Pilot Series for Mid-Career Faculty: What’s Next?

This program aims to connect University of Chicago faculty across disciplines through a cohort-based coaching series. Faculty will benefit from peer mentoring and professional coaching to pursue their next ambitious agenda. Interested tenured faculty members from any discipline are eligible to participate.

Register here to participate. 

Why participate in this program? 

Mid-career and senior faculty often encounter challenges and opportunities as they transition through stages of academic life. These challenges can be profitably addressed by leveraging University resources, peer support, and professional coaching expertise. For instance, faculty may seek to:

  • Pursue a broader impact of their work within the academy, industry, government, or beyond.
  • Create a strategy to establish their thought leadership and scholarly legacy.
  • Explore new opportunities for leadership within their field, at the University, or with external organizations and partners.
  • Pivot or evolve their research program or identify their next “big idea.”
  • Develop larger-scale collaborative infrastructure, grants, or initiatives.
  • Set a long-term, innovative research agenda that reflects their evolving interests and ambitions.

What can I expect from this program? 

  1. Participants will first complete an assessment form and then have an introductory individual session with a professional academic coach from Academic Impressions to discuss their personal interests and goals.
  2. Based on the faculty’s interests and goals, we will group faculty who would benefit from exploring common themes. Specific groupings will depend on the faculty who participate but, to give examples, a group might share an interest in pursuing larger-scale infrastructure or grants; a group might seek to hone leadership or engagement opportunities within or outside academia; a group could focus on pivoting scholarly agendas or finding their next “big idea”.
  3. Small groups of faculty will meet for an hour-long coaching session monthly for six months with an expert academic coach from Academic Impressions.  Additional shorter touch points with the group or coach may be possible as well.
  4. Depending on the groups’ interest, follow-up support may be available from the coach or from University resources, for example from the Office of Research or from University Communications.

What is Academic Impressions? 

Academic Impressions is an organization that offers extensive training resources for faculty and staff in higher education, including individualized and group coaching tailored to faculty needs. They specialize in addressing the unique challenges and opportunities faced by mid-career faculty and handle discussions with professionalism and sensitivity.

If you have any questions, contact Mike Tessel, Assistant Provost at tessel@uchicago.edu.