Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence
Mission and Vision
In winter of 2018 Provost Lori Bruce conceptualized a new center to support and encourage overall faculty professional role development. Much like the teaching and learning support services that were already in place through the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) since 2016, this center would broaden faculty professional development opportunities beyond teaching and learning. Those expanded areas of professional development would connect faculty with existing and new opportunities in Research and Scholarly Activities, Career Support, and Leadership Development through a centralized space. The Provost’s concept coincided with the Tech Tomorrow Strategic Plan efforts, and following collaboration and analysis across all four Tech Tomorrow Strategic Plan Working Groups, the CAFÉ emerged beyond concept to reality in spring/summer 2019. In fall 2019 two separate tasks forces examined the CAFÉ structure further in context of other strategic planning priorities, and the position of Associate Provost for Online Education and Faculty Excellence was created with the Associate Provost to serve as Director of CAFÉ.
The vision of the CAFÉ is to provide a centralized gateway for faculty to connect with professional development opportunities that advance excellence in the faculty role and further advance the vision and mission of Tennessee Tech University.
The mission of the CAFÉ is to:
- Identify faculty professional development needs across the faculty career spectrum
- Connect instructional and non-instructional initiatives to expand opportunities in faculty professional role development
- Support faculty development needs in the areas of teaching and learning, research and scholarly activities, career and leadership development, engagement, and diversity
- Recognize and promote faculty excellence
- Create a network of faculty scholars
