Gertrude J. Fraser
Contact Us
P.O. Box 400308
Booker House
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4308
- Phone:
- 434-924-6865
- Fax:
- 434-982-2920
- Email:
- prov-fa@virginia.edu
The Vice Provost for Faculty Recruitment & Retention of the University reports to and assists the Provost on a broad range of duties. These include critical functions such as promotion and tenure, recruitment and retention, faculty policy and procedures, and search committee training. The VPFRR provides innovative career development programs and initiatives. This office is committed in all its programs and initiatives to create a welcoming and supportive climate for faculty from diverse perspectives and backgrounds. The VPFRR partners with the university's schools, centers, and programs to support all faculty so that they can excel as scholars and teachers.
Two key insights shape the purpose of the VPFRR office: university excellence is predicated on a synergy between organizational goals and the professional and personal aspirations of a diverse faculty. Faculty work is as much a way of living as it is a career choice. VPFRR programs and initiatives reflect these concerns.
For example, this office sponsors a faculty advancement lecture and workshop series. We invite national scholars and experts to Grounds to discuss the priorities and challenges bearing on faculty recruitment, retention, and development at the University of Virginia and in higher education more generally. The series usually features opportunities for small group work and inter-departmental, cross-school participation. Between four and six events are offered during the academic year.
The passion for scholarship, teaching, and service to others is often difficult to reconcile with the practical routines of career development, promotion and tenure, annual reviews, research grants, administrative responsibilities, the demands of committee and community work, and, of course, commitments to family and friends. The VPFRR partners with schools, offices, and programs at the university to provide mentoring and career development resources to faculty at different stages of their careers. These include: the Professors as Writers program to support faculty writing, dinner and dialogue events to encourage new and established faculty to meet across departments and schools, dual career advising, and occasional workshops geared to faculty needs.