Faculty Support Services • Faculty Commons • Penn Carey Law

The Faculty Support Office has one core goal: to support the teaching and research activities of the Penn Carey Law Faculty. We will undertake a wide range of activities on your behalf as they relate to your teaching and scholarship, so please ask. A member of our staff is available in one of our two offices from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. This brief overview is designed to acquaint you with the types of services the Faculty Support Staff offers to faculty members and how our department is organized to provide these services.

Requesting Services

Penn Carey Law’s Faculty Support Office work as a team, please contact any of the team listed below.

You can also visit one of our two offices in Gittis Hall G-105, and in Golkin Hall GK- 239.

What Can FSS Do for You?

Help access digital and other course materials.
Post these materials to your on-line course management software (Canvas).
Develop presentations or other materials for class and other appearances (PowerPoint, charts, tables, etc.).
Scan materials into digital form.
Assist in the creation of surveys, data sets, and other research tools.
Assist on manuscript preparation and other publication tasks.
Assist on the creation and proofreading of exams.

Lead Time for Requested Services

No matter how efficient we may be, great work takes time. Please give us as much lead time as possible to perform requested task(s). We’d like at least three days for all projects and as much time as possible for upcoming larger projects. This will ensure we can assign adequate resources to meet your needs.

Course Materials Preparation for Beginning of Semester

The 4‑week period prior to the beginning of a semester is an extremely heavy work time for the Faculty Support Staff. Materials to be distributed at the first class meeting should be given to our office at least 2-3 weeks prior to the first class session. Zach Siswick (siswick@law.upenn.edu) is the primary contact for course material posting. He will be happy to post for you or to arrange for ITS to train you so you can post materials and otherwise use the robust features of the Canvas system.

Final Exams

We are happy to assist with formatting your exams, and we will work with Academic Affairs to ensure the right number of exams are copied. Because of the significant time pressure accompanying the preparation of final exams, please you’re your final exam draft to Faculty Support 7 working days prior to the date the exam is to be given. Also, please provide Claire Wallace, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Registrar, a phone number where you can be reached on the day on which your exam is given.

Mail Room

Pick up your mail in the Mail Room, located inside the Dean’s Suite in our Facilities Office (GK-101).

While on Leave

We will either hold or forward mail for faculty members who are on vacation or leave, per your instructions.

Express Mail

If you have business material that must be shipped on the same day, please provide a complete address (including a street address) and a phone number (whenever possible) to the Faculty Support Staff office by 3:30 P.M .

Personal Shipping

All faculty and staff can use Penn’s preferred shippers and take advantage of Penn’s discounted rates. To sign up for personal shipping, consult the website for this service.

Additional Penn Carey Law Faculty Services

Biddle Law Library

Each faculty member is assigned a library liaison. This JD trained masters level librarian is on-call to assist with all your research and teaching needs. These include suggesting and locating materials based on your stated interests.

Additionally, your library liaison can order complimentary desk copies of books from publishers, should you wish to review one in advance of selecting it for your teaching.

Your liaison will schedule regular meetings with you on at a mutually convenient time.

To identify your liaison, if you’ve not already heard from him or her, please call Tim Von Dulm at 215-898-0844.

ITS Support

Penn Carey Law’s ITS group is here to support you as well. If you have hardware or software needs in furtherance of your teaching and/or research, please be in touch with ITS at itshelp@law.upenn.edu.

Audio Visual Equipment & Multimedia Needs:

The Media Technology team will support all your classroom and presentation needs. Contact the Media Technology Office at 215-898-9570 or itsmedia@law.upenn.edu

How to Schedule Recordings and a Technician in your classroom

Learn more about Media requests and recordings here.

Computer Support

For desk-side computer support, contact ITS Help at 215-898-2589 or itshelp@law.upenn.edu.

Facilities Support

Our facilities team is happy to assist you in setting up your office to maximize your productivity. Please direct your questions about office set up to Amy Eader at 8-1717 or email facilities@law.upenn.edu.

Phone Extension Info

You can dial internal numbers with the last number of the prefix and the four-digit extension. Penn phone numbers use four prefixes: 573 (dial 3); 746 (dial 6); 898 (dial 8); and 417 (dial 7).