Washington State University’s ELEVATE event brings ‘Faculty burnout’ as a topic

Washington State University faculty and teaching graduate students are invited to a virtual workshop from noon to 1:30 p.m. May 3 on the topic of “You aren’t alone: Burnout resilience in challenging times,” presented by Rebecca Pope-Ruark. No registration is required and participants across the WSU system can join using the Zoom link.

Erika Offerdahl, director of WSU’s Transformation Change Initiative, said Pope-Ruark’s presentation was originally scheduled as part of the all-day spring ELEVATE conference in February.

Pope-Ruark is director of the Office of Faculty Professional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and host of “the agile academic,” a podcast for women in higher education.

“We are very pleased to bring Dr. Pope-Ruark’s message to us on this timely topic that is applicable to all educators,” said Offerdahl.

“TCI’s ELEVATE events are aimed at engaging learners, enhancing voices, and advancing teaching excellence,” said Offerdahl.

“In these post-COVID-pandemic times, it’s important for us as teachers to take care of ourselves as well as our students. This presentation on ‘faculty burnout’ should be especially informative and helpful as we move forward in our professional as well as personal lives.”

She said that in the presentation, the guest speaker will focus on two lenses through which to look at burnout resilience: purpose and connection.

Pope-Ruark is author of “Unraveling Faculty Burnout: Pathways to Reckoning and Renewal,” and “Agile Faculty: Practical Strategies for Managing Research, Service, and Teaching.”