The Springboard at SMU

Welcome to the SMU faculty community--we are so glad you are here!

We are committed to providing you with a supportive environment through The Springboard, a faculty success program that can help lay the foundation for a successful and fulfilling career at SMU.

Early career faculty navigate a lot in their first years, including balancing new responsibilities around teaching and scholarly/creative excellence, often while juggling transitions to new cities and developing connections to new colleagues. The Springboard is a semester-long, cohort-based program that is specifically tailored to all faculty who are new to SMU.

 What does the program offer?

• Cohort connections. You will be matched into a small group of faculty colleagues at a similar stage in their career with similar career goals.
• Two options to join. Two Springboard cohorts will be offered: fall semester and spring semester. Each cohort will participate in the following opportunities:
  
  • Three monthly brunch gatherings over the course of the semester (either fall or spring). Once each month (Fridays from 9:00-10:15 am), you will gather for brunch on the SMU campus for a facilitated conversation about topics focused on successful faculty life.
  • Topics of relevance. Topics are drawn from the National Council for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) Core Curriculum webinar series: establishing work/life balance, increasing productivity around research and scholarly/creative excellence, enhancing teaching quality, improving self-efficacy around the promotion and/or tenure process, and building a network of people and resources across campus.
  • Meeting faculty across campus. Not only will you join peers outside your home department, but senior faculty from around campus will join as guest speakers throughout the semester to talk about their experiences and invite your ideas and input.

 How do I apply?

We welcome all new faculty of all ranks and foci who have recently joined the SMU community. Simply apply at the button below, which will ask questions about your areas of interest so that we can match you with your cohort. We ask that you commit to attending all three brunch gatherings to help ensure a balanced cohort approach.