OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi‘s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement has named its inaugural cohort of recipients of the Faculty Development Grant.
The grants were created following a needs and opportunities assessment in fall 2021, per the strategic priorities outlined in the Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. They were developed to provide support for tenure-track faculty to aid in the tenure process.
Seven tenure-track faculty members from a range of academic departments across campus have been funded a total of $10,000 combined to pursue a development opportunity to help further support their activities related to service, professional development, presentation of research and scholarly work, and teaching.
“Supporting professional development opportunities is a strategic approach to aid the tenure process as well as faculty retention,” said Yashwant Prakash Vyas, director of diversity education and strategic initiatives. “The strategic priority to expand diversity awards and incentives afforded us the opportunity to act on the need and create the Faculty Development Grant.
“We are ecstatic about how well this new initiative has been received and look forward to expanding it.”
The inaugural recipients are:
- Corbit Franks, assistant professor and clinical education coordinator of the athletic training program in the School of Applied Sciences, to attend the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s 73rd NATA Clinical Symposia and AT Expo
- Amir Mehrara Molan, assistant professor of civil engineering, to complete Transportation Equity Certification Modules
- Hyejin Park, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, to attend the Clinical Aphasiology Conference
- Heather Landry Shirley, assistant professor and director of the athletic training program in the School of Applied Sciences, to attend the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s 73rd NATA Clinical Symposia and AT Expo
- Ana Velitchkova, assistant professor of sociology and international studies, to attend the Global Crises: Responses and Recoveries conference, organized by the Interdisciplinary Studies Section of the International Studies Association
- Byron S. Villacorta, assistant professor of chemical engineering, to complete the Advancing a New Engineering Faculty Member training via the American Society of Engineering Education DELTA New Faculty Institute
- Nadeeja Wijayatunga, assistant professor of nutrition and hospitality management, to attend a workshop for dietary data analysis using the Nutrition Data System for Research
Visit the Faculty Development Grant webpage for more detailed information on this year’s grant recipients.