Understanding Faculty Workload Equity and Identifying Strategies to Address It

Many faculty members may experience their workloads as unfair, which can lead to lower satisfaction, decreased productivity, longer time to promotion, and departure. At the same time, many academic leaders and departments often avoid tackling the issue of workload reform because they fear “opening a can of worms.” In this talk, Dawn Culpepper, PhD, will discuss why campuses should address workload now. She will provide an overview of an evidence-based process for how departments can put in place policies and practices shown to enhance fairness in the way workload is taken up, assigned, and rewarded. Dawn draws from extensive research and practical experience, including work on faculty workload funded by the National Science Foundation and consultations with colleges and universities across the country on their school and unit-level workload policies.

About the Speaker

Dawn Culpepper is the Director of the ADVANCE Program at the University of Maryland. In this role, she guides the strategic direction of ADVANCE, oversees its management and programs, and engages in translational research focused on faculty work environment and faculty development issues.