NASPA Faculty Fellows

Faculty Fellows Mission and Expectations

Revised: March 2010

The NASPA Faculty Fellows group was established in 2002 to provide consultation and contributions to NASPA in the following areas:

• Direct policy input on such issues as quality assurance in student affairs, diversity, and graduate preparation;
• Promote scholarship as part of the professional responsibility for all faculty and practitioners; and
• Provide direction concerning NASPA research priorities and initiatives.

The Faculty Fellows group is comprised of 12 faculty members, each appointed to a 3-year term. Terms are staggered, with only four fellows being appointed each year. Of the four members appointed each year, one is a full professor, two are associate professors, and one is an affiliate/adjunct faculty member. If possible,one Fellow will be a Vice President of a Community College who also teaches in a preparation program.

Since this group was established the executive director of NASPA has stated that the Faculty Fellows will be the "voice" of faculty within NASPA, and issues of concern to faculty should be directed to the Fellows. The Faculty Fellows are distinct from other groups, such as knowledge communities. The Faculty Fellows have taken the initiative to assure that the annual conference is meaningful for faculty and that faculty have a professional home within NASPA. For example programs coordinated by FFs at the annual conference include: Faculty Forum, the doctoral seminar, faculty breakfast, and program sessions offered by Fellows on topics related to preparation programs, advancing research on critical questions for the field, teaching, faculty issues, philosophy of the profession, etc.

Expectations of Faculty Fellows:

• Participate fully in the Fellows meetings usually scheduled twice a year – a day long retreat on the Saturday or Sunday preceding the opening of national conference and/or a two day retreat in the summer known as the "summer summit."
• Commit to participating in strategic projects as a Faculty Fellow, i.e. developing a set of research questions for the profession, crafting reports that provide insight/analysis on topics of importance to the profession and/or NASPA, design curriculum for teaching workshops for adjunct faculty, etc. Projects selected will emerge from conversations among the Fellows, the Research Division and the NASPA office. 
• To become a lead person for one of the programs organized by the FF at the national conference. These include several annual programs as well as four interest session slots assigned to the Fellows. They are:
  • Doctoral Seminar
  • Faculty Forum
  • Emerging Scholars Research interest session
  • Student Affairs Research Questions that Matter interest session
  • Senior Faculty Research interest session
  • Other program sessions of interest to faculty on teaching, research, work/life balance, etc.
  • Contribute to discussions held at the convention and throughout the year regarding topics or issues being considered by the NASPA leadership such as, professional competencies, etc.
• Attend as many of the Faculty Fellow sponsored programs held during the annual convention as possible.
• Participate in the faculty breakfast sponsored by the NASPA President at the annual conference

Responsibilities of the Chair and Assistant Chair (Chair Elect) to be divided as they choose:

• Serve as liaison between NASPA and the Fellows.
• Coordinate the submission of the four annual programs allocated to the Fellows to be presented at the national conference.
• Take leadership in identifying strategic projects for the Fellows.
• Describe the Fellows program at official events during the national conference and in particular at the faculty breakfast.
• Coordinate and facilitate the Fellows annual meeting at the national conference.
• Monitor the Fellows terms of appointment and coordinate selection of new members.
• Serve as liaison to the Research Division.