New faculty ‘Engage’ the start of their journey at Augusta University

As Augusta University prepares for the start of the new semester, over 70 new faculty attended a conference at the university to learn about their new professional home and gain important skills to help them and their students be successful.

The New Faculty Conference, “Engage,” was held Aug. 5-6 at the Grover T. Maxwell Performing Arts Center on the Summerville Campus.

“The conference format is the result of a wholesale revision of previous faculty orientations, with a strong emphasis on creating tracks that provide faculty with critical information focused on their particular roles,” said Karen Head, PhD, associate provost for Faculty Affairs. “Faculty could choose from three tracks: instructional, research and clinical.

“Our aim was to provide the most relevant resources to help our new faculty launch their careers at AU with confidence, and with the knowledge that they will have ongoing support throughout what we hope will be many productive and joyful years in our community,” Head continued.

Forty-two of the new faculty members joining Jag Nation are part of Augusta University’s Project Smart Growth initiative, which represents a significant investment in new faculty to support AU’s record increase in enrollment.

“What I liked about Augusta University were the smaller class sizes, and the department I’m in is growing,” said Elizabeth Wakefield, lecturer in the Department of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy in the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Seeing such growth in enrollment means there’s potential for longevity with the institution, which excites me, too.”

Attendees had two full days of hearing from faculty, staff, students and senior leadership, including presentations about the AU Strategic Plan, as well as a variety of panel discussions covering topics like the student experience and faculty professional development.

For Asia Thomas-Uzomba, PhD, a new assistant professor of curriculum studies in the College of Education and Human Development, her journey to AU began thanks to engagement from her new colleagues in COEHD who shared information about the research and curriculum through contact with a common dissertation advisor.

While Thomas-Uzomba was a public school teacher previously, she’s looking forward to stepping into her new role and getting to know her students.

“I taught a couple courses over the summer, which made me more excited to interact with students and get to know their passion for teaching. I’m excited to teach and see how the faculty use their teaching to inform their research,” Thomas-Uzomba said.

For Jingsi Teng, PhD, her path to Augusta University came by way of Tennessee. She loved her previous travels to various cities in Georgia and wanted to find work here, calling it a dream location. A new lecturer in History, Anthropology, and Philosophy, she’s looking forward to collaborating with others on campus and joining the AU community.

“My concentration is in environmental ethics. With AU’s specialty in bioethics, this will be a great opportunity for collaboration in the future,” said Teng. “I’m looking forward to a wonderful journey here.”

One of many highlights for conference attendees included a session on “Generative AI for Course Design,” led by Arthur Takahashi, Andrew Everett and Doug Blackburn from the Center for Instructional Innovation. This interactive session provided a tutorial for how generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT, can be used to assist faculty in preparing or refining their course materials.

“I’m thrilled to welcome this wonderful new cohort of faculty to Augusta University,” said Zach Kelehear, EdD, vice provost of Instruction and Innovation. “My hope is that this conference has energized this group to start their careers with Jag Nation engaged and ready to guide our students to success.”