Faculty Coaching Program
Northwestern’s Faculty Coaching Program offers assistance to full-time faculty members who are facing challenges in their professional lives.The life of a faculty member at a prestigious university can be exciting and rewarding. However, it can also be confusing and discouraging. When the way forward is not obvious, difficulties can seem enormous. However, they often become more manageable with a just a small amount of assistance, such as acquisition of skills or a space to talk through a challenge.
Program Goals
The program’s goal is to promote the success of faculty members by helping them clarify career objectives, identify resources available to assist in achieving those objectives and devise strategies to overcome obstacles.
Accessing Assistance
The first step in solving problems is deciding to address them and seek solutions.
The program offers free consultations for faculty members to identify appropriate resources for their concerns. Resources may be offered over e-mail, or the faculty member can meet with program staff (in-person or virtual) for further discussion. You can begin to explore your options by contacting us here.
Possible Resources Include:
- One-on-One Coaching for Up to 6 Months
- A Single Coaching Session
- Skills Workshops
- Group Coaching
- Free and confidential short-term counseling in a variety of areas through the Northwestern Employee Assistance Program
- Free and confidential consultation with the University Ombudsperson
- Faculty Wellness Program
- In addition to the free, personal consultations available through the Faculty Coaching Program, the University also offers a number of workshops and sessions designed to support faculty members’ professional growth. These are open to all faculty. The schedule may be found at Career Development and Leadership.
Program Administration
The program’s director is Todd Murphy, Ph.D.
Todd is the Associate Director of Northwestern University’s Center for Leadership and a Clinical Professor in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Professor Murphy is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Prior to directing the Faculty Coaching Program, he built a university-wide student coaching program, which he continues to direct. He is also a creator and instructor for coaching courses and programs in schools across Northwestern, including the Kellogg School of Business and Feinberg School of Medicine.
In addition to a Ph.D. from Northwestern, Professor Murphy holds a Master of Divinity degree and is an ordained Anglican Priest. Prior to NU, he worked for several years in different contexts, including parish ministry, family business, and the Department of Defense.