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UofM Mentorship Network (UM²N)

Fall 2025 Events

 

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.

 

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.

 

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)
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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"

* 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) 

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)
    • 2025-2026 Faculty Learning Community for Promotion to Associate (led by Dr. Leigh Harrell-Williams, CEPR)
      • 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:

 

 

Spring 2025 Events

Weekly Virtual Writing Accountability Groups (on Teams)

  • We have two sessions this semester
    • Tuesdays from 9-11am (CST) starting Tuesday 1/28 led by Dr. Crystal White (clyates1@memphis.edu)
    • Fridays from 10-12 (CSF) starting Friday 1/31 led by Dr. Davia Downey (dcdowney@memphis.edu)
    • 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. 

  Publishing your OER at the UofM and Beyond! - February 25, 12-1 (virtual - register here by 2/24)

    • This is a follow-up to our book publishing event last fall 
    • Hear from UM3D and Library faculty and staff about open educational resources. Current presenters include Trish Lange (Instructional Designer/University Library), Carl Hess (OER librarian), Kenny Haggarty (Associate Dean for Innovation and Scholarly Engagement) 
    • Interact with panelists who have published open access books and syllabi, including Dr. Diana Ruggiero (World Languages) and Kelly Maust (Lambuth Library)

  In-person book club - March 4, 12-1 pm (ERIC 306 - new bldg. at Central and Zach Curlin)

    • This is a second chance to read James Clear's Atomic Habits and discuss with other faculty, staff, students if you couldn't participate last fall. 
    • We will cap the book club at 15 participants. Please RSVP by February 28. [If you previously RSVPd, you are already on our list.]
    • The book is available for free as an e-book from the UofM library or paperback from various local libraries (Bartlett, Memphis, Collierville). We cannot purchase additional hard copies. 

  Dances and Attires of India - March 18, 11:20 - 12:15 (location: McWherter library 2nd floor commons)

    • Co-sponsored event with International Faculty and Staff Association (IFSA) 
    • This interactive workshop will include an exhibit of Indian attires (and allow trying on attire) as well as Indian dance performance.


Spring social - April 1, 11:30 - 1pm, UC Fountain Room

    • Participate in lively conversation at themed discussion tables and assist in planning initiatives and events for next year for the UofM Mentorship Network.
    • Light hors d'oeuvres will be available.
    • Faculty, staff, post-docs and graduate students are welcome.

 

Fall 2024 Events

Weekly Virtual Writing Accountability Groups

All faculty, staff, and students who are looking for writing accountability are invited to join us in our weekly virtual writing accountability group. Please note that this group is not intended for students looking for feedback on their writing for a class assignment or research project. 

Starting the week of 9/1, there will be two sessions: Tuesday 9-11am (CST) and Thursday 1-3pm (CST). Attendees are free to join either of the Teams session as their schedule allows. Each session has an intentional structure:

(1) During the first 15 minutes, writing goals are shared via chat.
(2) At the end of the 1st hour (55-minute mark), goal progress is shared via chat.
(3) During the last 10 minutes of the 2nd hour, interactive "checkouts" with video and audio turned on.

Link/Information for Tuesday 9-11am (CST) > (Teams Meeting ID: 211 815 239 604 / Passcode: jHY5PV)

Link/Information for Thursday 1-3pm (CST) > (Teams Meeting ID: 239 964 159 267 / Passcode: sKkR7n)

 

Fall 2024 Faculty, Staff & Graduate Student Social 

Friday September 27, 12-1, UC Bluff Room (304)

We will have themed tables to encourage discussion around specific topics. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP here by Tuesday September 24th.

 

2024-2025 Learning Community for Faculty Promotion to Full Professor

Dr. Gretchen Peterson (Sociology) will be leading a learning community for associate professors who want to work towards their faculty promotion to full professor. There are 10 slots available. The soon-to-be available application is due by noon on September 13. Sessions will be held once monthly on a Friday from 10-12 (dates TBA).

 

Book Club

We will be leading a book club reading Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. This semester, we will have a virtual session on November 14 from 12-1. We will plan an in-person session for next spring (date TBA). The UofM library has the e-book available. At this time, we have funds for a small number of physical books for those who demonstrate a need for it. Please RSVP by October 9. 

 

Faculty Panel on Book Publishing

Friday October 4, 11:30 - 12:30 CST, UC Bluff Room (304)

Join four UofM faculty members (Ms. Karen Brunsting, Dr. William Hunter, Dr. Roger Kreuz, Dr. Diana Ruggiero) with recent book publishing experiences to learn about the process and ask their advice. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP here by September 27th. 

 

December "End of Semester" event: African Dance Class on Study Day