Workshops, Events, and Networks
Workshops and invited speakers focus on specific topics suggested by U-M faculty and leadership, ADVANCE’s work on campus, and research. Programs change somewhat from year to year, but consistently focus on faculty development and success. While free to attend, faculty workshops typically require prior registration.
Programs for U-M Faculty
Faculty interested in expanding knowledge of a particular professional topic are encouraged to attend one or more workshops. The workshops are primarily offered to all faculty, unless otherwise indicated, and are often offered in conjunction with other units.
More information about ADVANCE’s STRIDE Committee Faculty Recruitment Workshops can be found here.
All of our workshops and events can be found by selecting the “All Events” link below.
Faculty Networks
Network To Advance Women Scientists And Engineers
This network provides members with opportunities to define collective goals and to get to know one another. The Network meets several times a year for events featuring a speaker or topic relevant to women in STEM or for discussion of books and articles of interest. A number of ADVANCE activities – leadership development activities, the mentoring initiatives, the annual report to the campus about our progress – have emerged from Network discussions.
“I have attended many events of the Network to Advance Women Scientists and Engineers. They have always been enjoyable and enriching, intellectually and emotionally. Meeting with like-minded people at different career stages and from a diverse range of disciplines over a glass of wine and a nice meal helped me relax from work and expanded my horizon. Each time I looked forward to the event and felt refreshed afterwards.”
-LSA Faculty Member
Single Faculty Network
The ADVANCE Program worked with a small group of faculty to develop a voluntary Single Faculty Network. This network is purely social, and provides an opportunity for single faculty to meet other single faculty who may share interests in a low-key setting. The aim is to make Ann Arbor a more welcoming and inclusive community to this group of faculty who sometimes feel vastly outnumbered by their partnered colleagues. Past events have included volunteering, attending a concert or play, visiting an art gallery and networking during a social hour.
“The Single Faculty Network events provide a great opportunity to meet faculty from other departments – not only to share professional best practices, but also to meet a wide range of people with different interests and backgrounds socially. The events themselves are also interesting and engaging on their own –the event I attended included a gallery opening and dinner at Vinology.”
-Ross School of Business Faculty Member
Network to Advance Faculty of Color
The Network to Advance Faculty of Color is a collaboration between the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the ADVANCE Program. The Network was created in 2015 with the hope that opportunities to meet and share experiences would be valuable. The Network meets several times a year, allowing network members to get to know one another in a social setting.
“The Network to Advance Faculty of Color dinners and meetings made it possible for me to meet colleagues who I ordinarily will not meet on our huge and sprawling campus. Hearing and learning about the exciting projects, awards, promotions, and sharing our personal stories at these meetings are so inspiring I can’t wait for our next in-person meeting.”
-Kwasi Ampene, Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS)
U-M LGBT Faculty Alliance
ADVANCE is collaborating with the U-M LGBT Faculty Alliance on several networking events. The U-M LGBT Faculty Alliance was started in 1992 and focuses on LGBT university policies, curriculum development, students’ academic/career needs and faculty support. All U-M faculty are welcome to join the Alliance. To join the private e-mail group, please send an e-mail to: LGBTfacultyalliance@umich.edu.
“Our networking dinners are for me a gathering of the family. We connect over food, listen to exciting speakers, and talk about issues vital to our community.”
-Jens-Christian Meiners, Physics and Biophysics
LIFT: Leadership and Integration at Faculty Transitions
The LIFT program facilitates the success, empowerment, and satisfaction of individual faculty, while enabling and informing their contributions as leaders to the departments, disciplines, and other institutional structures that define the academic community. The program includes two day-long seminars, one for recently promoted associate and one for recently promoted full professors. These seminars were designed with support from the Provost as well as the Deans of LSA and Engineering who saw the need to clarify and support the subtle and significant changes that occur through tenure and promotion – changes that are often taken for granted or learned only in the trenches, but which have a profound effect on the success and satisfaction of the individual faculty member, as well as the communities and institutions that she or he calls home. At these seminars, representatives from upper administration speak to the core values, goals and challenges of academia. Interactions with peers, colleagues, and facilitators deepen the discussion and consideration of the impact of these faculty transitions.
Note: This program is on hold for Academic Year 20-21.
