This summer's New Faculty workshop was held at Hope College in Downtown Holland, Mi and Marigold Lodge (http://www.michmarkers.com/Pages/S0556.htm) on the shore of Lake Macatawa, near beautiful Lake Michigan. Jeanne Narum of Project Kaleidoscope and the Independent Colleges Office and Karen Nordell Pearson the Consortium's director were the facilitators.
Each summer the Consortium hosts the New Faculty workshop for new hires, faculty who have completed their first or second years of new appointment (term or tenure track) and postdocs interested in teaching at a liberal arts college or university.
Participants were housed in Cook Hall which is the newest dorm on campus and fortunately for you the only one with air conditioning. The workshop will began on Friday evening with dinner at the Haworth Inn, connected to Cook Hall. Saturday participants were driven a short distance to the conference center at Marigold lodge with a cook out on Saturday night. Sunday's sessions were in the A. Paul Schaap Science Center on Hope's campus, concluding at noon with evaluations and box lunches.
The weekend provided the participants from all 14 member campuses numerous opportunites for large and small group discussions as well as some time for personal reflection. One of the goals of the weekend for each participant is to take with them a personal action plan complete with goals, strategies and actions for the next 2-3 years. Other sessions included discussions of topics such as active learning, case studies of situations facing new faculty, writing research proposals, finding a mentor, setting realistic goals and balancing work and life.
All the costs of the participants were covered by the Consortium. Once you register online, you will be sent an email with more details about making travel arrangments and travel reimbursements etc.
Participants are asked to complete a pre-workshop assignment described in the file below.