VITAL Faculty Associate Program

The Faculty Associate Program provides the opportunity and the time for the following groups of faculty to pursue a special interest related to teaching and/or students’ learning: (1) tenured faculty members; and (2) faculty members who hold full-time, permanent continuing non-tenure track positions and who have been at Villanova for six or more years. Faculty Associates spend a semester and/or summer working with VITAL on a project of their choice that must have the potential to enrich teaching and learning at Villanova and thus strengthen Villanova’s academic community. Faculty Associates meet regularly with the director of VITAL for project design and consultation on implementation and assessment.

In partnership with VITAL, Faculty Associates can serve several roles:

• Work on projects that enhance the teaching and learning resources within their academic programs (undergraduate / graduate level);
• Conduct research pertaining to the teaching/learning interests and/or needs of the department, college, or University;
• Provide leadership for faculty communities of practice, programs, book discussions, and/or faculty consultations;
• Share their teaching expertise by developing instructional resources and/or programs for Villanova’s academic community in partnership with VITAL. VITAL invites faculty with interest in two areas: (1) using A.I. for learning and teaching; (2) designing engaged student learning in the new LMS;
• Develop departmental processes to assess student learning, conduct peer observations, assess effective teaching in the discipline, create teaching portfolio.

VITAL has two Faculty Associate positions available. Each position is for a single semester, which may be fall, spring, or summer. During the fall and/or spring semester, Faculty Associates will receive a reduction of one course in their teaching loads during the semester of their appointment. During the summer, Faculty Associates will receive a stipend. Project-related expenses up to $1,000 may be requested. Eligible faculty members will receive letters of invitation to apply to the Faculty Associate program late January each year. 

Applications for AY 2026-2027 will be due by the end of March 2026. Please contact Gabriele Bauer with project ideas prior to submitting a proposal.

Past Faculty Associates (PDF)