Office of Faculty Development
Whether you are early in your career or a seasoned educator, the Office of Faculty Development offers programs, resources, funding, and support to help you grow as an educator, scholar, and leader at WMU. Faculty-led and grounded in a by-faculty, for-faculty approach, OFD connects colleagues across WMU through professional learning, shared expertise, and community. Get in touch with OFD by contacting our email.
Check out the Fall 2026 OFD Programming Guide
Explore OFD programs and opportunities, including one-time sessions, cohort programs, year-long communities, and funding.
Explore Writing & Scholarly Support Resources
Explore a curated list of Writing and Scholarly Productivity Opportunities and Resources at WMU.
Faculty
Faculty Tenure and Promotion
As you work towards tenure and promotion, there are two resources that you should regularly consult: your department's policy statement and the WMU-AAUP Agreement. Every semester, the WMU-AAUP holds a tenure and promotion workshop, but you can also set up a confidential professional consultation with us to work with an experienced faculty member on your teaching and research agendas.
Early Career Faculty
New faculty members are invited to join our Early Career Faculty Learning Community (ECFLC) that is offered every year. Members decide upon topics that interest them related to professional development and meet once per month to engage in activities and socialize. In the fall, invitations to sign up for the ECFLC are sent to all faculty members who are in the first four years of their appointment.
Faculty and PIO Instructional Development Grants
Instructional Development Grants support bargaining-unit faculty and professional instructors (PIO) at Western Michigan University in instructional and curricular redesign and innovation. The goal of Instructional Development Grants is to support instructional innovation and projects that are designed to enhance teaching and instructional practice and support student learning in approved WMU courses and programs.
Professional Instructors
OFD and CTLD are here to support all instructors at WMU, including you as a professional instructor (PIO) or part-time instructor. Visit the Professional Instructors program page to explore commonly requested resources. Reach out to the Office of Faculty Development to connect with your PIO faculty fellow or with any questions. And consider applying for a PIO Instructional Development Grant.
Graduate Students
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) serve in a role related to teaching; some are instructors of record (meaning they are the ones primarily responsible for a course); some are instructors of lab sections, and some assist the instructor in some support capacity (such as grading or holding discussion sessions). Hiring, orientation, and primary professional development support for graduate students are provided by the Graduate College and through the respective home departments.
The Office of Faculty Development and the Teaching and Learning team provide resources to support GTAs in their roles as instructors at Western Michigan University.
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OFD Updates
2026-27 Community-Engaged Teaching and Scholarship (CETS) Scholars
The Office of Faculty Development is pleased to announce the Community-Engaged Teaching and Scholarship (CETS) Faculty Scholars for 2026-27. This interdisciplinary team of faculty leaders co-developed a framework for the Office of Faculty Development to launch CETS programming throughout the academic year. The initiative aims to strengthen community-engaged teaching, research, and public scholarship across disciplines at WMU.
CETS Working Group Members
- Alisa Perkins, World Religions and Cultures
- Anna Popkova, Communication
- Antoinette M. London-Johnson Wright, Family and Consumer Sciences
- Nicholas L. Padilla, Environment, Geography, and Sustainability
- Shannon L. McMorrow, Interdisciplinary Health Programs
- Olivia Ngadjui, Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
NCFDD
NCFDD is the leading provider of professional development in higher education. As part of Western's membership, all faculty, academic staff and graduate students have access to a variety of resources and events.
Mission and goals
The mission of Western Michigan University's Office of Faculty Development is to foster a culture of excellence at the University that promotes student success, faculty growth and vitality, and institutional excellence. The office will achieve this mission through collaborative efforts with various institutional units, and with programs designed to:
- Provide leadership and support for innovation in teaching.
- Sustain growth among faculty across career span and across disciplines.
- Develop leadership capacity across all levels of the university.
- Support and engage in scholarship that extends knowledge base in these arenas.