We have partnered with Washington State University Teaching Academy to create a virtual book club for faculty and staff, covering career development, innovation, leadership and other professional growth topics in which the participants are interested. The book club will connect through a private forum where all participants can discuss the current book and network with each other. Joining is completely free; you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. The book club will read one book for three months months so that you will have plenty of time for each book.

1. Embrace Lifelong Learning: The facilitated book club will broaden your career and provide new insights to get results in making you more effective in areas including leadership, communications skills, and achieving a fulfilling life.

2. Reading is Good for You: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships [1]. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, your emotional intelligence, and your creativity [2].

3. Connect with Fellow faculty and staff: Our book club will introduce you to fellow faculty and staff across industries, generations, and geographies all while gaining different perspectives while reading the book. The network you will be building may help you with career advice, introduce you to new people, and find your next opportunity.

What is a Professional Development One-Read and how is it different from a book club?

A book club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book that they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. On the other hand, Washington State University Teaching Academy One-Read aims to build a unified culture while developing staff skills in a challenging world of distributed teams, time pressures, and across time zones. One-Book is a way for our organization to commit to diving deeply into a selected topic once a year so that all faculty and staff to have an opportunity to learn and connect together.

Can anyone participate?

Yes! The Washington State University Teaching Academy One-Read is open to all faculty and staff.

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for all Washington State University Teaching Academy faculty and staff!

What is the time commitment, and what are the expectations?

We plan to dive into our selected book on February 17, 2025. The book selected covers topics aligned to our Professional Development Goals. If you have between one to two hours a week to read, you should be fine.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the Book Club?

At present, no in-person meetings are scheduled. However, we are in the process of organizing virtual sessions.

How do I get the books?

Acquiring the book will be your own responsibility; however, the first 50 participants who register will receive a complimentary copy.

How will I discuss the books with other faculty and staff?

Washington State University Teaching Academy One-Read will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to participants, share relevant articles, and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through a private community forum.

How do I make a profile on the forum?

We're using a private forum to host the asynchronous virtual discussion, so it's easy to connect with other faculty and staff. During our sign-up process, you’ll enter the information to auto-generate your free profile.

If you are already a member, you can click here to log in.

What exactly is PBC Guru and what do they have to do with the book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for faculty and staff. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.