The UC Davis ADVANCE started its LAUNCH committee pilot mentoring program for new faculty in 2015, and it has taken off! Within two years, the pilot program has already served 34 new faculty members across the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Letters & Sciences-Mathematics and Physical Sciences, School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine. In the coming years, UC Davis hopes to expand this LAUNCH committee mentoring program to all its colleges and schools.

LAUNCH committees support early professional integration and development of new faculty as they begin their careers at UC Davis. The committees typically meet twice per quarter in person or by teleconference, 2-3 months before arrival through the end of the first academic year. The committee is typically composed of faculty members, including (at a minimum):

• A senior faculty member in the new faculty member’s department with related research interests
• Department Chair
• Senior faculty member from outside the department, in a field related to that of the new faculty member
• ADVANCE faculty member (convener of the committee meetings)

For additional information about the LAUNCH committee pilot mentoring program, please click here.