Thrive@BGSU: New & Early Career Faculty Series offers opportunities throughout the year for you to connect with colleagues, explore campus resources, and build community. Events range from guided tours, peer mentoring, and mixers to virtual discussions about teaching and working at BGSU and navigating the inner workings of academia. Whether you’re looking to meet new people, get support, or learn more about what BGSU has to offer, this series helps you stay connected and engaged throughout your first years on campus.

Sessions in this series are intended for faculty and instructors in their first three years at BGSU. If you attend 3 or more sessions in this series during the 2026-2027 academic year, you will be eligible to receive the Thrive@BGSU email signature stamp.  

To learn more about upcoming sessions in this series, please see the listings below. Listings are in chronological order by date. 

Advance registration is required for all events. Registration will close one business day before the scheduled event. Please register for an event by clicking on the registration link below each session description. Please indicate your interest in receiving the stamp on the registration form. 

To individuals with disabilities, please indicate if you need special services, assistance or appropriate modifications to fully participate in the workshop either on the registration form or by contacting Accessibility Services at access@bgsu.edu or 419-372-8495. Please notify Accessibility Services and/or the CFE office prior to the event. 

Facilitators: Dr. Chelsea Chandler, Director, Center for Faculty Excellence; Astrid Umanzor, Program Coordinator, Center for Faculty Excellence

When you’re constantly busy and balancing many responsibilities, creating a plan to achieve your personal and professional goals can seem overwhelming. This session is designed to empower you to explore ways to find harmony between well-being and productivity. During the session, you will set meaningful goals, break down goals into projects and actionable steps, add projects to a calendar, and identify accountability strategies and support networks to help you achieve your goals. 

By participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Articulate 2–3 specific professional and personal goals for the upcoming semester.
• Draft a detailed action plan to break down your goals into actionable steps. 
• Identify strategies and support networks to help you achieve your goals.

Fall 2026 Thrive@BGSU CFE Session Registration Form

Facilitators: University Libraries

Join University Libraries faculty and staff on a guided tour of Jerome Library! You will have the opportunity to explore all eight floors of the library while learning about essential services and resources for BGSU faculty. This tour will cover library collections, instruction and research services, meeting spaces, open educational resources, and scholarly publishing. The tour will also include brief visits to the Curriculum Resource Center, Music Library and Bill Schurck Sound Archives, Browne Popular Culture Library, and Center for Archival Collections. You will leave with a greater understanding of how the library can help you thrive at BGSU.

By participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Navigate Jerome Library to locate essential services, meeting spaces, and special collections
• Identify key library resources available for BGSU faculty
• Connect with library partners who you can collaborate with on course instruction, curriculum development, and research

Fall 2026 Thrive@BGSU CFE Session Registration Form

Facilitators: Dr. Chelsea Chandler, Director, Center for Faculty Excellence; Astrid Umanzor, Program Coordinator, Center for Faculty Excellence; & Associate Deans from various colleges

After a couple of months under your belt as a new faculty member, you likely have more questions about how things work! Join the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) and associate deans from colleges across campus for a virtual discussion where you can learn insider information and advice about being a successful faculty member. Topics will include promotion and tenure, merit, professional development plans, research, teaching, and more! The session will be informal and include time for discussion and a Q&A session. 

By participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Meet associate deans from across campus. 
• Explore topics of interest for faculty and instructors who are new to BGSU, including promotion and tenure, merit, professional development plans, research, teaching, and more. 
• Ask questions related to topics of interest.

Fall 2026 Thrive@BGSU CFE Session Registration Form

Facilitators: Dr. Chelsea Chandler, Director, Center for Faculty Excellence; Astrid Umanzor, Program Coordinator, Center for Faculty Excellence

In this interactive dialogue session, we will come together to share insights, challenges, and successes from the past semester. Through guided reflection and discussion, we’ll identify what to stop, start, and continue in our teaching, research, and professional growth. This session offers a supportive space to exchange strategies, gather ideas for the months ahead, and connect with colleagues who are navigating similar experiences.

By participating in this session, you will be able to:

• Reflect on key lessons learned from the previous semester.
• Develop one or more actionable goals for the upcoming semester.
• Connect with peers to share strategies and build community.

Fall 2026 Thrive@BGSU CFE Session Registration Form