Professional Development & Mentorship

A new role and function

In 2024, Dean Andrea Forte created a new position of Assistant Dean for Professional Development and Mentorship, currently held by Judy Schabel. The new role and function is charged with leading the strategic vision for enhancing mentorship and professional development within UMSI, aligning with UMSI’s mission and values. This includes developing, leading and/or enhancing professional development and mentorship programs for faculty, staff and PhD students. It involves creating and/or promoting educational experiences, resources and tools for identifying, completing, tracking and reflecting on professional development and mentorship experiences. 

Professional Development and Mentorship for UMSI Staff

With regards to UMSI staff, the new role is focused on providing more guidance, structure, transparency and school level support for all staff members to invest in professional development and mentorship. This work will help staff identify and access existing professional development and mentorship opportunities at UMSI and UM and will devise new professional development and mentorship opportunities for staff that enhance their effectiveness and support their professional interests and goals. This work builds on UMSI's history of supporting staff professional development and mentorship and leverages the resources and programs offered by the University. 

Initial Steps and Focus

To ensure  new programs and resources are informed by staff members themselves and incorporates best practices and creative opportunities the initial focus has been on assessment and planning to ensure what is offered meets the needs of our staff and is sustainable while ensuring we continue to evaluate and innovate over time. As initiatives are developed and launched, more information will be added to this section of the staff handbook. As a starting point, information included here will feature a newly launched UMSI New Staff Buddy Program and a handy set of links to University of Michigan professional development and mentorship resources. Watch for more coming soon!