Facilitated by the Office of Faculty Development and ADVANCE
Research has shown that good mentorship is a key component of faculty well-being and success in academia. Mentoring also builds collegiality and robust community. Whether formally or informally, as a faculty member or librarian, we are all models or mentors for our colleagues, especially those new to their role or to UMass Amherst. While what makes a good mentoring relationship can seem idiosyncratic and elusive, in fact there are many tried and true skills that can help you navigate this important
In any given year, a faculty member's best-laid plans can be shifted due to external forces beyond their control. Some years, these disruptions are so significant that their effects demand an institutional response.
This year, the Provost explicitly called on faculty to explain how their work has been impacted by the year's myriad disruptions - which include the lingering effects of the pandemic as well as ongoing federal actions on multiple fronts. Personnel committees, chairs/heads, and deans/associate deans must evaluate faculty recognizing the contexts in which they have been working
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, UMass Amherst has encouraged faculty to create Impact Statements to document how external shocks have changed the course of their professional activities in the areas of teaching, research, creative productivity and service. Join UMass ADVANCE for a practical session that draws on research and experience to help faculty think through the issues and choose an approach to writing an Impact Statement that best conveys the story of their year.
As a part of UMass Amherst’s commitment to shared governance, this session is a space for faculty and academic leadership to have open discussions on the emerging and evolving impacts of the external context on their work and academic lives.
UMass ADVANCE is Accepting Nominations for 2025-26 ADVANCE Faculty Fellows. All faculty who are on tenure-track or continuing stream appointment are welcome, regardless of where they are on their career path. Faculty members may nominate themselves or another faculty member. Faculty Fellows should be committed to institutional transformation that advances faculty equity.
UMass ADVANCE has announced the recipients of the 2025 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Peer Mentoring Awards and the Equitable Practices in Collaboration (EPiC) Award. The individuals and groups were honored March 10 in the Marriott Center in the Campus Center at the 2025 ADVANCE Annual Distinguished Lecture, which featured keynote speaker Suzanne Rivera, president of Macalester College.
As we finalize the reporting that marks the end of the 5-year, multi-million dollar NSF grant that launched our efforts, we are excited to share with you the next stage in the evolution and institutionalization of UMass ADVANCE.
Teaching classes on Zoom while entertaining a toddler who loudly asks for a snack. Finishing a grant submission after preparing dinner for an aging parent while worrying about running out of masks. Trying to navigate chronic illness, with mandatory in-person events, while avoiding becoming infected with COVID-19. These vignettes are not hypothetical but rather challenges many faculty members faced during the pandemic.