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UB Establishes 'Balance That Works' for Faculty Careers
UB's "Balance That Works" program is designed to attract and retain excellent faculty, and is supported by a Sloan Foundation grant.
Note: A version of this article will be published in the American Council on Education's March newsletter covering the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Faculty Career Flexibility. In 2008, the University of Baltimore received a grant from the Sloan Foundation to establish a career flexibility program for its educators; it has since established the "Balance That Works" program through the Office of the Provost. In addition, UB President Robert L. Bogomolny will be part of a panel discussion, "Retaining Quality Faculty in Difficult Economic Times" at the upcoming ACE conference, "Meeting the Challenges Together," in Phoenix, Ariz. Details of the panel are here.
Excellent faculty are critical to an institution's reputation, competitiveness, innovation and ability to engender a positive learning environment for students. Being an institution of choice for faculty is key to attracting the best educators. Naturally, they ask tough questions as they start or grow their career: Will this institution be supportive of my career interests? Will it meet the salary needs of my family? Important questions, to be sure, but perhaps the most critical one is this: Is this a great place to work?
At the University of Baltimore, a 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Faculty Career Flexibility is being used to ensure that the answer is an unequivocal yes. Faculty-led workgroups are taking on three key issues—attracting and transitioning excellent hires; work/life balance; and engaged/phased retirement—while both the faculty and administration are determined to make self-governance an integral part of the process. These human capital initiatives, collectively known as “Balance That Works,” are framed by the knowledge that an inclusive process improves the institution's chances of success because the process itself serves as the standard.
An example of this outlook can be found in a new phased retirement system, which promotes continued intellectual contributions from UB's veteran faculty and the establishment of consistent and creative retirement packages across all of the university's schools. The retirement Web site, created specifically in response to retiree and senior faculty's needs, is an example of the kind of tools that can be designed as a result of faculty and administrator partnerships. This Web page may be used by others as a model.
Similarly, at the beginning of the career continuum, a series of solutions will be used to attract good faculty and retain them once they are on campus: acclimation programs, a robust faculty orientation and immediate on-campus faculty networking through a new social media system.
New faculty and mid-career faculty have been actively debating the needs and details of the newly drafted "tenure clock stop policy." Expected to be promoted as a model for the entire University System of Maryland, it allows tenure-track faculty more flexibility in balancing their personal and professional development and obligations while still realizing their career goals. Work-life initiatives such as the establishment of a more comprehensive Employee Assistance program adds support for professors as they manage issues related to children, elder care and their own health.
Across the board, UB faculty members have been actively involved in the development of the "Balance That Works" toolkit.
"We developed and administered a survey to assess faculty attitudes regarding their experience at the University of Baltimore, both where we have succeeded in attracting and retaining, and where we need to improve," said Heather Wyatt-Nichol, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs. "Participating in this project provided valuable insight into perceptions among colleagues regarding their overall satisfaction and commitment, quality of interactions with others, and support by the University. It made me feel welcome as a new employee and demonstrated that the university is committed to improving our quality of life."
Nearly as soon as he arrived at UB as provost in July 2009, Joseph S. Wood saw this ongoing work as an essential part of his to-do list. He and his staff urged all of UB's faculty to consider how to reshape the way that teaching works at UB and how the institution is organized to support learning and faculty development.
"In the blink of an eye—not even two years—UB's scholarly community has learned a lifetime's worth of lessons about how faculty governance can build new employment policies," Wood said. "The support of President Bogomolny was essential to the effort, as were the schools' deans and of course the Sloan award. But I believe we have been successful because we made sure that our faculty members themselves were at the table as we established each and every one of these initiatives. It's been a real collaboration, and I think it's helped the University evolve and mature in a very positive way."
Indeed, UB's three areas of focus have all been modeled and integrated into the institution's DNA. This Web page outlines the relevant issues and solutions, and provides extensive resources for educators searching for insights.
Most importantly, UB's primary issue—a large cohort of faculty nearing retirement age, coupled with a large group of prospective and new hires with questions about competitive packages and acclimation strategies, respectively—has been addressed through "Balance That Works."
But in terms of delivering value, Wood says, "The process of developing these tools with and for each other is nearly the equal of the great outcomes. Our faculty members learned so much about managerial needs and the importance of staying flexible but determined in developing policies. We're now able to say that, yes, UB is a great place to work."
Labels like that have a way of catching on. Pretty soon, professors are saying it to each other, to their students and to colleagues in other schools. Economic uncertainty is supplanted by the confidence of knowing that the institution maintains an appropriate balance of work and family, along with a respect for scholarship and collegiality and recognition of the essential human endeavor that is university teaching.