Dwayne White, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Education, was one of four UAB faculty selected for grant support from the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to take part in the Faculty Success Program. Applications for 2023 funding are open now.Like most of us, Dwayne White, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Human Studies in the School of Education, often felt as if he never had enough time. He needed time to work on lesson plans for the courses he teaches in counselor education, time to work on his research on wellness in the LGBTQ+ community, time to connect with colleagues at his new institution (he joined UAB in 2021), and time for exercise and life in general.
An interest in time management was a major reason White applied for a grant from the UAB Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to participate in the Summer 2022 Faculty Success Program hosted by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, or NCFDD.
“As a junior faculty member, adjusting to a new role and a new city, trying to find that work-life balance and increase my research productivity, I was looking for tools that could help,” White said.
Three manuscripts
That participation paid off. “I had three manuscripts that I have been working on and ended up completing all three and submitting them for publication,” White said. The opportunity to connect with colleagues in similar fields at institutions across the United States also was meaningful, he said. “It provided a non-judgmental space to take the mask off. As a Black male at a predominantly white institution, to hear about others’ experiences and ways they have navigated, and to be able to feel validated in my experiences from others, was a real benefit.”
The 12-week Faculty Success Program is open to faculty of all ranks who are interested in developing the skills necessary to thrive in the academy, according to the NCFDD site. The program focuses on empirically tested methods to improve research productivity through intense accountability, coaching and peer support. In addition to White, participants selected for grant support from the UAB Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to attend the 2022 program were:
- Samar Ashour, Ph.D., assistant professor in Accounting and Finance in the Collat School of Business;
- Benjamin L. Galatzan, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor in Family, Community and Health Systems in the School of Nursing; and
- Ana Lucia Oliveira, DrPH, assistant professor in the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Services in the School of Health Professions.
Three takeaway tools
So which time-management tools did White find most helpful? He offered three highlights:
Hold weekly planning meetings. “That was one thing we consistently talked about,” White said. “For me, that is Sunday. I plug in all my work-related responsibilities, along with things that give me joy, including exercise, drawing and reading.”
Set a protected time to move ahead. “We identified a standing time, 30 minutes a day, to focus on our scholarship,” White said. “Being intentional about investing that time was crucial to completing the manuscripts I had been working on.”
Work when you are at your best. “We were encouraged to be aware of the times of day when we do our best work,” White said. “For me, that is typically in the mornings. I get things done in the early morning, and I take this into account in my schedule.”
How could you benefit?
More than 475 faculty, postdocs and graduate students at UAB have benefited from UAB’s institutional membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, according to the UAB Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
UAB’s membership includes access to the NCFDD’s Core Curriculum webinars; interactive, online Guest Expert webinars; multi-week courses on preparing tenure and promotion materials and manuscript revision; and 14-day writing challenges. Access NCFDD courses, webinars and other resources at uab.edu/dei/about/faculty-resources.
