This program will provide participants with the resources to develop a strategic plan for promotion or to chart innovative directions in their careers. Danforth Campus tenure-track, teaching, research, and practice faculty are encouraged to apply.
The program will kick off with a workshop for the Washington University community from Dr. Vicki Baker of Albion College and Lead Mentor Develop, a company whose focus is supporting mid-career faculty. The workshop will take place on September 30 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Faculty selected for the program will be divided into affinity groups and participate in a smaller session devoted to articulating their goals for the program. These groups will continue to meet throughout the year.
Please note that you are expected to attend the workshop on September 30 and monthly 90-minute meetings during Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Participants will also receive exclusive access to career development workshops and mentorship opportunities.
Affinity groups
Target audience: tenured associate professors
Research shows that women take longer than men to be promoted from tenured associate professors to full professor, and there are specific issues that shape this promotion gap. This group provides mid-career women with mentorship around managing work-life balance, negotiating service obligations that are institutional and national, and developing a realistic work plan for a path to promotion. Members will also learn how to strategically advocate for themselves and their work institutionally and in their fields nationally and internationally.
Target audience: associate professors from historically underrepresented groups
After promotion, many members of historically underrepresented groups are pulled in many new directions. Making strategic choices and focusing on crafting an intentional and focused path to promotion can be challenging. This group will help faculty from historically underrepresented groups chart an intentional path from associate professor to full professor. Topics covered will include choosing new mentors for this phase of the career, cultivating promotion letter writers, research success and envisioning life beyond tenure.
Target audience: teaching and practice faculty
In order to be promoted, teaching faculty and professors of practice must craft institutional profiles that extend beyond a record of superior and innovative teaching. This group will serve as a space of support and mentorship for crafting a strategic plan for teaching and practice faculty to move toward promotion.
Target audience: tenured associate professors; recently promoted teaching and research faculty
After promotion, some faculty take the opportunity to craft exciting new research and professional agendas. This group is designed to help participants develop a strategic plan for moving into a new phase, such as getting training for a new field of research, moving into administration or leadership within the institution or nationally, crafting new initiatives or programs, and promotion. Tenured associate professors and teaching and research faculty who have recently been promoted may find this a useful resource for plotting new trajectories.
If you have any questions, please contact Cecilia Hanan Reyes, Program Manager, Office of the Provost.
Program Application
Application period for AY 2022-2023: closed