ACUMent
ACUMent, which stands for Across CU Mentoring, offers three types of mentoring programs for faculty at all career stages including pre-tenured faculty, teaching & clinical faculty, and tenured associate professors. This interdepartmental program fosters cross-disciplinary connections, allowing faculty from various departments to share diverse perspectives and expertise.
The application deadline has been extended to May 9. We will continue to accept applications through summer, but we strongly encourage you to apply before the Spring semester ends.
Questions? Email OFAFDS@Colorado.EDU.
Three Types of Mentoring Programs
- Mentor-Mentee Matches: A mentor is matched with 1-2 mentees outside of their unit/department. Mentoring pairs are expected to attend an orientation and meet at least once per month during the academic year.
- ACUMent mentors come from various academic units and departments, with a wealth of expertise and experience at CU Boulder.
- ACUMent mentors come from various academic units and departments, with a wealth of expertise and experience at CU Boulder.
- Peer Mentoring Circles: Groups of 5-7 faculty members provide mutual mentoring through a self-sustaining community around focused discussion and interests or a common career stage/experience. Opportunities to join a writing circle will be available at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
- For example, circles can be centered around interests related to faculty in leadership roles, lab scientists and researchers, international faculty, faculty parents, faculty caregivers, teaching and clinical faculty, new faculty, pre-tenured faculty, associate professors, etc.
- Potential topics for discussion could be writing advice, research productivity, time management, healthy work-life balance, creating a dossier, etc.
- For AY 24-25, we have circles for teaching assistants, teaching associates, interdisciplinary/BIPOC and women+ faculty.
- Peer Coaching: These are typically single coaching sessions that last about 1-2 hours, although the duration of coaching may vary depending on the subject area, faculty interest, and goal of the coaching sessions. Each session is led by 1-3 experts and whatever number of faculty are interested in a particular subject/topic.
- Potential topics for these coaching sessions include publishing in journals, getting a book contract with an academic press, securing grant funding, constructing a review CV, developing a writing/creative practice, etc.
Why Be a Mentor or Mentee?
- Share knowledge
- Celebrate successes
- Become a better leader
- Change someone’s world
- Work through challenges
- Empower through example
- Be inspired by your mentee
- Share resources/connections
- Shape the leaders of tomorrow
- Expand your network/perspective
- Make a difference to someone else’s life
- Gain insight into generational differences
- Embed what you’ve learned through teaching
- Build a campus community of support for junior colleagues
- Increase your knowledge
- Get help with motivation
- Hear words of encouragement
- Share your stories with a trusted ally
- Hear opinions on subjects you want to know about
- Ask for accountability for achieving the goals you set
- Get insight into ways to strengthen areas of your life
- Discuss goals, planning, and strategies for success in academia
- Gain the perspective of a senior scholar outside of your program
- Identify opportunities, resources, networks, and communities of support
ACUMent Participant Testimonials
"Both of my mentees are wonderful people and engaged departmental and campus citizens with whom I share life history and/or academic interests...Overall, I admit I'm learning as much from my mentees as they might learn from me."
"I am enjoying the relationship and getting to know my mentee better. I anticipate continuing to work with my mentee after this academic year since her promotion timeline is 1.5 years out."
"Creating a new relationship with other faculty from different departments and colleges has been very beneficial. It takes time to build a relationship and I feel now we have a good connection. I look forward to continue nurturing this relationship in the coming years."
"We have been self-motivated and are all incentivized to contribute because we are enjoying this process."
"It's been great to have these informal meetings. My mentor encouraged me to apply for fellowships, and I recently won a fellowship. Without their support, I would not have had applied for the fellowship."
“My mentor has been very supportive and lovely this year! Really great to have someone outside of my unit to talk to.”
“I’ve found this to be a really rewarding experience that definitely goes beyond what my department offers.”
“I’m so grateful to be a part of this program. My mentor has been lovely – accessible, supportive, and provides an important perspective on the institution outside of my department. Thank you!”
"Joining this program was one of the best professional development decisions I have made since joining CU."
"I've found the women in the group supportive and have picked up some good ideas/strategies from others."
"It's been great to connect with other female assistant professors."
"I did enjoy the conversations we had and it was interesting to hear from others in my circle about their careers and experiences."
ACUMent Mentors
Dean
Graduate School
Associate Professor, Faculty Director for Civil Engineering
Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor, Chair, Economics
Arts & Sciences
Professor Emeritus, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor, Director of Researcher & Collections Engagement
University Libraries
Teaching Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
Arts & Sciences
Professor, Director, ATLAS Partnerships & Innovation
ATLAS Institute
Professor, Integrative Physiology
Chair, Institute for Behavioral Genetics
Arts & Sciences
Coordinator for English as a Second Language Writers, Teaching Professor of Distinction
Program for Writing and Rhetoric
Department Chair, Associate Professor, Journalism
College of Media, Communication and Information
Department Chair, Professor, Geography
Arts & Sciences
Burridge Endowed Chair in Finance, Professor, DCPC Chair and Finance PhD Program Director
Leeds School of Business
Professor, Associate Chair for Research and Graduate Education, Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
Associate Director and Fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, Professor, Critical Media Practices
College of Media, Communication and Information
Teaching Assistant Professor Emeritus
Leeds-Budget & Administration
Senior Vice Provost, Online and Extended Education
Dean, University Libraries
CU Boulder Online
Office of Academic and Learning Innovation
Professor, Environmental Engineering Program
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Associate Director for Upper-Division Curriculum, Teaching Professor of Distinction
Program for Writing and Rhetoric
Department External Chair, Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor, Anthropology
Arts & Sciences
Professor, Spanish and Portuguese
Arts & Sciences
Professor of Law
University of Colorado Law School
Professor Emeritus, Computer Science
College of Engineering and Applied Science
Teaching Professor, Boettcher, Daniels and Norlin Scholars
Office of Undergraduate Education
- Mona Attwa, Associate Teaching Professor of Arabic, Arabic Language Coordinator
- Holly Barnard, Associate Dean for Research, College of Arts and Sciences
- Martin Boileau, Professor, Chair, Economics
- Michael Breed, Professor Emeritus, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Heidi Day, Teaching Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
- Jaelyn Eberle, Professor, Geological Sciences
- Michaele Ferguson, Associate Professor, Political Science
- Nicholas Flores, Professor, Economics
- Diego Garcia, Burridge Endowed Chair in Finance, Professor, DCPC Chair and Finance PhD Program Director
- John Hoover, Research Associate Professor, Project Director, Bilingualism and Biliteracy
- Toby Hopp, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Director, Masters of Corporate Communication Program, Associate Professor, Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design
- John Keller, Director, Fiske Planetarium
- Clayton Lewis, Professor, Information Science
- Ben Livneh, Associate Professor, Hydrology, Water Resources & Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Director, Western Water Assessment
- Robert McDonald, Senior Vice Provost, Online and Extended Education, Dean, University Libraries
- Pat O’Rourke, Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Resources and Support
- Antonio Papuzza, Teaching Associate Professor, International Affairs Program
- Nabilah Rontu-Carlon, Teaching Associate Professor, Senior Instructor, Chemistry
- Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, Interim Dean for the School of Education, Professor, Engineering and Applied Science
- Rebecca Safran, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Bobby Schnabel, Department External Chair, Professor, College of Engineering and Applied Science
- Burton St. John III, Professor, Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design
- Lev Szentkirályi, Assistant Teaching Professor, Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Faculty Director of Global Initiatives
- Janet Tsai, Associate Teaching Professor, Associate Chair, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Tony Tong, Professor, Chair of the Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations Division
- William M. Waite, Professor Emeritus, Computer Science
- Jim Walker, Teaching Professor, Boettcher, Daniels and Norlin Scholars
- Marcia Yonemoto, Professor, History
- Scott Adler, Dean, Graduate School
- Kirk Ambrose, Professor, Art History, Founding Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
- Lori Bergen, Founding Dean, College of Media, Communication and Information
- Michael Breed, Professor Emeritus, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Caroline S. Conzelman, Teaching Professor, Faculty Director, International Education
- Heidi Day, Teaching Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
- Robert Easton, Professor Emeritus, Applied Mathematics
- Patrick Ferrucci, Department Chair, Associate Professor, Journalism
- Nicholas Flores, Professor, Economics
- Gerard Hauser, Professor Emerirus, Communication
- Nils Halverson, Professor, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences
- Joseph Kasprzyk, Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Graduate Education, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
- Mary Kraus, Associate Vice Chancellor, Vice Provost, Program in Exploratory Studies
- Rebecca Kuglitsch, Associate Professor, University Libraries
- Daryl Maeda, Professor, Asian American Studies, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
- Elizabeth J. Meyer, Professor, Chair, School of Education
- Laura Michaelis-Cummings, Professor, Linguistics
- Russ Moore, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
- Jillian Porter, Associate Professor, Director of Russian Graduate Studies, Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Nabilah Rontu-Carlon, Teaching Associate Professor, Senior Instructor, Chemistry
- Fernando Rosario-Ortiz, Interim Dean for the School of Education, Professor, Engineering and Applied Science
- Ann Schmiesing, Professor, Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, Vice Chancellor for Academic Resource Management
- Anu Sharma, Professor, Associate Chair, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
- Rachael Deagman Simonetta, Associate Teaching Professor, English
- Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Professor, Public Relations
- Burton St. John III, Professor, Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design
- William M. Waite, Professor Emeritus, Computer Science
- Jim Walker, Teaching Professor, Boettcher, Daniels and Norlin Scholars
- Terri S. Wilson, Associate Professor, School of Education, Faculty Director of MAHE
- Wendy Young, Teaching Professor, Associate Chair, Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Kirk Ambrose, Professor, Art History, Founding Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
- Francisca Antman, Professor, Economics
- Deborah Cantrell, Professor, Law
- Patrick Ferrucci, Department Chair, Associate Professor, Journalism
- Wendy Glenn, Professor, School of Education
- John Griffin, Associate Professor, Political Science
- Taylor Jaworski, Associate Professor, Economics
- Karim Mattar, Associate Professor, English
- Helmut Muller-Sievers, Professor, Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Anu Sharma, Professor, Associate Chair, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
- Harry Surden, Professor, Law