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UofM Mentorship Network (UM²N)

ProgrammingFall 2025 Events 

We offer a variety of programming to allow faculty, staff, postdocs, and students across campus to network and support each other. 

Please RSVP for each event so that we plan accordingly and send you an Outlook calendar invite.

Fall Social - Wednesday September 10, 2025 1-2:30 Ball Hall 124

  • Our fall social will include a presentation on “flavors” of mentorship and thinking about one’s own mentorship network.
  • Open to all faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students.
  • Light refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP here by Monday September 8th. 

Intentional Careers workshop - Wednesday October 29, 2025 - 1-2pm - UC Fountain View Room

  • Led by Stacy Vanderpool (Student Academic Services).
  • Based on work by Madelyn Mackie on career mapping.
  • Open to all faculty, staff, postdocs, and students.

Please RSVP here by Monday October 27th.

Promotion/Tenure Narrative Writing and Feedback Sessions

  • These events are focused on faculty at the assistant and associate level who will be going up for promotion and/or tenure or third-year review during the 2026-2027 academic year.
  • Open to tenure-track/tenured, teaching, clinical, professors of practice, and research faculty.
  • Two-session events will be held for each type of narrative. The first session for each narrative will include a presentation about what to include in your statement. Participants who don’t have a statement draft already will work on an outline or bullet point list. Those who do have a statement draft already will work with peer feedback partners. During the second session, everyone will work with a peer feedback partner.
  • Volunteers are needed to assist with online feedback sessions for those faculty not located on the main campus or who can't attend in person on the scheduled dates.
  • Teaching Statement: Friday October 17 & Friday November 21 10-11:30am  (UC Senate Chamber)
  • Research Statement: Thursday December 4 (study day) & Friday January 23 10-11:30am  (UC Senate Chamber)
  • Service/Outreach/Advising/Mentoring/Administration Statement: Friday February 27 & Friday March 27 10-11:30am  (UC Senate Chamber)

Podcast/Article Discussion Events: Fall Event: Wednesday 11/12 1 - 2 pm UC Senate Room  We will discuss two podcast episodes from "The Professor is In": Episode 3.12 "Your Breaking Point" and Episode 3.29 "How to Keep Going When You Don't Feel Like It" Please RSVP by Tuesday 11/11.

* Two more Podcast/Article Discussion events will happen in Spring 2026 - stay tuned!  

Weekly Virtual Writing Accountability Groups (on Teams) - No RSVP Necessary - Join Us When You Can!

  • All faculty, staff, and students who are looking for writing (or task) accountability are invited to join us in our weekly virtual writing accountability group.
  • You can be working on ANY PROJECT during this time. We aren't exclusive to writing academic papers. We want to support you reaching your goals this semester, whatever those might be.
  • Please note that this group is not intended for students looking for feedback on their writing for a class assignment or research project. 

(TUESDAY AFTERNOON WRITING GROUP DETAILS (PAUSED for Fall semester)

THURSDAY MORNING WRITING GROUP DETAILS Time: 9:30 - 11:30 am (You can attend any time in this window.) Leader: Dr. Leigh Harrell-Williams (Leigh.Williams@memphis.edu) Thursday Morning Teams Link  Meeting ID: 280 338 048 190 9   Passcode: Kj3bB78v  

 

Employee Support for Caregiver Series (Parent or Legal Guardian, Caregiver for Parent or Spouse, etc.)​

More information to come for Spring 2026 events....

    If you have other idea for programming this semester that you would like us to co-sponsor, please reach out to us.     

 

Applications Required (now closed):​

    • Fall 2025 Faculty Learning Community for Advancement for Full Professor (led by Dr. Gretchen Peterson, Sociology)
      • Extended deadline: September 16 at 5pm CST
    • 2025-2026 Faculty Learning Community for Promotion to Associate (led by Dr. Leigh Harrell-Williams, CEPR)
      • The goal of this Faculty Learning Community is to support junior faculty in establishing a strong pathway to promotion to the rank of associate professor. This FLC will be limited to 10 faculty currently at the rank of assistant professor who have completed mid-tenure/3rd year review and/or will be going up for promotion and/or tenure in approximately 2 years. Meetings will occur once monthly across the academic year for 1.5 hours, trying to work around participant schedules. Monthly meetings will include topics such as: Understanding Promotion Guidelines and Expectations, Goal Setting to Address Third Year Review or Department Chair Feedback, and Identifying Potential External Reviewers (for tenure only).
      • You are welcome to participate in the narrative writing and feedback sessions (see below). 
      • Notification of selection will be sent by September 12th.  
    • 2025-2026 Mentoring Circles 
      • We will be looking for 5 mentors to lead a monthly mentoring meeting with approximately 4-5 mentees. This opportunity will provide for both a formal mentor and peer mentors.
      • We will suggest that the hourlong monthly meeting start with 30-minutes of mentee goal setting and progress reporting, followed by 30 minutes for questions and/or discussion of a specific topic requested by mentees.
      • Open to all faculty, staff, and postdocs. 
      • Application link: Mentoring Circle Application Link
      • Deadline: September 16 at 5pm CST