Faculty and Staff are invited to the FORWARD Center open house on Thursday, Jan. 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in FLC, room 316E. The room serves both as a conference room and as the FORWARD Scholar’s office. NDSU Advance FORWARD, a campus initiative funded by a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, promotes recruitment, retention and advancement of faculty on campus.

During the Fall 2008 semester, senior interior design student teams in Susan Ray-Degges’ course participated in a six-hour design charrette to create an interior design solution to support the needs of the FORWARD group. A final design solution, created by Cassie Thompson and Lindsey Knott, was selected for installation. The interior supports Thompson's and Knott's desire to create a warm, welcoming and empowering space while having an environment that functions effectively for the staff and visitors. Ray-Degges, associate professor in the apparel, design and hospitality management department, was instrumental in bringing their design to life.

“The FORWARD Center provides a functional space for faculty to meet and present ideas on institutional transformation,” says Julie Nash, FORWARD project coordinator. The space is available for formal meetings, faculty and administrator training and provides space for graduate students and faculty to work on research and workshops.

Angela Bachman, FORWARD assistant for faculty recruitment, further noted the room is a wonderful resource for small training opportunities for faculty including search committee meetings, recruitment training and webinars.

Bachman is available to assist faculty with any of their needs related to faculty recruitment and searches. For more information, contact her at 1-7150 or angela.bachman@ndsu.edu.