California State University, Sacramento
	Faculty Senate
	Faculty Professional Development Policy

California State University, Sacramento
FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2001

(this policy was originally submitted to the Faculty Senate in May, 1999)

FACULTY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY

Faculty professional development is central to the vision of California State University, Sacramento. The vision expressed in the CSUS Strategic Plan is a "learning community where teaching and learning infuse and motivate all that we do."

To sustain a vibrant, nurturing learning community, faculty must be provided opportunities to continually hone their skills as teachers and scholars. Faculty professional development enables faculty to maintain the currency and vitality necessary to teach effectively in a rapidly changing society. It insures an active community of teacher/scholars providing formal and informal mutual support and critique and it encourages faculty to expand their areas of scholarly interest and to share their experiences with colleagues and students.

CSUS values pluralism and seeks to develop a campus community in which diversity enriches the lives of all. Faculty professional development provides opportunities for faculty to learn more about the varieties of pedagogical strategies, teaching and learning styles, and delivery methods to enhance the learning outcomes of an increasingly diverse post-secondary student population. Faculty professional development encourages faculty at all stages of their careers to collaborate and learn from each other in support of teaching and scholarship. It addresses the needs of new faculty by establishing a collegial atmosphere in which new faculty can further develop teaching skills and expand teaching repertoires, learn about institutional expectations and resources, and reduce the stress from the multiple demands of teaching, research, and service (Austin and Sorcinelli 1992, pp. 97-98 as cited in Taking Teaching Seriously, p. 111).

Faculty professional development provides for the systematic intellectual enrichment and renewal of faculty to support the CSUS Strategic Plan goals of superior accomplishments in teaching and learning, high quality academic programs, and a community whose excellence in teaching and learning is strengthened by scholarly activities.

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