In 2023, the Office of the Provost and Human Resources and Workforce Development collaborated to create a faculty relations position, providing much-needed support for faculty personnel issues, workplace culture, and faculty leadership/development programming. As faculty and academic leaders increasingly engaged with this role, it became clear that additional support and clearer distinctions were needed between faculty development/leadership initiatives, and HR-related concerns such as compliance and personnel processes. To meet these needs, Human Resources and Workforce Strategy and Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs are refining faculty support structures by establishing two distinct roles in two different offices.
Faculty Success & Development – Academic Leadership and Faculty Affairs (Provost’s Office)
Effective March 1, 2025, Stephanie Ritchie Breach, who has been actively involved in faculty success initiatives since 2023, will now serve in an expanded capacity as Director of Faculty Success and Development, dedicating her full focus to faculty success programming and ensuring that faculty at all ranks have access to mentorship, professional development, and leadership training to support their growth at Boise State. Stephanie will provide strategic leadership in faculty development, career advancement, and departmental culture initiatives, fostering environments that enhance faculty retention and success.
Her responsibilities will include:
- Faculty professional development and leadership programming
- Career development support for early-career, mid-career, and senior faculty of all ranks
- New Faculty Onboarding and related programming (in collaboration with other campus partners)
- Coordination of the Adjunct Advisory Committee
- Coordination of institutional memberships to development resources through Academic Impressions and NCFDD
- Stewardship of the Faculty Handbook
- Resource for the Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct
- Faculty Exit Interviews (conducted in coordination with Human
- Resources to ensure alignment with university-wide turnover data)
- Consultation with department/unit leaders, associate deans, and deans on faculty success strategies, leadership, and faculty engagement
- Faculty retention strategies
Stephanie will continue collaborating with Human Resources and Workforce Development, Title IX and Institutional Equity, the Ombuds Office, and Community Engagement and Belonging, as well as other campus units that directly support faculty success.
Faculty Employee Relations – Employee Relations (Human Resources and Workforce Strategy)
To ensure faculty have a dedicated HR resource, Human Resources will hire a Faculty Employee Relations Specialist to assume the faculty employee relations responsibilities previously managed within Stephanie’s Faculty Relations Specialist role. While this position will be similar in scope, it will focus solely on HR-related faculty workplace concerns, providing faculty and academic leaders with guidance on university policies, compliance, and personnel matters.
The responsibilities of the Faculty Employee Relations Specialist in HR will include:
- In consultation with department/unit leaders, guidance on performance management, faculty discipline, and corrective action plans
- Workplace accommodations and ADA compliance support
- Training for academic leaders on performance management, employment law, and HR best practices
- Conflict resolution and mediation for faculty workplace disputes and grievances
- Investigation of complaints, workplace misconduct, and policy violations
- Interpretation of HR-related university policies and employment compliance, as well as the preparation and delivery of related summary reports and recommendations.
This expanded structure ensures that faculty have dedicated support tailored to their needs—whether related to career growth and leadership development (through the Provost’s Office) or employee relations and HR compliance (through HR). Stephanie and the Faculty Employee Relations Specialist will work closely together to provide a seamless faculty experience while maintaining clear distinctions between faculty success initiatives and HR processes.