Launch Programs
FIU's Launch Program features collective mentoring in order to provide support and guidance to new junior faculty members as they begin their FIU careers.
“This is tremendously helpful for junior faculty to start their career in a well-informed manner.”
Assistant Professor participant
How It Works
A Launch Committee is established for each Launch participant, typically a new Assistant Professor, that meets with the faculty member once a month during their first year.
Committee composition (five to six members, including):
- the department chair
- one mentor from within the department
- one mentor in a related field from outside the department
- a representative of the Office of Research
- a STRIDE committee member who convenes and chairs each meeting and who ensures a timely response to issues raised
Typical areas addressed by the committee: Generally, the focus is on areas that are essential for a new hire to be successful. These include:
- integration into FIU
- obtaining resources
- lab space/personnel
- students
- external funding
- teaching
- service
Important note: Launch committees are intended to play an important complementary role to individual mentoring within a department.
“The committee was very cleverly composed and had members who could help me with pretty much any question or help guide me in the right direction.”
Assistant Professor participant
Launch Committees
Konstantin Bukhryakov | Yong Cai, Maureen Pelham, Rafael Raptis, Suzanna Rose
Justin Campbell | Leslie Frazier, Steve Oberbauer, Maureen Pelham, Mike Sukop
Debbie Goldfarb | Stefany Cox, Leslie Frazier, Maureen Pelham, Jeremy Pettit
Alena Pridhidko | Paulo Graziano, Leslie Frazier, Adriana McEachern, Maureen Pelham
FIU's launch program credits the University of Michigan's ADVANCE program for the development of launch committees.