To assist faculty in improving performance in teaching, scholarly activity, and service, Nicholls State University, through the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, provides a range of faculty development programs that may include the following: academic advising; provisions for travel; teaching improvement activities; alternate work from teaching; assistance in proposing and conducting unpaid research; support for publication, consulting, or grant activities; computer access; and other such institutional support as may be expected to enhance faculty development.

Faculty Development at the University Level

At the University level, Nicholls' commitment to faculty development is evident through the Faculty Development Institute, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Faculty Development Plans, Academic Advising Center, and the University's sabbatical leave program, as reflected in Section 2.8 of the University's Policy and Procedure Manual [1].

2.8 Faculty Development

Faculty Development Institute

As part of the University Professional Development Program, two days are set aside each academic year for a Faculty Development Institute, one in the fall and one in the spring, for the specific purpose of assisting faculty in increasing knowledge and skills in teaching and research (see programs for 2002 [2A], 2003 [2B], 2004 [2C], 2005 [2D]). In addition, some sessions allow faculty to provide professional development programs for other faculty across campus, promoting a "trainer of trainers" model. Faculty complete Institute evaluation forms which the Advisory Committee then reviews (see evaluation results for 2002 [3A], 2003 [3B], 2004 [3C], 2005 [3D]). Recommendations for changes and topics for future programs are considered for Institutes. For example, interactive break out sessions were added to the Fall 2005 Institute as a result of faculty comments on Spring 2005 evaluations.

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) works with faculty, staff, and students to promote externally funded research, instruction, public service, academic and institutional support, and scholarship/fellowship projects at Nicholls State University [4].

ORSP is a central source of information on major government agencies, foundations, and corporations that support research and scholarship. A wide range of services to faculty, administration, staff, and students are available, including the following:

•	Identification of potential external funding sources;
•	Assistance in development of proposal narratives, project budgets, and in preparation of standardized application forms;
•	Assistance in the electronic submission of projects;
•	Assistance in compliance with federal and state regulations and University policies and procedures;
•	Assistance in the completion of internal requirements for proposal submission, including coordination of review of research protocols involving human participants and animal subjects;
•	Review and approval of proposals for submission to sponsors;
•	Negotiation of grant awards and contracts; and
•	Coordination of activities with the Grants Accounting section of the Controller's Office as required.

Several faculty and staff development offerings are available during the year. Additional information may be found on the ORSP Web site.

The following table reflects the total number of proposals submitted, funded, and not funded during the 2003-2004 fiscal year.

Table 1: Number of Proposals Submitted, 2003-2004, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Also tracked is the total external award amount. That figure for 2002-2003 was $6,396,171, and for 2003-2004, it was $6,998,000.

The following table encapsulates the numbers and dollar amounts of competitive grants, contracts, and scholarly fellowships secured by Nicholls' faculty members.

Table 2: External Funding, First Time Submissions 2003-2004 Fiscal Year (Most Recent Year)

*Note: This figure reflects first-time submissions for the fiscal year 2003-2004, not total funding for the fiscal year. Total funding for fiscal year 2003-2004 was $6,998,000, which reflects those amounts funded from grants submitted in previous years.

Faculty Development Plans

In consideration of individual faculty members' priorities for professional growth and development, the University's Policy and Procedure Manual, Section 2.8.1, states that "all academic faculty shall prepare and submit to the Department Head annual development plans that specify personal priorities in teaching or librarianship, scholarly activity, and service, as well as personal plans for promotion, tenure, and participation in faculty development programs" [5].

An individual Faculty Development Plan is fundamental to a faculty member's professional growth and successful performance in teaching, scholarly activity, and service. Plans specify the following:

•	Personal and professional plans and priorities related to faculty responsibilities in teaching, scholarly activity, and service;
•	Strategies and activities designed to meet priorities, including proposed courses to teach, plans for scholarly activities and service activities;
•	Institutional resources needed to support strategies and activities;
•	Benefits expected to accrue to the department, college, and the University as a result of the strategies and activities; and/or
•	Intent to apply for promotion or tenure in the subsequent academic year.

The Faculty Evaluation Agreement Form is the vehicle used to document faculty development plans [6].

The Common Form, the annual assessment instrument used for formative evaluation, is the vehicle used to document professional development activities for faculty [7]. Each of the three reporting categories, teaching, research/scholarly work, and service, specifically notes areas of professional development. Samples of completed forms are provided in Comprehensive Standard 3.7.2. [8]. Forms for individual faculty are kept on file in departmental offices. Click here for links to faculty development through continuing education activities for the past three years [9] (type in username and password for faculty links).

Academic Advising Center

The Director of Retention and Advisor Training and Assessment is promoting and preparing faculty to implement best practices in the area of advising. Advisors in University College and professional academic advisors across campus attend training programs leading to advisor certification [10]. Professional advisors act as trainers for new advisors. Three instruments used to assess advising include student assessment data, mentoring, and on-site observations. To date, 42 faculty members (including at least one from each college) have been trained and have achieved advisor certification status.

Sabbatical Leave Program

Nicholls offers sabbatical leave as "an aspect of faculty development which may become a part of an individual's Faculty Development Plan," as stated in Section 2.8.2 of the University's Policy and Procedure Manual [11]: "According to Board of Supervisor['s] policy provision [...] leave with pay for the purpose of 'professional and cultural improvement or for the purpose of rest and recuperation' is a well-established administrative device calculated to improve the quality of higher education professional service."

The University's Policy and Procedure Manual, Section 2.8.2.1, indicates that faculty is eligible for sabbatical leaves [12]. Faculty is defined as members of the University "having the rank of instructor or higher and persons engaged in library, artistic, research and investigative positions of equal dignity" [13]. The head of each college and the University's academic officers are members of the faculty for purposes of sabbatical leave. As reported by the Office of the Provost, 47 sabbatical leaves were granted during the past ten years:

Table 3: Sabbatical Leaves from Fall 2001 to Spring 2006