New Faculty Academy

The New Faculty Academy (NFA) Program at Sacred Heart University (SHU) orients new faculty to our community of teachers and scholars, our mission, and Sacred Heart’s roots in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts. All full-time and part-time faculty new to SHU are highly encouraged to participate in the NFA Program.

Launched in 2024, New Faculty Academy brings together programming and resources from throughout the university into one cohesive experience. The NFA program has been developed and refined with direct feedback from new SHU faculty. We continue to welcome new ideas for the program from our new and current faculty.

Program Goals

By the end of this program, NFA participants will:

  • Become familiar with the essential knowledge, practices, and resources needed to meet SHU’s standards of teaching excellence and of commitment to ongoing professional development.
  • Build community with other new faculty across SHU departments, programs, and disciplines.
  • Meet the individuals, teams, and offices who are here to support faculty and their students.

Program Overview

To complete New Faculty Academy, faculty need to participate in at least 10 NFA sessions over the academic year. Faculty are welcome to attend more than 10 sessions as aligned with their interests and needs.

NFA session types include:

Faculty Conversations on Mission & Catholic Identity

Led by Mission & Culture, these sessions explore the mission of Sacred Heart University and its Catholic identity, as they relate to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the experiences of new SHU faculty. Attendees will complete a selection of related readings in advance of each session. Faculty Conversation sessions are required for new full-time faculty.

Teaching & Learning 

Led by the Center for Teaching & Learning in collaboration with many other university offices, these just-in-time sessions provide space for discussion to promote the success of SHU students and the professional growth of SHU faculty members. Timely topics include preparing for the first day of class, engaging students, gathering midsemester feedback, reflecting on student course evaluation feedback, exploring grant opportunities and more.

Technology Training

Led by the PioTech Training team, these sessions introduce participants to key educational technology for SHU instructors. Opportunities include:

  • Classroom Technology sessions, which train in-person instructors to use the technology available in SHU classrooms such as computers and projectors.
  • Teaching Technology sessions, which introduce all instructors to SHU specific educational technology platforms, such as our Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard Ultra; web conferencing tools, Teams and Zoom; student engagement tools such as Feedback Fruits, and more.

Advisor Advancement Series

Led by Student Advising & Success, this series is for faculty who serve in advising roles, designed for first- and second-year advisors. It provides the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to effectively support SHU students. 

Individual Consultations with CTL or IT Staff 

We know that faculty schedules are full, and that new faculty may have very specific questions or needs. Individual consultations can be scheduled with the PioTech Training team for educational technology questions or with CTL staff for teaching/course design questions. Up to one CTL consultation and one IT consultation can count toward the New Faculty Academy 10-session completion requirement. 

Accessing NFA Program Resources

All new full-time faculty members are automatically enrolled in the New Faculty Academy Blackboard course. New part-time faculty members may request to be enrolled in New Faculty Academy by contacting the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@sacredheart.edu. 

The NFA Blackboard course serves as a centralized location for program information, session schedules, event locations and virtual links, as well as any related resources or readings. By hosting our NFA program on Blackboard, we hope to provide all new faculty, but especially faculty new to Blackboard, with additional experience using and navigating our LMS.

Completion of the Program

All faculty who participate in at least 10 NFA sessions (including the four required Faculty Conversations) will successfully complete the program. Attendance at NFA events will be taken through Blackboard, allowing you to track your progress toward completion over time via the Gradebook feature. 

A list of new faculty who successfully complete New Faculty Academy will be provided to college deans at the end of the spring semester. Faculty who complete the program will also receive a completion certificate at our end-of-year celebration dinner with university senior staff. Faculty are encouraged to include New Faculty Academy as evidence of professional development on their resumes/CVs and for their university professional reviews and applications (e.g. annual, tenure, promotion, application to the Presidential Seminar, etc.).  

Questions? 

Questions about the New Faculty Academy program? Please contact the Center for Teaching & Learning at ctl@sacredheart.edu.

group photo of people holding completion certificates2025-2026 NFA Participants