University Renews Free NCFDD Membership to Faculty, Students and Staff

Hundreds have already joined organization that supports academics' careers

OXFORD, Miss. – The Office of the Provost and Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Mississippi have renewed an institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

All faculty, graduate students, post-doctoral students and staff can join the nearly 480 UM employees and students who are already members of NCFDD. The free membership provides access to a variety of services and programs designed to help those in academia thrive by increasing their research and writing productivity, creating networks of support on campus and across institutions nationwide, and developing a stronger sense of work-life balance.

“Being a part of NCFDD has been invaluable to our commitment of retaining students, faculty and staff and supplying them the professional development resources, education and outlets they need,” said Katrina Caldwell, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement. “I am encouraged that so many community members have utilized the NCFDD program and I look forward to how our campus can benefit from it further.”

In April 2018, UM became the first institution of higher education in Mississippi to join more than 100 other academic U.S. institutions, such as Johns Hopkins and Princeton universities, that have become institutional members of the NCFDD.

In the past 10 months, 151 graduate students, 206 faculty and 121 staff members at UM have obtained an NCFDD membership. These members have attended 1,084 NCFDD sessions and registered for 34 14-day writing challenges.

Kirsten Dellinger, associate dean for diversity and inclusion in the College of Liberal Arts, is among those who have taken advantage of the NCFDD membership. She said she was thrilled to hear that UM had renewed its institutional membership and she encourages others at the university to become familiar with the resources offered by the program and to consider joining.

“This makes the University of Mississippi competitive among our peer and aspirational institutions and demonstrates our tangible support for academic research and the people who do it,” said Dellinger, who is also a professor of sociology. “I would encourage departments to use this as a recruitment tool. I have been actively exploring and using the resources this membership offers and hope that many others will give them a try.”

NCFDD provides a variety of resources that are especially valuable to anyone at the university who has to write and publish to succeed in their career, she said.

“There are webinars that focus on making a semester writing plan, resources for holding you accountable to your writing goals and providing support, and expert webinars that provide insight and strategies in relation to a range of topics, including effective networking, engaging in healthy conflict, balancing administrative and faculty roles, and negotiating high service demands – to just name a few,” Dellinger said.

“All of the resources acknowledge the need for high productivity and work-life balance. No matter what role you are in, you’ll find valuable information and best practices here.”

By becoming an institutional member, all Ole Miss faculty, postdocs, graduate students and staff have access to the following member resources at no additional cost:

Those services proved to be extremely helpful for Shennette M. Garrett-Scott, assistant professor of history and African American studies, in everything from creating syllabi for students to helping her become more effective in class and lectures.

“When I find myself getting away from a consistent writing routine, or I see that my time is not aligned with my priorities or I begin to feel a little bit like an imposter, I can always turn to tips and strategies I learned through NCFDD to get myself back on track,” she said. “NCFDD has helped me be a better professor for students and a better team player for my colleagues while achieving the personal goals that matter most to me.”

To take advantage of this opportunity, activate your confidential, personal membership by completing the following steps:

  1. Go to http://www.FacultyDiversity.org/Join
  2. Choose “University of Mississippi” from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select “Activate My Membership”
  4. Complete the registration form using your institutional email address (i.e. @olemiss.edu)
  5. Go to your email to find a confirmation email. Click “Activate Account” in the confirmation email.

If you have any questions or comments, contact Tanya Nichols, project manager for the division of diversity and community engagement, at tmnicho2@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2933. If you have any technical questions, email NCFDD at Membership@FacultyDiversity.org.