About the Program
Learning and Expanding Abilities for Professoriate Cohort Fellows Program (LEAP) is a two-year cohort program designed to support assistant professors (TT and NTT) as they begin their academic careers as faculty members. Selected faculty members will participate in workshops and career-building events on topics of concern for assistant-level professors. The LEAP program is built around four areas:
- Enhance teaching and mentoring effectiveness: Participants will develop their teaching skills through workshops and/or seminars and tap into expertise from sessions at the Teaching for Learning Center, Campus Writing Program, Libraries, and/or Missouri Online. They will also learn about effective course design, assessment strategies, and student engagement techniques.
- Facilitate research, creative works, and scholarship: The program provides resources and support to help new faculty develop their research agendas, seek external and internal funding, and tap into the resources provided by the Division of Research, Innovation, and Impact and the Libraries.
- Promote professional development: The LEAP program offers workshops and seminars on a variety of topics relevant to early-career faculty, such as grant writing, time management, career planning, advising students, serving on committees, and more.
- Build a network of colleagues: Participants will have the opportunity to connect with other new faculty and experienced mentors through workshops, social events, and online forums.
During the two-year program, participants are expected to attend monthly 1.5-hour sessions on a range of topics and engage in discussions with peers. By the end of the cohort program, participants will develop a short- and long-term professional goals plan and identify pathways & supports to successful implementation. Development topics for sessions are adapted to meet the needs of the cohort members, but possible topics may include:
- Understanding workload policies, annual evaluations, and promotion standards
- Using student feedback to grow as an instructor
- Building effective and efficient work habits, protecting time
- Creating inclusive pedagogies
- How to advise & mentor graduate students
- Locating and leveraging resources at Mizzou
- Engaging in department life and building a culture of support and inclusivity
- Building student research and/or teaching teams
- Faculty governance structures and committees at MU
- Building a network of mentors
- Creating a course syllabus, and prepping a new course for the first time
- What is service? What is the expectation?
- How to work and communicate with Department Chair
Applying for the 2025-2027 Cohort
Applications for the next cohort of Fellows into this 2-year program are available. Please apply here.
Applications will stay open through January 20, 2025 and selections will be made by March 15, 2025.
Eligibility: assistant professors (TT or NTT) in years 2-6 of their career seeking early career development support.
Program Timeline: The two-year program will span the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years.
The following information and documentation are required (submitted as 1 PDF file):
- Statement of Interest: Why would you like to participate in the LEAP Fellows Program? Please include areas of professional growth that you desire support in during the 2 years of the cohort (3 page max).
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of support from your department chair or center director
Commitment
During the two-year program, participants are expected to attend monthly 1.5-hour sessions on a range of topics and engage in discussions with peers. Participants agree to attend a minimum of 85% of monthly cohort meetings in order to receive the financial supports of the program. Selected participants will receive $1,000 each year of the program for either professional development funding or for an external mentor.
Click here to view a list of program participants.
For questions about the program, please contact Brooke Hartman (HartmanEm@missouri.edu) in the Provost’s Office.