way intersection of McCormick Road, Rugby Road and University Avenue.
What is U.Va.’s Faculty Senate?
By Adeline Miller | 4 days agoThe Senate is able to represent the faculty perspective to legislative bodies through positions such as the faculty representative to the Board of Visitors.
