The STEM Faculty Development Collaboratory (SFDC) at Clemson University was established in 2017 to provide transformative research and service in the holistic areas of teaching, research, service, and leadership. Faculty in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines face intensifying pressures in the 21st century. Faculty must deal with multiple roles as educator, researcher, and entrepreneur. They typically teach at both the undergraduate and graduate level. They write proposals and secure funding to support trainees at multiple levels. They mentor undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral scholars. They publish their research outcomes. They are expected to communicate their research to a broad array of audiences such as the scientific community, K-12 students and educators, and the general public. Societal needs include discovery, innovation, and workforce development. It is critical to provide STEM faculty with the professional development to support their complex roles and to base the development on evidence derived from focused research. Much focus has been on STEM faculty development in support of teaching and student-centered learning but a survey of the literature found less attention on the other aspects of the professoriate in the 21st century. The SFDC focuses on transformative research and service to advance holistic faculty development focused on the STEM disciplines.
NSF Proposal CAREER Workshop and Review Process -
Each spring, SFDC offers a workshop for faculty preparing a proposal for the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER).