SPCS Faculty

Information for Faculty

SPCS intentionally engages adjunct faculty as our primary instructors. Members of our full-time faculty direct the School’s academic programs and strategy. Our adjuncts, who are scholar practitioners with both workplace experience and academic and teaching credentials, bring real-world experience and cutting edge theory into the classroom when they teach.

Adjunct FacultyFull-time FacultySPCS Guiding PrinciplesOnline Teaching Resources

Updates & General Information

Tell us your story. Update your online bio. Find out who sits on SPCS committees. And review the list of program chairs. If you need additional details, information, review details below.
12

faculty appointments

~150

active adjunct faculty members

12

average number of students in SPCS classes

Spring 2023 Faculty Meeting

The Spring 2023 Adjunct Faculty Meeting will be held in person. All adjunct faculty members are encouraged to attend, even if not teaching during the fall semester. Promotions, service awards and the Innovations in Teaching award will be announced during the meeting.

  • Thursday, January 5, 2023
  • Jepson Alumni Center
  • 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Effective Teaching Tools

Effective teaching is at the heart of the School, part of the fabric of the Richmond experience. The resources provided below offer tips and tools for faculty training and improvement, along with links to forms and resources needed to teach and administer classes effectively.

Innovations in Teaching Teaching resources along 14 dimensions of innovation. Lists annual award winners along with nomination form.
Online Teaching Resources Hundreds of online teaching & learning resources, organized by category.
Miers Undergraduate Research Award Faculty nominations accepted annually for undergraduate research excellence.
UR Faculty Hub University’s pedagogy-focused resource for all faculty.
SPCS Online Teaching Community Housed on Blackboard (look for TR176), an SPCS community of practice.

Resources for All Faculty

Improving Instruction

The Innovations in Teaching framework defines teaching innovations along 14 dimensions. SPCS gives an annual Innovations in Teaching Award to an adjunct faculty member who demonstrates innovative teaching practices. Nominations for the annual award are generally due in early December.

Our Online Resources for Teaching & Learning have been collected by a committee of adjunct and full-time faculty, spearheaded by Bob Spires and John Zinn. This event is updated as new tools and resources become known and available.

Continuity of Instruction

The University has collected tips, resources and techniques for ensuring that students are able to continue making progress toward their degrees regardless of circumstances. Recent experience with the coronavirus pandemic reveals the importance of making a plan to continue instruction. The following summarizes primary recommendations:

Campus Emergencies

In the case of an active shooter: Run. Hide. Fight. University of Richmond Police recommend watching this video illustrating the value and effectiveness of this response to an active shooter on campus.

All campus emergency alerts are posted to alert.richmond.edu and sent by email to your Richmond account. Log in to BannerWeb to opt into emergency communication by phone and text to ensure speedy receipt of emergency communications.

Reminders

Faculty meetings are held early in the spring and fall semesters. SPCS Night and Commencement are held early in May.

You may wish to become a Safe Zone Ally to support LGBTQ members of the Richmond community.

If you are interested in additional employment opportunities at Richmond, visit SPCS job postings or the HR online jobs site.

Free and discounted professional development opportunities are available for all faculty; review the list on the Adjunct Resources page.

Faculty & Staff Accomplishments

Tom J. Shields
Shields Featured in Wilder School Award Video

Tom Shields, associate dean for academic & students affairs and chair of the SPCS education program, honored the scholarship and legacy of Dr. John Moeser in an award recipient video from the VCU Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs’ 16th Excellence in Government Awards. Moeser, who posthumously received the Robinson-Hill Expansion of Freedom Award from the Wilder School, was a beloved UR colleague who collaborated with Shields on the SPCS co-sponsored Unpacking the Census project.

View Bio
Tom J. Shields
Shields Presents Census Data with Spatial Analysis Lab

Tom Shields, SPCS associate dean for academic & students affairs and chair of the SPCS Education program, presented the most recent Unpacking the Census information at the UR Faculty Hub’s Morning Blend earlier this week. Shields co-presented with Kyle Redican, director of the Spatial Analysis Lab.

View Bio
Daniel L. Hocutt
Hocutt Receives Distinguished Article Award

Daniel L. Hocutt, Adjunct Professor of Liberal Arts, has received the Frank R. Smith Distinguished Article Award for 2023 from the Society for Technical Communication. The award-winning article, co-written with professors from George Mason University and Central Michigan University, was published in November 2022.

View Bio
Sarah Beth Calveric
Calveric Named Va. Region 3 Superintendent of the Year

Sarah Calveric, Adjunct Associate Professor of Education and Caroline County School Superintendent, has been named the Region 3 Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. The award makes Calveric eligible to contend for the Commonwealth’s Superintendent of the Year award to be announced in April.

View Bio

SPCS & Relevant Events

  • DSC_0001
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0007
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0008
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0010
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0011
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0012
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0013
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0014
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0016
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0018
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0019
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0020
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0021
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0022
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0024
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0037
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0025
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0028
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0030
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0031
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0032
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0033
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0034
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0036
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0039
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0042
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0043
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0044
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0047
    Spring 2023 SPCS Faculty Meeting
  • DSC_0048
    5-Year Service Award Recipients: Jan Nelson, Drew Baker, Karen Carpenter & Kelly Merrill with Dean Wilson
  • DSC_0049
    10 Year Service Award recipients: Lynne Bland & Rob McAdams with Dean Wilson.
  • DSC_0050
    15-year Service Award Recipient: Maria Poindexter with Dean Wilson.
  • DSC_0051
    20-year Service Award Recipients: Linda Fisher Thornton, David Kitchen, George Hiller & Chris Turpin with Dean Wilson.
  • DSC_0052
    25-year Service Award Recipient: William Prior with Dean Wilson.
  • DSC_0053
    Promotion announcement: Linda Fisher Thornton to Adjunct Professor, pictured with Associate Dean Shields.
  • DSC_0054
    2023 SPCS Innovations in Teaching Award Recipient Bruce McKechnie with Dean Wilson and Associate Dean Shields.