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Office of the Provost

Professional Development

The Office of the Provost offers various professional development opportunities for Academic Administrators to learn, grow, and advance Academic Affairs priorities. Please explore the following offerings. Registration is required for some events.

Academic Affairs Academy of Leadership

The Academic Affairs Academy is a professional development series for faculty and staff at Illinois State University. Its purpose is to provide participants with a broad understanding of higher education and ISU’s role within it, with an emphasis on how the Division of Academic Affairs advances teaching, research/creative scholarship, and student success in a rapidly evolving higher-education landscape.

The academy sessions will blend short presentations, interactive discussions, and small-group engagement. After completing the Academy, participants will be able to:

  • Articulate national and state trends affecting higher education
  • Illustrate how Academic Affairs functions as a system and supports Illinois State University’s mission
  • Describe the different sources of institutional funding and how fiscal resources can be aligned to strategic priorities
  • Identify  strategies to support student success, inclusive excellence, and academic innovation
  • Apply their expanded institutional knowledge to their current roles

Event Information

Dates: Fridays — Sept. 25 noon - 1 p.m.

Fridays 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. October 9, 16, 30 and November 6, 13

small-group online meetings during weeks of October 19 and November 16

Location: Degarmo 308

Applications are due by close of business on September 4, 2026.

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All faculty and staff interested in understanding the university more holistically, strengthening cross-campus collaboration, and developing leadership capacity will find the Academy especially valuable. As part of the Academy, participants will also identify an initiative they can champion to support their unit and the goals outlined in Excellence by Design. As part of the application, a brief description of this initiative (150-200 words) is required.

Interested faculty and staff should discuss this opportunity with their supervisor and secure approval from them prior to applying.

Participants are expected to attend all eight sessions and should plan for an hour per week outside of sessions for readings, developing initiatives, and asynchronous online interaction with fellow Academy participants. For those interested, a micro-credential will be available upon successful completion of the Academy.

Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch for the first sessions. Lunch will be provided for the final session.

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New Administrators Orientation

The New Administrators Orientation was held Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at the Alumni Center.

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Academic Affairs Summit

The Academic Affairs Summit was held on Wednesday, August 5 and Thursday, August 6, 2026 at the Alumni Center. Please plan for morning programming and optional afternoon sessions, which will be announced at a later date.

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Annual Professional Development Series

The Annual Professional Development Series sessions are held to advance work on strategic priorities presented at the 2026 symposium. Outlook invitations will be sent for these sessions.

New Administrator Series

Brown Bag Budget Discussions

Dr. Dan Elkins, Associate Vice President for Academic Fiscal Management, will host open discussion sessions for new administrators to encourage open communication around fiscal ideas, questions, and considerations. These sessions are intended to provide an informal opportunity for conversation and guidance rather than a formal presentation. This is a brown bag event; please bring your own lunch.

Events are 12-1 p.m. on the following days:

  • Tuesday, September 29, 2026: STV 401
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2026: STV 401
  • Tuesday, December 1, 2026: STV 401A
  • Tuesday, February 23, 2027: STV 401
  • Tuesday, March 23, 2027: STV 401
  • Tuesday, April 27, 2027: STV 401

 

Nametag Events for Academic Affairs Administrators

ASPT Revisions within the CBA Framework

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

2:30-4:00 p.m.

SCH 244

This session will provide updates on revisions to the University ASPT document and guidance on updating College and Department/School ASPT documents.  Emphasis will be on efforts to align these documents with the ISU/UFISU collective bargaining agreement and expectations typical of the discipline and R2 institutional norms.

Facilitated by Dr. Russ Morgan, Associate Vice President of Faculty Affairs

Graduate and International: Adapting to a Changing World

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

2:30-4:00 p.m. 

SCH 244

This interactive session will review the changes affecting graduate and international education and the steps we took during the past academic year to respond to them. Participants will then engage in a discussion about what each of us can do so that together we address current challenges and opportunities. The session’s goal is to develop a shared action plan for the academic year, with contributions and commitment from all stakeholders.

Facilitated by Dr. Claudia Petrescu, Associate Vice President for Graduate Education and Internationalization Initiatives

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Data Literacy Institute

ISU has long been a partner with APLU’s Powered by Publics (PxP), an initiative to address retention and graduation. As part of the PxP work, Illinois State has the opportunity to participate in the Data Literacy Institute (DLI) lead by the Association for Institutional Research.

A cohort of 20 individuals from across the institution, including faculty, advisors, administrators, student affairs, and other staff directly involved with student learning, development, or support will engage in a 2-semester learning experience where participants learn to collect, analyze, interpret, communicate, and make actionable data related to a group determined student success problem.

Teams of 4-5 will identify a student success issue and engage in facilitated workshops and hands-on work to understand the problem using data analysis and use data informed decision making. Sample problems from other PxP universities include: reducing student loan debt; impact of early alerts on high DFWI courses; success and retention of male students of color; and planned vs actual course load.

The Institute is comprised of 2 semesters, each 3 months in length. Every month offers a different section of DLI content and includes approximately 20 hours of work: 4 hours of webinars, 8 hours of virtual seminars, and 8 hours of independent/group work. Participants will begin by learning the basics of data and end with a full set of data literacy skills.

  1. Fall semester

    The first term runs from September through mid-December and includes three sections, each approximately one month long. The collaborative research project is kicked off at the start of the Institute and weaves throughout the curricula. The fall semester will involve topics such as: developing the question/problem, connecting questions to data, and analyzing the data.

  2. Spring semester

    The second term runs from February through mid-May and includes three sections, each approximately one month long. The term culminates with completion and presentation of the collaborative research project. This semester will involve topics such as: conveying the information to your audience, taking action, and closing the loop.

A full description of the curriculum can be found in the Data literacy Institute Program Guide.

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