Associate professors get resources and support for new roles at UNM
Recently promoted associate professors learned more about their new role and responsibilities Sep.14 at an orientation for associate professors hosted by Advance at UNM.
At the event, associate professors were made aware of the resources available to them and were advised on how to transition to full professorship. Speakers included Julia Fulghum, director of Advance at UNM, Phil Ganderton, the senior associate dean and associate dean of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, Tina Takacs-Vesbach, a professor of biology, Rich Wood, interim provost and Mary Jo Daniel, director of UNM’s Faculty Research Development Office.
The orientation began with a presentation led by Fulghum, who gave an overview of what professors can expect in their new positions. She highlighted new opportunities for associate professors, including the chance to regain parts of life that they recently had sacrificed, the opportunity to do more community engaged research and outreach, and the ability to try out riskier research ideas including exploring new research directions and trying out more long-term ideas.
During her presentation, Takacs-Vesbach said there are challenges related to being an associate professor, but one can avoid becoming stuck in a rut through recovering, resetting, and thinking ahead.
“Once you’ve taken the steps to take care of yourself and make sure you are good in your body, your mind, and your family, it’s time to plan ahead. So you need to start thinking about where you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years, ” she said.
Daniel spoke about resources for research and scholarship UNM FRDO can provide to associate professors and how associate professors have more time to pursue research interests.
“I encourage you to reach out, if you want to get some feedback on what you’re thinking and what are the resources; we can help you find funding mechanisms,” she said.
To conclude the orientation, Wood hosted a Q&A session and talked about the vision for the future of UNM. Some of the questions asked included how minorities can be better represented at UNM and what the future of higher education is.
To hear more from the event, watch the videos below.