Faculty Resources

Center for Teaching Excellence

The mission of George Mason University’s Center for Teaching and Faculty Excellence (CTFE) is to provide leadership in promoting, supporting, and celebrating educational excellence. We pursue our mission through working with Mason faculty to enhance their skills as educators, as reflective practitioners in their disciplines, and as scholars in teaching, learning and research. CTFE seeks to promote a climate of shared intellectual exploration and openness and to advocate for academic initiatives related to educational and faculty enhancement. CTFE collaborates with academic, academic support, administrative, and University Life offices to offer resources and support to faculty from across the Mason community at all stages of their academic careers, including graduate students, part-time faculty, and full-time faculty.

Human Resources – Learning and Professional Development (LAPD)

The Experienced Supervisor Leadership Seminars (ESLS) offers advanced leadership training to Mason supervisors who have successfully completed the New SUPERvisor Series or who have more than 5 years of supervisory experience at Mason. The program includes professional development workshops, case studies, a project, networking opportunities, and a mentoring program. For more information please contact Lori Ann Roth at 3-6764.
Learning And Professional Development (LAPD) Custom Courses:

  • “The Speed of Trust” Learn and apply the behaviors of leaders who inspire trust at this workshop, led by a Covey-certified trainer. Find out why trust is key in any organization and how to develop a culture of trust.“Motivation and Stress Management” Manage stress through motivation at this workshop! Learn what motivates you and your coworkers and how you can use motivational tools to feel less harried and more productive and fulfilled in your work
  • “MBTI” – Complete the MBTI inventory and learn what it all means for yourself – personally and professionally. Understanding your preferences – between introversion and extroversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, and judging and perceiving will help you understand the way you go about your work and the role you play as a leader and member of a team(s).“Strengthsfinder” – Uncover your talents and reflect on how you can use your natural strengths to contribute to your team at this workshop. You’re used to focusing on shortcomings, but the idea behind Tom Rath’s bestselling book is that you might not even realize what your talents are. Take an inventory to discover your top five strengths and learn how to put them to work!
  • “Teamwork and Team Roles” – Use teambuilding exercises to gain insight into your team’s organizational structure and identify and appreciate the roles that each person plays within that framework.“Strategic planning” – A variety of strategic planning tools are available to departments, including SWOT analysis and Johari Windows. This course can be customized to your specific needs
  • Dealing with Difficult People and Situations” –This course was designed for people who serve as a point of contact for any constituency connecting to the university. For individuals in these roles, there are likely times when these situations become difficult. This workshop seeks to provide faculty and staff with techniques and tools to manage these situations, while maintaining their own well-being. This course can be taken as part of the Customer Service Certificate Program, but has also been customized for specific groups.Custom Retreats – Retreats are a wonderful way for a department to take time out of a busy year for reflection, training and planning for the next year. Learning and Professional Development offers retreat support from team building and ice breaker exercises, to a custom workshop, or full day retreat facilitation. We can also locate resources, locations or speakers for a specific topic for the retreat.
  • Faculty Staff Enrichment Day -Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day (FSED) an all-day event held once per year. FSED is a chance for Mason faculty and staff to attend professional and personal development seminars, network with colleagues, participate in professional development workshops, and hear from keynote speakers on topics of local, regional, and national interest. The theme for 2013 is “Collaboration” and past themes include “Change” and “Civility”.

Leadership Legacy Program

The Leadership Legacy Program, a partnership program sponsored by MasonLeads and the Office of Human Resources/Payroll, is designed for Mason full-time faculty and staff who are committed to furthering their leadership development. The program curriculum provides opportunities for experienced faculty and staff to advance their conceptual and experiential understanding of leadership in the context of university settings.

The program’s leadership themes are embedded in the context of a higher education institution (state relations, shared governance, planning, budgeting, etc.). Key concepts, such as strengths-based leadership and facilitating change, are overlaid with practical topics (budgeting, consensus building, responding to crises, etc.). The design of the curriculum is developmental with each topic/seminar building upon the other. Reflective activities will be integrated between seminars/sessions, allowing participants to continue their learning throughout the program. Each of the program sessions will be co-facilitated by experienced Mason leadership scholars and senior university leaders. The program includes self-assessments, reading materials, case studies, and leadership coaching.

University Life Professional Development – Leadership Training Modules
These workshops provide an opportunity to step back from daily responsibilities and, together with colleagues, practice and explore personal leadership development.