The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty is pleased to announce that Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark will serve as the first Director of the Office of Faculty Professional Development, effective April 15. Pope-Ruark joins OFPD from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and will be coordinating efforts for all non-teaching-related professional development for faculty in this new role. As director, she will contribute to the strategic planning, development, and implementation of workshops, events, orientations, faculty groups, and resource creation for both academic and research faculty. She will also be available as a professional coach, knowledge resource, and point of contact for faculty interested in their own professional development and that of those they lead.
“I’m thrilled to join the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty as Director of the Office of Faculty Professional Development, where I can leverage my deep experience working with faculty on a variety of career aspects to support the professional growth of Georgia Tech’s illustrious faculty,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with faculty and faculty leaders to offer targeted and effective services to meet them where they are and work toward the future of Georgia Tech.”
Prior to joining OFPD, Pope-Ruark was a member of the faculty in the Center for Teaching and Learning at Georgia Tech where she supported faculty teaching and learning initiatives, including designing workshops and multi-day studios on pedagogical topics, working closely with faculty in the Center’s faculty fellows programs including the Provost Teaching and Learning Fellows, and developing resources and communications to promote teaching and learning excellence at the Institute.
“In the VPF office, we are committed to enhancing the faculty experience here at Georgia Tech, and part of that is providing them with the tools and opportunities they need to flourish and succeed,” said Dr. Michelle Rinehart, Vice Provost for Faculty. “I am excited to add Dr. Pope-Ruark to our team – she brings a wealth of experience to the office, and I am looking forward to working with her as we build out and expand our faculty development programs.”
A coach, speaker, facilitator, and educator, Pope-Ruark also has 12 years of experience as a tenure-track and tenured professor at Elon University and an extended engagement in all things faculty development. She has led faculty development workshops on productivity, project management, and burnout at 20+ institutions across the country and at major conferences. Pope-Ruark recently received her coaching credential from the International Coaching Federation. She is the author of two books – Agile Faculty: Practical Strategies for Managing Research, Service, and Teaching (University of Chicago Press, 2017) and Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal (Johns Hopkins University Press, September 2022). She also hosts the agile academic podcast for women in higher education.
