About

Mission and Vision

The Institute for Faculty Development is a research-based initiative to enhance existing interventions, provide culturally sensitive pedagogical training for faculty, and foster a climate for innovation in teaching and learning in a culturally responsive manner.

Established in 2015, under the leadership of Dr. Pete Menjares and the Title V grant team, the Institute for Faculty Development (IFD) exists to advance teaching excellence at Vanguard University. The mission of the Institute for Faculty Development, in alignment with the University’s broader mission, is to promote a culture of informed, committed, engaged faculty through training, conferences, community building, and other resources.

Primary GOALS of the Institute:

Cultivate a mindset of lifelong learning

Build community and facilitate learning opportunities

Foster professional growth for all faculty

Experiment with pedagogy to meet the needs of diverse students

Confidentiality Statement

To fulfill these goals, the Institute for Faculty Development is committed to embracing confidentiality in our work with faculty. It is imperative that we maintain the trust of our colleagues as making changes in our pedagogies requires risk and experimentation. The institute had adopted the Ethical Guidelines for Educational Developers created by the POD Network in Higher Education.

Our Team

Dr. Bonni Stachowiak

DEAN
TEACHING + LEARNING

GET TO KNOW BONNI

Dr. Bonni Stachowiak has been teaching in a higher education context for 20+ years. She’s also the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Since its start in 2014, her podcast has become an essential resource for faculty and academic leaders around the world. Currently, Dr. Stachowiak serves as the Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University and is also a Professor of Business and Management. For Bonni, teaching and learning aren’t just job titles—they're her passion and a big part of what gives her life meaning and purpose.

Professor Naomi Kasa

DIRECTOR, ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY +
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

GET TO KNOW NAOMI

Dr. John Sim plays an important role in the quality of instruction at Vanguard. He collaborates with faculty as they are designing courses using our learning management system (Canvas) and other educational technologies. John has worked at Vanguard for 15 years, serving in capacities in our registrar's office and religion department. He enjoys seeing a faculty member's ideas come to life in new ways through the use of technology.

Dr. David Rhoads

DIRECTOR
HYBRID + EMERGING PEDAGOGY

GET TO KNOW DAVID

Dr. David Rhoads is the Director of Hybrid and Emerging Pedagogy and has been teaching in the areas of leadership and educational technology for over a decade. He enjoys helping faculty do what they do best by equipping them with solutions and best practices for their classroom. David has extensive experience in the area of online pedagogy and program development, non-traditional enrollment and support, instructional design, and educational technology. David’s background, prior to working in Higher Education, included teaching at the High School level as well as 12 years of youth and young adult ministry. David is passionate about helping faculty maximize face to face and online learning opportunities so their students can gain the most benefit from their instruction. He believes that our goal as educators should be to facilitate learning is such a way that encourages and equips students to be passionate life-long learners.

Shannon Jonsson

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
TEACHING + LEARNING

GET TO KNOW SHANNON

Shannon Jonsson is the Associate Director of Teaching + Learning at Vanguard University. Shannon joined Vanguard in 2017 providing administrative support to the Professional Studies Department. Prior to her position she worked in various sales and purchasing positions with Nordstrom, Kraft Foods and Hydr-O-Seal. Shannon is known for her ability to build relationships across the university and working to move complex projects forward toward done.

Title V Grant Support

The creation of the Institute for Faculty Development was supported by funding through the Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program.

In 2015, Vanguard University received the first individual Title V award (#P031S150199) from the Department of Education in the amount of $2.6M intended to strengthen and enhance the pipeline of Hispanic and low-income students from early engagement to alumni.

In 2017, Vanguard received a Cooperative Title V Award (#P031S170149) in the amount of $3.8M intended for the development of comprehensive integrated pathways for Hispanic students to enter the teaching professions in collaboration with Orange Coast Community College (OCC).

Through these five-year comprehensive plans (grants) Vanguard University and her institutional partners hope to broaden the scope of impact by expanding educational opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students and comprehensively targeting STEM education and teacher preparation programs.

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program - Title V

What We Do

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

We offer multiple workshops and events throughout the year, both in-person and online. These are planned in collaboration with the Faculty Development Committee and other stakeholder groups.

VIEW EVENT CALENDAR

ONLINE RESOURCES REPOSITORY

The resources section of the IFD website contains videos, articles, and links to support faculty in pursuing teaching excellence, expanding our collective capabilities to offer culturally-responsive teaching and using technology to accelerate learning.

VIEW RESOURCES

FACULTY FELLOWS

One of the most powerful forms of learning comes when faculty coach other faculty. This program (funded by the Title V grant award #P031S150199) selects one or two individuals to lend their expertise to the efforts of IFD.

LEARN MORE

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

When sound pedagogy is in place, technology can accelerate the opportunities for learning. We can help faculty discover educational technology to meet the goals in a given course and put it into practice.

SCHEDULE A CONSULT

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN COACHING

Our certified instructional designer can coach faculty in creating new courses or redesigning existing courses.

SCHEDULE A CONSULT

CLASSROOM OBSERVATION

The IFD has some availability for conducting classroom observation, and providing confidential feedback to the individual faculty member.

MAKE APPOINTMENT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

In collaboration with the Faculty Development Committee, the IFD allocates funding for faculty to participate in external faculty development opportunities.

LEARN MORE

READING GROUPS

We coordinate and schedule faculty-led reading groups on books that are of interest to our community. When funding is available, books are purchased by the IFD.

CHECK SCHEDULE

Institute for Faculty Development

Vanguard University
55 Fair Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Smith Hall, 2nd Floor

ifd@vanguard.edu
‭‭‭(714) ‭‭‭966-5437

ABOUT VANGUARD UNIVERSITY

Vanguard University is a private, Christian, comprehensive university of liberal arts and professional studies equipping students for a Spirit-empowered life of Christ-centered leadership and service. Since 2010, the U.S. News & World Report has ranked Vanguard in the top 10 among the best baccalaureate colleges in the west in their rankings of colleges and universities and The Princeton Review named VU a 2014 "Best in the West" College. Vanguard is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Learn More