In October 2018, Northwestern’s Office for Research, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, launched the ASCEND program, a faculty excellence initiative. The program goal provides professors with new tools and resources to intentionally plan their post-promotion research trajectories to ensure that their strategic goals are met despite increasing faculty demands. We also seek to support faculty members in their pursuit of external funding to support their work.
Members participate in monthly convenings and receive one-on-one coaching from an executive academic coach. Academic coaching is a tool utilized by growing numbers of high-impact faculty who seek increased clarity and focus, increased accountability, better idea generation, and the best resources for productivity and strategic priority setting.
The program is open to associate professors who were tenured at any time as well as full professors who were promoted within the last five years. We are currently accepting applications for the 2020-2021 cohort! To apply, please complete the online submission form by March 4, 2020. For more information about this program, please check out our website and send your inquiries to our program coordinator, Dominique Adams-Santos, at ascend@northwestern.edu.
