Facilitators of UMSN: Amy Grover

At the University of Michigan School of Nursing we believe that success is a collective endeavor. While we celebrate the unique talent and drive that propels our students and faculty to achieve as scholars, we also recognize there is a skilled network of staff who support them along the way.

"Facilitators of UMSN" is a series that will spotlight some of the 118 staff members at UMSN who use their expertise to help members of the UMSN community who are working toward their goals as scholars, educators and nurses. We hope you learn more about these talented and dedicated people through this series.

UMSN Facilitator: Amy Grover

Administrative Assistant Intermediate 
Hometown: Saginaw, Mich.
Joined UMSN in July 2017

You support the faculty affairs and faculty development department. What exactly does that office do? 

On the faculty affairs side, we focus on the annual promotion and tenure process for faculty who are candidates for promotion or tenure as well as the end-of-term review process for faculty.

Faculty development is constantly evolving. We’re trying to do what faculty want. We listen to what the needs and desires are, and then we take that information and give it back to faculty in the form of the workshops, lunch-and-learns, and other activities. We created the faculty development Canvas site to help with information sharing.

What role to you play in all of that?

I handle all of the administrative work, which often means paying close attention to project details on a day-to-day basis, and making sure we are on schedule. I configured the Canvas site and update it regularly, and direct faculty to it when they have questions about where to find information.

I work behind-the-scenes, putting together the workshops, the lunch-and-learn series, and other events. I make sure that we’re meeting our deadlines and that speakers who come in have everything they need.
 

What are some of your accomplishments this past academic year? 

Putting together the full calendar of faculty development events, including the monthly Lunch and Learn series, was a real accomplishment.

I’m always thinking of things that faculty may find useful. I put together a printed calendar for the academic year with all of the regular meetings for the school. I also created folders to have available for new faculty who might come on-board in the middle of the term, or in January.

We emphasize on-boarding for faculty, and as someone who was just newly on-boarded herself, I can tap into that, thinking about what was useful.

What do you spend most of your time on? 

It really depends on the time of the year. Right now is our busy season for promotion and tenure. We have a huge cohort group, and that is consuming the majority of my time.
In addition, we have a large workshop in early May, and after that I will spend more time on planning for new faculty orientation.

What new projects or initiatives are you looking forward to? 

I am looking forward to strategizing with Dr. Arslanian-Engoren about the upcoming academic year on how we will provide faculty development. Our goal is to find ways to engage the faculty with development opportunities that will fit into their busy schedules.