Drexel Career Development Awards (CDAs)

1. Drexel Career Development Awards (CDAs)

2. CDA Program Goals • To facilitate mentor relationships for junior, pre-tenure faculty • To expand Drexel’s national and global reach • To foster sustainable partnerships based on mutual scholarly interests; social network • To provide resources (currently up to $7,500 per award) to foster initial collaborations • To provide impetus, credibility, and support for junior faculty to contact an unknown potential mentor and ask for help

3. Why OfferCareer Development Awards? • COACHE survey data indicated that junior, tenure track faculty at Drexel felt they lacked mentors. • Lack of senior faculty in their department/field with time/inclination to mentor them. • This encouraged the Drexel Office of Faculty Development & Equity (FDE) to create a program to enable junior, tenure track faculty to find mentors outside of Drexel.

4. Supporting Global Connections • CDAs built sustainable international connections providing mutual benefit to both junior researcher at Drexel and senior researcher elsewhere. • Mentoring has transformed into ongoing research relationships that are outcomes-focused and productive. • CDA program supports increase of sustainable, international connections across university.

5. CDA Award Criteria • How likely to result in tangible outcomes? • How likely to have a significant impact on career? • Sustainability of relationship post-award? • Impact on faculty/graduate students at Drexel? • Considers faculty diversity and equity?

6. Examples of CDA Recipients’ Activities • 2-day working group meeting with participants from industry and academia • Mini conference at Drexel with faculty and industry contacts from CMU, Harvard, IBM, MIT, NCSU, Siemens with 10 presentations • ½ day seminar on physical activity • Visited lab to learn new technique • Conducted seminars at Imperial College of London

7. CDA Application Process • Call for applications online and emailed • Proposals due six weeks later • Required 2-page proposal, budget, letter of support from Department Head, letter from Mentor • Meet with applicants by request • Review budgets by request

8. Career Development Awards – The Review Process • Reviewed by a panel of faculty and faculty/administrators • Use 5-point checklist to rate, with primary and secondary reviewer • Finalists chosen, then award group selected

9. Awards By College/School, 2008-2012 • College of Engineering (5) • College of Arts & Sciences (5) • College of Information Sciences & Technology (2) • College of Media Arts & Design (2) • College of Nursing and Health Professions (2) • Earle Mack School of Law (1) • School of Public Health (1) • School of Education (1)

10. How CDAs Are Tracked & Assessed • Quarterly progress reports by awardees • Meeting with awardees at end of award year • Electronic survey at end of award year • Periodic follow-up emails to track new developments that are directly attributable to CDA funding • Review of awardees’ CVs

11. Career Development Awards • Funded thirteen faculty over first three years • $83,433 generated $6.4 million in external grant funding (NSF, etc.) • Numerous publications, presentations, panelists • Established sustainable collaborations in academics and industry in 9 foreign countries on 4 continents • Global impact on courses • All CDA Awardees who have “come up” have been promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure.

12. In Their Own Words… • “The Award has completely changed the trajectory of my career in many very positive ways… I do believe that my Awards work did lead to my NSF grant award and my being given the Devereux Award.” (M.E.) • “Drexel doesn’t really have any other faculty working in areas closely related to mine so it has been difficult…” The CDA has “been incredibly valuable.” (M.O.) • “In the past year, I won the American Physical Therapy, Section on Pediatrics National Research Award. … The activities afforded to me with this award have helped me to develop my skills as an independent researcher.” (M.O.)

13. In Their Own Words… • “Absolutely it has great impact on both my career and reputation. I can appeal to people that the career development award is part of my academic achievement based on my research performance, which can give people (especially proposal panel reviewer) good impression on my research.” (M.K.) • “The CDA impacted my career by offering me opportunities to do things that I would not have been able to do otherwise.” (M.R.)

14. In Their Own Words… • “I would not even thought that I could have done something like this… No idea that I could get faculty from other institutions and mentors – gave me the courage to set up a mini-conference.”… • “The Career Development Award has significantly impacted my career and my reputation in my field, and helped me to obtain over $500,000 research grant. Actually, this award is the most important milestone in my career.”… “I could not have obtained these research grants without working with these collaborators outside Drexel” (Y.C.)

15. For More Information Please Visit:www.drexel.edu/fde/CDAOverview.html