Faculty Fellows Program brings together educators and administrators
For nearly a decade, the VCU initiative has been expanding perspectives and creating career opportunities.
Like many professors, Tim L. Davey, Ph.D., was focused squarely on teaching and research. When he was a junior faculty member in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Social Work, he served on the occasional universitywide committee, but his classroom was his primary home.
As his leadership roles grew, including serving as the school’s director of field instruction, associate dean for research and community engagement, and eventually interim dean, Davey broadened his perspective. Now serving in VCU’s Office of the Provost as vice provost for faculty recruitment, he has been merging academia and administration through the Faculty Fellows Program, which he established in 2018.
“I wanted to give other people the chance to get exposure to central administration,” Davey said. “I thought I would always be a professor. I didn’t know that I could have a career in administration. So I wanted to provide an opportunity for other colleagues to peek behind the curtain and be involved in universitywide initiatives and projects.”
Now in its ninth year, the Faculty Fellows Program allows participants to work part-time in the Office of the Provost while maintaining a teaching course load – so they can experience complementary sides of the higher education coin. Fellows gain administrative experience, which could introduce a career option outside the classroom, and they share their faculty perspectives directly with VCU leadership, helping to create and implement initiatives.
“Faculty expertise is needed in so many instances of administration,” Davey said. “It’s a win-win. When I was in social work, all I really knew was social work. But when I moved over into the provost office, and when fellows join, they get a better understanding as to how the university as a whole functions.”
The Faculty Fellows Program has produced more than 35 fellows, with many choosing to pursue careers in higher education administration. One of Davey’s recent fellows now works in a high-level administrative position at the Ohio State University.
Participants embrace how the program broadens their lens into higher education.
“I’ve come to see how the landscape can sometimes change beneath you and how important it is, when that happens, to see that setbacks can present you with opportunities,” said current faculty fellow Andrew Marx, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Focused Inquiry. “I think I’ve become more open to change and more prepared to make a better case for change elsewhere. Beyond that, it feels like my ability to collaborate with colleagues outside of standard committee settings has vastly improved.”
Marx added that serving as a fellow has raised his appreciation for engaging with worthwhile projects – and that he’s not alone.
“One other interesting thing about this experience has been seeing how administration at this level involves so many stakeholders,” he said. “That has opened opportunities to meet new people in different offices and programs here and learn a great deal about the many contributors to VCU’s mission.”
This story was originally published on VCU News.
Categories Faculty Affairs