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Frequently Asked Questions: Academic Portfolio Retreat

Who is eligible to attend the Academic Portfolio Retreat?

Full-time SLU faculty members (both tenure-track and non-tenure-track) are eligible to attend, though priority seating is given to those who are preparing for 3rd-year, tenure, or promotion review.

What will we do during the retreat?

The retreat is design to help faculty begin to generate and shape material for their academic dossiers and to create opportunities for faculty to come together across disciplines, for conversation and mentoring. During the retreat, participants learn general principles for effective academic portfolios and develop effective strategies for documenting their contributions to teaching, research, and service. The time is structured so that there is both informational content and hands-on work time, during which participants are drafting sections of their portfolios. Participants will begin working on a preliminary draft of their academic portfolio and an action plan for gathering and preparing additional materials.

What if I can only attend a portion of the retreat?

You should participate another time. Participants are required to attend both full days of the retreat.

Can I leave for lunch?

Occasionally, participants do need to step out during lunchtime. However, we strongly prefer that all participants to stay for meals, since that is where a lot of informal collaboration and mentoring occurs.

Who pays the $100 registration fee, me or my department?

Typically, the department pays the fee. A signed Statement of Support form is required to complete registration. (In some cases, individual faculty members pay their own registration fee. Contact the Reinert Center for details.)

How do I pay for the retreat?

You can find information about how to pay by clicking here.

I completed all my registration materials. Now what?

After the deadline for registration, you will receive an email confirming your spot in the retreat.

Can I participate if I am a part-time (a.k.a., "adjunct") instructor?

Due to the purpose of the retreat and the limited number of seats, participation is restricted to full-time SLU faculty.

I attended the retreat in the past, but would like to participate again. Can I participate more than once?

Maybe. You will be placed on a waitlist until we determine final registration numbers. Priority is given to those faculty members who have not yet attended the retreat. (Note: the department may not wish to pay a second time; when faculty have participated a second time in the past, they typically have paid the registration fee themselves.)

I can't attend, but this looks interesting. Can I get the materials afterwards?

No. The workbook used for the retreat may not be copied for distribution. The workbook is distributed to retreat participants by permission of the authors

11. I want to lead a retreat for my whole department! Can I give them my materials?

No. The workbook is copyright protected, and retreat materials are proprietary to the authors and facilitator.

Additional questions may be directed to Mary Cook in the Reinert Center at mary.cook@slu.edu or 314-977-3944.