Faculty celebrate ADVANCE at UNM

Help with promotion, tenure, mentoring, networking are lauded

UNM faculty across campus who have been supported by ADVANCE at UNM say they are thankful for the program’s help in getting promoted, accessing research funding opportunities and staying at UNM.

Others said they appreciated ADVANCE’s writing retreats as well as workshops on topics for faculty that no other groups on campus were talking about, including managing difficult classroom situations and academic freedom.

Now celebrating its 10th year on campus, ADVANCE is a faculty development program in the Provost’s Office that works on promotion and tenure, faculty search, career management and other faculty support. 

“ADVANCE has been a vital part of my UNM experience and has helped with my development as a faculty member,” said Caroline Scruggs, a regents’ professor of Community and Regional Planning at UNM’s School of Architecture and Planning.

Scruggs said the one-on-one confidential meetings about navigating difficult work issues and help fine tuning her CV ahead of promotion were also extremely beneficial, in addition to a short program during the COVID pandemic in which ADVANCE helped faculty tap into funding for student support.

“All of this is support that still impacts my life in clear ways, and I find myself continually expressing gratitude,” she said.

José Cerrato, a professor and regents’ lecturer in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, said ADVANCE has been a crucial resource.

“The workshops and spaces offered for mentoring faculty through various parts of the tenure and promotion process have been invaluable. Additionally, the “features” (news stories) of faculty work serve greatly to enhance visibility of the excellent work of our faculty and university.” 

Over the years, ADVANCE has produced news stories, videos and social media posts about the work of hundreds of faculty, including this piece on the work of Diana Dragomir, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy.

Dragomir said the seed funding she received as part of a 2022 Women in STEM Award was among the most important things ADVANCE has done for her, in part because of its ripple effect.

Dragomir received the award to continue her work exploring how planets form, and it helped her support a graduate student for a semester. That work in turn allowed the student to apply for a NASA grant, which now supports the final three years of his doctoral degree.

“He searches for exoplanets around binary stars,” she said.

One of ADVANCE’s first efforts to highlight the work of UNM researchers in 2016 was called “Where in the World?” It was a simple slideshow of photos of faculty doing work in various countries.

One photo was of Anthropology Professor Melissa Emery Thompson in Uganda during her work as part of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, of which she is the co-director.

The recognition meant a lot.

“For an early career researcher, I cannot overstate how meaningful it is to feel like someone is paying attention, that your work is valued, and that you are a part of the university community,” said Emery Thompson, a UNM assistant vice president for research who later became an ADVANCE leadership team member.

“All these years later, I still remember how nice it was to be invited to share a highlight of my research on the ADVANCE webpage, and it was the first thing that connected me to all of the other amazing things that ADVANCE does to support faculty,” she said.

Jami Nelson-Nuñez, an associate professor of political science, said the program has provided a supportive community for her.

“I received mentorship and support around my tenure dossier that made me far more confident about the process,” said Nelson-Nuñez, who was promoted in 2022.

The program also “bridges departmental and college divides and creates more cohesive support for faculty,” Nelson-Nuñez said.

“ADVANCE has been an incredible information source, helping to share and fill info gaps,” she said.

Kamilla Venner, an associate professor of psychology who was part of the Social Science Research Team with ADVANCE, said the program offered her a sense of belonging.

“Knowing the mission of ADVANCE has been incredibly helpful for me as a first generation college professor and person of color who has not always felt like I belong in academia.” 

“I was so fortunate to get to know Dr. (Julia) Fulghum and the team who worked on the climate survey, as that gave me another group to be creative with and find mutual support as we each sought out promotions.”

Knowing that she could reach out to Fulghum and the team at any time “has been a huge comfort and she always provided instrumental support and advice.” 

ADVANCE also works with potential faculty members when they are candidates interviewing for positions at UNM.

“ADVANCE was one of the key reasons I decided to join UNM,” said Lisa Losada-Rojas, an assistant professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering who first interacted with ADVANCE during her job interview at UNM in 2022.

“Knowing that there is a safe space on campus where you can discuss issues that might arise, be new to you, and possibly unique to a minority, was a highlight of my campus visit and negotiation efforts. I will always be grateful for the work done here,” she said.