COVID-19 Pandemic: Virtual FSDP Workshops Open to Faculty and Staff

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Faculty and Staff Development Program (FSDP) will be modified to ensure the health and safety of the entire Pitt community. All in-person workshops will be suspended with some adapted to be presented virtually. The following workshops are scheduled for virtual presentation, however, please check back as more workshops will be added to this page. Additionally, you can visit the FSDP web page for general FSDP content and information.


Introduction to the PERIS™ Award Module

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Time: 9–11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented remotely using Zoom

The MyFunding Award Module is a component of the PERIS™ portal, which is a university-wide electronic research management solution. This introductory course will prepare potential users to become more familiar with this module and its capabilities.

Time Management

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Time: 9–11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented remotely using an online meeting platform

There is not a one size fits all solution for better time management. What works for one, may never work for another. This workshop provides time management techniques, helps participants identify priorities, and instructs how to remove obstacles to managing time. Through pre-work, participants will identify the tools most effective to their individual style.

Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity and the IDI Assessment Tool

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2020
Time: 9–11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented remotely using an online meeting platform

The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) provides a structure for understanding how people experience cultural difference. Six stages of perspectives describe how a person sees, thinks about, and interprets events happening around them from an intercultural-difference perspective. The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) assesses intercultural competence—the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities.

Student Privacy and FERPA

Date: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 9–10:30 a.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented remotely using an online meeting platform

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the law that the University and its employees must follow with regard to student records. This workshop will give participants an overview of student privacy laws, regulations, and University policies pertaining to the confidentiality of student records. Because failure to follow FERPA can result in federal censure, loss of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education, and adverse reflection on one’s employment at the University, it is important information for all faculty and staff who handle student records. This session will help participants avoid the pitfalls of noncompliance and become the student records “go-to person” in their department. Upon completion of this session, attendees will know how and when FERPA applies at Pitt, what exceptions to disclosure of records exist, where to go for further information, and how University policy is applied to student records.

​Managing in Uncertainty

Date: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 12–1:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual – This program will be presented remotely using an online meeting platform

In the opening chapter of M. Scott Peck’s very famous book “The Road Less Traveled,” drawn from his experience as a psychotherapist, he offers this: “Life is difficult. This is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” That life is uncertain is not a new or novel idea, and certainly in the Age of COVID-19 that truth has been brought home in alarming ways, as we sit and wait, feeling helpless, and occasionally hopeful. But still, we meet each day somehow, with a certain dread, but also some sense of gratitude. It is that capacity for duality, that enables us to carry on somehow.

Mindfulness Part 2

Date: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 12–1:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented using Microsoft Teams

As we understand the basic concepts from the Introduction to Mindfulness session, participants in this class will explore additional techniques such as mindful movement, loving-kindness meditation, and mindful eating, and how we can implement these practices within our lives. All those who have participated in the Introduction to Mindfulness workshop are welcome.

Fostering a Diverse and Inclusive Environment: The Why and How

Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Time: 9–11:00 a.m.
Location: Virtual – This workshop will be presented remotely using Zoom

When we talk about diversity and inclusion, diversity is the more familiar topic. The discussion must go beyond seeking and building a diverse workforce to include how we make those whom we work with feel both valued and included. Workshop participants will discuss the differences between diversity, inclusion, and exclusion. They will also leave this workshop with a heightened awareness of the importance of inclusion to a successful workplace and, how to promote inclusion in their workplace.


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