ACS MAPP

What is MAPP?   ||   Why Mid-career Faculty?   ||   What Happens in MAPP?   ||   What Are the Benefits of MAPP?
How Do I Apply?   ||   Who Will Facilitate MAPP?

What is MAPP?

The Mid-career Advancement Pathways Program (MAPP) is designed to help mid-career faculty thrive by developing meaningful goals, plans, and relationships. MAPP is a program of the Associated Colleges of the South for faculty across ACS campuses.  See below for the 2025-26 MAPP facilitators. The first cohort completed the program in spring of 2022. The current cohort will span October 2025 to February 2026.

Why Mid-career Faculty? 

Research on higher education faculty reveals a well-documented "mid-career malaise," the phenomenon of tenured associate professors -- especially those in rank for more than six years -- experiencing low satisfaction resulting from increased service obligations (some of which are "hidden," especially for women and faculty of color), the relative lack of support for research or creative work and other forms of professional growth, the disconnect between professional goals and a greater sense of purpose, increased expectations for leadership without leadership development, and unclear expectations for promotion to full professor (Kiernan, 2014; Baker & Manning, 2021). 

Due to all of these pressures, ACS has made MAPP available to up to 30 eligible faculty this year.  The tuition per participant is $500, funded by their home institution.

What Happens in MAPP?

Faculty selected for MAPP will participate in five core workshops and a faculty learning community. For a detailed description of the MAPP curriculum, including the dates of the core workshops, visit this page. 

What Are the Benefits of Participating in MAPP?

MAPP draws on the strength of the multi-institutional ACS network to share evidence-based practices to support mid-career thriving.  Beyond having the opportunity to reflect upon and plan for the next steps in their professional careers, program participants will also benefit as they develop cross-institutional support networks, including working relationships with MAPP facilitators.

How Do I Apply?

Mid-career faculty members with 10 years or less at the rank of Associate Professor currently employed by an ACS school will be given priority admission to the cohort. ACS colleagues with similar duration of experience (e.g., professors of practice, directors, senior lecturers) are also invited to apply.  To apply, please complete this form (coming soon!) no later than 5pm Central / 6pm Eastern September 3, 2025. 

In addition to identifying information and a confirmation that you have discussed the opportunity with your chair, dean, or mentor, applicants respond the questions below. Please limit each response to no more than 250 words.

1. What brings you joy in your professional work?

2. What brings you joy outside your professional work? 

3. Describe your greatest needs and your most pressing concerns in your role as a mid-career faculty member. 

4. Describe your goals (minimum of 3) for participating in a program for mid-career faculty. Be as specific as possible. 

5. What would success look like for each of these goals?  Be as specific as possible. 

6. How do your goals above align with MAPP? Be as specific as possible.

7. In thinking about your future, which of the following areas interests you most, and why:  teaching, research/scholarship, service/leadership?

Your responses to these questions will help the committee select participants and form the Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs). The selection committee will strive for representational equity among ACS schools across the cohort.

Who Will Facilitate MAPP? 

Linda Boland is the Associate Provost for Faculty, the inaugural Director of the Teaching and Scholarship Hub, and a Professor of Biology at the University of Richmond in Virginia. She is invested in building effective partnerships to promote institutional effectiveness. Favorite activities include swimming, cycling without going anywhere, spending time with family and friends, and reading.

Diane Boyd is the Mary Seawell Metz Executive Director of the Faculty Development Center and Associate Dean of Faculty Development at Furman University in Greenville, SC.  She collaborates with colleagues locally, nationally, and internationally to create innovative structures and programs for the ongoing professional development of faculty and academic staff in  flexible course design, equitable teaching and leadership, and scholarship of teaching and learning projects. She lives near the world-renowned Swamp Rabbit Trail and enjoys all manner of outdoor adventures along the greenway with her energetic canine companion Moxie!

Nancy Chick is now Executive Director of Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship and Professor of English at Texas Woman's University--but worked at Rollins College until July 2025.  Her interests include the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), signature pedagogies (i.e., disciplinary ways of teaching), and having meaningful conversations with faculty.  She enjoys walking to and from work, frequenting farmers markets, playing in her yard, and the humidity levels of Denton, TX (vs Orlando, FL).

Mattea Garcia is an Associate Professor of Communication at Rollins College. Her disciplinary research explores workplace bullying and social support. Her recent SoTL projects are focused on enhancing students’ integrative learning and note making skills through the use of linked note technology. As a former department chair and current faculty mentor, she is committed to helping colleagues thrive in their careers by prioritizing wellbeing and developing sustainable productivity and project management strategies. She is a voracious reader and fountain pen enthusiast. As often as possible, she is snuggled up with her rescue poodle, reading a good book and enjoying an iced mocha. 

Fuji Lozada is Associate Dean of Faculty, Chief Diversity Officer, and Director of the Crosland Center for Teaching and Learning at Davidson College. As a sociocultural anthropologist, he has extensive field-based research in rural and urban China, Ghana, and rural North Carolina on motorcycles..

Kitty Maynard is the Director of the Faculty Hub at the University of Richmond where she works with faculty members on topics related to teaching, writing productivity, and career development. She is a scholar of French Early Modern studies, and she loves being in the classroom. She enjoys riding bikes, watching birds, and hanging out with her cat Franky.