A Guide to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement

The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement (OVPFA) aims to nurture and promote a vibrant climate of inclusive excellence through creative collaboration with University partners. OVPFA’s primary focus is on fostering faculty development and community-building initiatives that will allow current and future faculty to thrive. 

Our vision is for Columbia to be the go-to place for the world’s greatest scholars. We imagine a University community that embodies inclusive excellence, where all faculty feel welcome and supported. We aim to foster a climate where faculty can confidently focus on their scholarship and teaching, and where there is growing space for collaboration and innovation across disciplines. We cannot achieve this without realizing our core values of inclusion and excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Inclusive Faculty Pathways

The Inclusive Faculty Pathways initiative seeks to provide professional development programming to students interested in pursuing academic careers and experiences, from undergraduate to graduate programs to post-docs and faculty roles. The Columbia University Pathways Programs group coordinates and offers programming for students enrolled in pathways programs across the University.

Faculty Advancement

The OVPFA is committed to providing the tools necessary for our faculty to thrive throughout their careers. In support of this vision, we partner across the university to design and lead programming for faculty across all schools, disciplines, and career stages. For example, we work with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) to organize the Office of the Provost Faculty Orientation, a resource designed to introduce new faculty to central offices that support their success. We also partner with the Office of Faculty Support and Work/Life, the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and other offices at Columbia to coordinate faculty development sessions on topics such as networking, funding, and tenure process.

Columbia also has an institutional partnership with NCFDD, which grants all Columbia community members access to development resources, live webinars, and national communities in support of faculty at all career stages, and with the Faculty Advancement Network, which hosts online workshops focused on academic leadership development. 

The OVPFA collaborates with units to support programming that showcases scholarship from leading experts across disciplines. Many of these initiatives foster dialogue and engagement within the academic community and are led by our faculty.

Key Contacts