Faculty Leadership & Development

Welcome to the Faculty Leadership and Development Resource Hub

My name is Matheus Grasselli, McMaster’s Deputy Provost.

Below you will find workshops, events and other opportunities for faculty members at each stage of their academic life. The Office of Faculty Leadership and Development is situated within the Office of the Provost and supports, collaborates and partners with a wide range of departments and areas across campus.

Thank you for investing in your professional development and for pursuing academic excellence.

Video: More about this page

Upcoming Events

Welcome to New Chairs & Directors Save the Date

Faculty Events

Aug 12, 2026
9:00AM to 12:00PM

2026-27 New Faculty Exchange

Faculty Events

Nov 1, 2026 to Nov 30, 2026
12:00AM to 12:00AM

Programs and Activities

New to Teaching at Mac Day (formerly New Faculty Orientation) Learn more about this Teaching & Learning event

An orientation event offered each August by the MacPherson Institute and the Office of the Provost. Learn about McMaster’s priorities from senior leaders and hear teaching insights from faculty and staff. The event includes a panel and roundtables, plus lunch and an opportunity to connect with fellow educators and campus partners.

New Faculty Workshops Review upcoming workshops and register

A monthly workshop series, offered from September to April by the Office of the Provost. These workshops introduce McMaster’s management and support structures, featuring guest speakers from across campus who cover critical topics for career success. Open to all new faculty within the last two years.

Pan-University Workshop Series Visit our Faculty Events page to register

Offered by the Office of the Provost, workshops cover topics such as the fundamentals of the Career Progress/Merit (CP/M) scheme, guidance for filling out the Record of Activity form and an overview of the Tenure, Permanence and Promotion policy. Check out our Faculty Events page to register for these workshops and to see what other topics we have planned for the upcoming year.

Facilitated Peer Mentoring Program for New Chairs and Directors Email to register your interest in this program

This program offered by the Office of the Provost brings together new and established chairs and directors in a safe and supportive environment that allows participants to freely discuss emergent problems and challenges relevant to the role. Each faculty can nominate up to two new chairs/directors each year. Talk to your Dean if you are interested in participating.

Organizational Leaders Program Learn more about our Organizational Leaders Program

This nine-month cohort-based leadership program co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Human Resources Services is offered to Assistant Deans, Associate Deans, Directors of Administrations, and administrative leaders of students, research or administrative service. Talk to your Dean or PVP member if you are interested in this nomination-based program.

The Working Mind is an evidence-based program designed to promote mental health and reduce stigma around mental illness in the workplace. This training directly supports our shared purpose of promoting and contributing to a healthy and safe community at McMaster University. The program is a free, three module program for all employees and includes an additional fourth people leader specific module that focuses on helping leaders support their teams’ mental health.

Learn More

Free, four-session evidence-based mindfulness program for faculty and staff that is designed to build resilience and enhance well-being.

Learn More

Partners

MacPherson Institute Go To MacPherson

The Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation & Excellence in Teaching provides development opportunities, individual consultations, events, and resources.

Health & Well-being Go To Health & Well-being

McMaster’s Workplace Health and Well-being site connects faculty and staff with programs and resources that promote a safe, healthy, and supportive work environment.

Human Resources Services Go to HRS

McMaster believes in the ongoing cultivation of human potential, leveraging the diverse talents of its employees, and recognizes that everyone is a leader in their own role. Discover McMaster’s six core leadership capabilities — Explore leadership development and learning & development opportunities.

Human Resources Services and McMaster Continuing Education

New Employee Orientation >

New Manager Orientation >

Inclusive Excellence Leadership >

Personal Leaders Program >

Knowledge Leaders Program >

Strategic Leaders Program >

Other Programs and Resources

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Resources Forms & Policies

Forms, policies, guidelines and other information for graduate students, staff and faculty. From getting the supervisory relationship off to a good start to supervision guidelines and toolkits.

Essentials Program Build Expertise

Develop leadership skills, expertise in communication, productivity, teamwork, and innovation through McMaster Continuing Education’s Essentials workshops. Add microcredentials to your digital CV or social media sites.

Executive Management Program Leadership Development

These open-enrolment programs are for emerging leaders, mid-level management and senior executives. Earn a Certificate of Completion in Leadership Development from the DeGroote School of Business.

Faculty Resources

We also suggest you check with your own Faculty to see what they offer – the Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science all offer mentorship and leadership programs for new faculty.

The Faculty of Health Sciences offer a range of leadership programs for Health Science faculty, with some being open to all faculty.

Faculty of Engineering, Fireball Academy

McMaster Engineering’s Fireball Academy was established in 2014 to support the Faculty’s mission and to construct new and effective learning experiences for both its faculty and students. Learn more about the Faculty of Engineering Fireball Academy

Recognizing the importance of integrating new faculty members into the McMaster community, the Fireball Academy supports new faculty members by ensuring they are equipped with the necessary resources to successfully navigate their first few years. This approach allows new faculty to build a strong foundation for a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Access teaching resources covering topics such as graduate attributes, securing an NSERC Discovery Grants and other research funding opportunities, plus much more. There are also presentations, events, and tools to help faculty develop both personally and professionally.

Read about the Faculty of Engineering Five-Year Strategic Plan: Engineering a Brighter Future.

Faculty of Science, New Faculty Mentoring Program

Offered by the Faculty of Science and developed and supported by the Office of the Provost and MacPherson Institute, this program for new teaching and tenure track faculty pairs new faculty with established faculty members and provides opportunities to participate in faculty development workshops and other events.

Email deansci@mcmaster.ca (Dean, Faculty of Science) for more information about this program.

Michael G. DeGroote Health Leadership Academy (HLA)

The Health Leadership Academy offers leadership programs for health leaders that focus on learning, and unlearning, the necessary skills to navigate and adapt to our ever-changing health environment.

Learn more about the Health Leadership Academy

Faculty of Health Sciences, Bridging Leaders Program

Offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Office, this program helps leaders who hold dual citizenship roles bridge their university world with the hospital/health system.

Open to leaders within and outside of Health Sciences.

Email askcpd@mcmaster.ca for more information about this program.

Faculty of Health Sciences, Academic Leadership Program

Offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Office, the Academic Leadership Program (ALP) is an eight-month interprofessional cohort program that helps promote faculty development with academic leadership skills in an immersive and interactive format.