09.10.2025

FACULTY.UIC.EDU

OVPFA

Welcome to the latest edition of our Faculty Affairs newsletter! As we begin a new academic year, I invite you to explore this issue for important updates, new resources, and opportunities designed to support your success at UIC.

Inside, you’ll find:

I encourage you to read through the newsletter and take advantage of the many resources, programs, and celebrations that help make our campus community vibrant and supportive. Thank you for your dedication and for all that you contribute to UIC.

With best wishes for a successful year ahead,

Mike Stieff
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

We’re excited to announce the release of the new Faculty Mentoring Guidebook, a comprehensive resource designed to support the development, enhancement, and sustainability of mentoring programs across UIC’s colleges and departments. This guidebook offers practical tools, proven frameworks, and actionable guidance to help faculty mentors foster a culture where mentoring is visible, valued, and impactful.

In addition to the guidebook, don’t forget to explore our Administrator Toolkits available on the Faculty Affairs website. These toolkits provide essential guidance on:

Together, these resources empower academic leaders and mentors to strengthen faculty development and success across UIC.

This fall, we are delighted to welcome 160 new faculty members and 16 new academic administrators into their roles across UIC’s colleges and units. At New Faculty Orientation, our newest colleagues connected with one another, explored campus resources, and began building a sense of community as they embark on their UIC journey. 

Their energy, expertise, and fresh perspectives will strengthen our shared mission of providing the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research, and clinical excellence.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our new colleagues across all colleges. We look forward to the many contributions they will bring to our campus community.

Save the date: Next year’s New Faculty Orientation will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

We are happy to announce the 2025-2026 cohort for the Faculty Administrator Leadership Program! 

FALP is designed to prepare rising faculty leaders for future academic administrative roles by deepening their understanding of leadership, organizational dynamics, and the unique context of a Research 1, urban, public university. Over the course of the year, participants will:

Now in its second revitalized year, FALP continues to build a strong network of faculty leaders committed to advancing UIC’s mission. As one past participant shared:

“FALP gave me the confidence, tools, and connections to step into leadership with purpose. I now approach every challenge with a clearer vision and a stronger network of support.”

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming this outstanding new cohort!

Join us in celebrating the exceptional achievements of UIC faculty at the Faculty Awards Ceremony & Reception! We will honor recipients of:

Each year, we recognize outstanding faculty achievements at the Faculty Awards Ceremony & Reception. To ensure we highlight the accomplishments of as many faculty members as possible, we are accepting submissions of prestigious and highly prestigious external awards on a rolling basis through the External Awards Submission Form.

The Call for Applications for this year’s Teaching Recognition Program (TRP) award was communicated to faculty in August. Offered through the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the TRP offers a one time $1,500 

increase to the annual base salary of faculty who have documented their teaching excellence over the past three academic years.

All tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty with a demonstrated long-term commitment to teaching at UIC are eligible to apply!

Application deadline: Friday, October 10, 2025

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievements of faculty as we celebrate promotion and tenure milestones across UIC. Details have been sent directly to all honorees via email. We look forward to honoring their accomplishments and contributions to our academic community.

The OVPFA Faculty Reviews team is ready for the start of review cycles this academic year and is working on making processes more efficient and aligning our services to provide better support.

As the academic year begins, new and continuing faculty alike may have questions about their employment and the benefits available to them. Below are a few of the common inquiries our office receives.

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE) is excited to share CATE in the Colleges, an initiative that strengthens our partnerships with academic units across UIC. Through this program, CATE team members serve as dedicated points of contact for each college, helping faculty connect with tailored support for teaching and learning.

Faculty can reach out to their CATE representative for many reasons: to explore evidence-based teaching strategies, receive feedback on course design, collaborate on inclusive teaching practices, or identify professional development opportunities.

College leaders are also encouraged to connect with their CATE representative. Whether it’s partnering on large-scale teaching initiatives, developing strategies for faculty engagement, or using data to inform decisions about instructional priorities, CATE partners provide resources and expertise to help align college-level goals with student success.

Learn more about the program and find your college’s CATE team member at CATE in the Colleges.

The Instructional Design & Media Production Studio is carrying forward its mission by collaborating with faculty to create meaningful content and learning journeys. Recently, we partnered with faculty and Extended Campus to launch 14 new online, 

asynchronous courses as part of UIC’s Online Initiative. Past faculty partners are also applying for our inaugural “Innovation in Online Course Design” award, to be awarded in Spring 2026. Looking ahead, we’re excited for the Teach in 10 Series — short, practical workshops on topics like rubric design, supporting executive functioning, and storytelling to boost student engagement. We’d love for you to join us — visit the Studio website to learn more, register, or connect with our team for a consultation.

UIC offers free access to a variety of tools and platforms designed to support your success in teaching, research, and career development:

UIC Student Affairs is excited to announce the fourth year of the Faculty Research Fellows Program.  Faculty can apply for up to $25,000 to conduct a research project that has implications for UIC Student Affairs through a year-long fellowship. The expected outcome

of the program is for Fellows to identify ways to improve the programs, initiatives, and policies of Student Affairs and assist in the implementation to facilitate change based on research findings. The use of funds is fairly flexible and access to Student Affairs data is possible.