For New Faculty: Benefits and Resources for New Hires

Faculty members at the University of Washington enjoy a number of both personal and professional benefits. University employees are offered an excellent benefits package which includes medical and dental insurance, a retirement plan, a voluntary investment program, and tuition exemption for coursework. Effective January 1, 2001 same-sex domestic partners became eligible for medical/dental and life insurance coverage. Progressive policies are in place to assist faculty men and women who become parents or are needed to care for family members. Information on faculty policies regarding medical leave, family leave, tenure extension and support services is can be found at Academic Human Resources. For more information on any of the benefits offered by the University, search committees can direct candidates to the Benefits Office.

In addition to the personal benefits noted above, new faculty members enjoy a number of professional benefits at the University of Washington. World-class research and library facilities, access to technology and graduate student assistance, and numerous programs to help orient new faculty members are all factors that will influence a candidate’s decision to accept a position at the University. The brief summaries of benefits and programs below are designed to help search committees market the University of Washington to job candidates.

Resources for Research

The UW Office of Research – OR provides information about research policies and activities on campus. It promotes funds and monitors faculty research. Divisions include Grant and Contract Services, the Royalty Research Fund and Human Subjects.
Undergraduate Research Program (URP) – undergraduates at the University are encouraged to participate in research. Faculty can work with the program to identify opportunities for undergraduates and recruit students to participate in their research projects.
Faculty Grants Management Program – All new faculty are encouraged to participate in workshops offered through the Faculty Grants Management Program. Their general workshop reviews the grants management process, including writing grant proposals, policies and procedures, the faculty investigator's role and responsibility and services available to principal investigators.

Teaching Resources

University of Washington Teaching Academy – The Teaching Academy in the Office of Undergraduate Education is actually an assortment of programs available to UW faculty to improve instruction. In addition to the Faculty Fellows program for new faculty, the Teaching Academy sponsors the Provost's Workshops on Teaching and Learning, the UW Collegium and the Institute for Teaching Excellence (ITE). The Provost's Workshops on Teaching and Learning are one-day training events and are open to established UW faculty. During the summer quarter, faculty can apply to participate in the Institute for Teaching Excellence. The Institute takes place off campus and is a weeklong experience that allows faculty to work on improving their teaching and to engage in thoughtful discussions with colleagues across departments. The UW Collegium offers special programs and assistance to faculty who teach large classes.
Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR) – provides services to faculty members to help with the improvement and assessment of teaching and learning. They help faculty design courses, integrate active learning into their courses and assess their performance in the classroom. Tools used include microteaching, videotaping, and workshops.
Teaching at UW – A general teaching resource gateway. Of particular interest to faculty may be the instructional technology and media resources. See, for example, Catalyst, and Classroom Support Services (CSS).
Catalyst – The Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology provides resources for instructors who wish to use technology in their classes. Through the Catalyst Initiative, the Center offers innovative Web tools and a detailed web site with tips and guides for teaching with technology. The Center also offers a wide selection of workshops and one-to-one consulting. These services are free and available to all faculty and teaching assistants. (See for more information.)
Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT) – Specific to the College of Engineering, CELT, a national leader in engineering education research, supports the continuous improvement of the College of Engineering's educational programs and provides professional development for engineering faculty in the area of pedagogical innovation. CELT is unique because of the close relationship between its research agenda and its promotion of effective teaching methods. Center staff members partner with engineering faculty as well as faculty in other UW colleges to conduct this work.

Resources for New Faculty

Faculty Fellows Program – This program focuses on excellence and serves as a one-week orientation program for new faculty members. Senior faculty members with distinguished teaching records serve as instructors and lead the orientation. Participants give brief, videotaped presentations, followed by supportive critiques by colleagues and senior faculty. Each cohort participates in social events and continues to meet throughout the academic year to discuss issues related to all aspects of academic life and to maintain collegiality.
Faculty Senate - The UW Faculty Senate is a crucial part of the University’s governance system. Issues as varied as salaries, faculty hiring policies and dispute resolution all fall within the purview of the Senate. In addition to the Faculty Handbook, the Senate has developed an online publication to introduce new faculty members to the issues of particular interest to faculty and to provide brief summaries of the policies, procedures, rules, and regulations in the Faculty Code.
Royalty Research Fund – Through the RRF, the Office of Research supports UW faculty seeking to establish new research programs. Two times each year, a portion of the license and royalty fees received from UW-developed intellectual property is distributed through competitive grant awards from the Royalty Research Fund (RRF). Proposal deadlines are the last Monday in September and the first Monday in March. New faculty often use RRF funds to obtain preliminary results for future grants proposals.
Faculty Advancement – The Office of Faculty Advancement supports faculty research through the Diversity Research Institute (DRI). By working closely with departments and research centers on campus, the DRI aims to develop a community of scholars whose research focuses on diversity, social justice, and institutional transformation. The DRI hosts an annual conference, an invited lecture series and other related events.

Work/Life Resources

Dual Career Partners – The number of dual career partners has increased nationally. The University of Washington is committed to providing job assistance services to the partners of new employees who also seek faculty or professional positions in the Puget Sound area. Although the University does not guarantee employment for partners, every attempt is made to assist with placement. The Provost’s office also maintains a list of academic human resources contacts at other colleges and universities in the region. A brochure on resources for dual career couples is included in the section on Miscellaneous Resources. Also, the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change has developed a list of recommendations for facilitating Dual Career Hires.
Work/Life Resource Center – The University’s Work/Life Resource Center provides consultation and referral to a variety of community and campus resources. All faculty, staff and students are eligible to access services as needed to balance their work and family responsibilities. The Work/Life Resource Center provides information and material about childcare, elder care, flexible work options and other issues that impact individuals at any stage of their life cycle. A brochure is available on the Work/Life Office website.
Hometown Home Loan Program for UW Employees – The Hometown Home Loan program was initiated at the University of Washington in February 1999. Its program of guaranteed reduced fees on mortgages is available to permanent UW employees buying or refinancing anywhere in the Puget Sound region. Depending on location and household characteristics, additional programs of down payment assistance and interest rate reductions are also available.
ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change – The UW ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change (CIC) focuses on implementation of programs designed to eliminate existing barriers and to precipitate cultural change at both the departmental and institutional levels. ADVANCE resources include information on promotion and tenure, mentoring, career development, dual careers, family leave and tenure clock extension, faculty retention, faculty recruitment, and a number of other issues pertinent to advancing faculty, in particular women faculty in science and engineering.