ELEVATE

Applications for ELEVATE 2025 are closed!

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MSI faculty members are life-long learners and educators who are constantly in pursuit of personal and professional excellence. In an effort to support the ongoing development of early-career MSI faculty, the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions will draw from our expertise to offer ELEVATE.

ELEVATE will bring together early-career MSI faculty to further equip them with support, training, and an opportunity to create a close-knit network of peers. This three-day program will provide early-career MSI faculty with a unique professional development experience that will do the following:

Enrich Learning

Fellows will have the opportunity to further develop their skills through workshops that will cover academic writing, grant writing, teaching, and mentoring. ELEVATE will further enrich fellows’ learning by providing sessions geared towards helping early-career MSI faculty navigate the professoriate.

Enhance Visibility

Two key goals of the Center are to elevate the educational contributions of MSIs to ensure their participation in national conversations and to increase rigorous scholarship on MSIs. Through their rigorous research, MSI faculty members contribute to fulfilling these goals. Thus, ELEVATE will offer workshops that will further fellows’ skills in producing and publishing MSI-related research. Knowledge obtained from these workshops will allow early career MSI faculty to enhance the visibility of MSIs in national conversations by producing high-quality research.

Train Educators

All ELEVATE workshops will serve as training for early-career MSI faculty to enhance their capabilities as researchers, scholars, and educators. Bringing together MSI faculty and providing training in key areas will perpetuate the goals of the Center by giving MSI faculty a space to build partnerships across MSIs that will increase efficiency and optimize resources.

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Testimonials from Past ELEVATE Fellows: 

• "It was an honor to discover the journeys of fourteen amazing Elevate fellows. The 3-day workshop was filled with enriched insights, crafted to empower and transform MSI faculty." - Adrian Gale, ELEVATE Fellow 2024​

• “ELEVATE gave me a chance to collaborate, breathe, mentor, and be mentored. From the start, fellows were offered a chance to work with one another, which allowed us to build an intentional community by sharing our personal experiences within the field in a safe space.” - Leslie Ekpe, ELEVATE Fellow 2024

• “I am walking away more certain of how my creative work can live within the academy especially how I can expand my view of my own work. I honestly can say, I now have a network of scholars around the U.S. who I can learn from and lean on throughout this journey and road to tenure. My fellow fellows and the mentors have made themselves available to me in ways I was yearning for from my own institution.” - marcus harvey, ELEVATE Fellow 2024

• “As a community, we’re sharing our challenges but, most importantly, validating our experiences—both good and not-so-good. Rather than being quick to discuss how to resolve issues, we were first coming together as a community to lift each other up. This, to me, was immensely powerful because, as an early-career faculty, I’ve been so focused on not making mistakes as opposed to appreciating the work I am doing now and acknowledging myself. With self-respect as the baseline, I can continue appreciating others around me, including our students and colleagues.” - Victoria Kim, ELEVATE Fellow 2024

• "ELEVATE exceeded all my expectations. The diverse range of speakers and topics provided valuable insights, and the networking opportunities were exceptional, allowing to connect with experts and fellow professionals. The well-organized sessions and interactive workshops made for an engaging and enriching experience. The culture is positive and comfortable. I left ELEVATE feeling inspired, informed, and motivated to implement new strategies in my work. Strongly recommend! - Manpreet Kaur, ELEVATE Fellow 2023

• "I arrived at ELEVATE wondering if the tenure track was right for me. I left knowing it was the right path. ELEVATE helped to equip me with a new skill set, mentors, friends, and insights to help me be successful in higher education." - Kerri Malloy, ELEVATE Fellow 2022​​

• “I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at ELEVATE. It was a pleasure to meet colleagues who also understand the joys and challenges of working at an MSI. I appreciated the candidness of the mentors and their guidance in helping us to navigate the pathway to tenure.” - Elena Venegas, ELEVATE Fellow 2021​

• "The ELEVATE facilitators were an inspiration to me. It's one thing to hear about the successes and good opportunities that lined a role model's road, but it's quite another to hear about the mistakes, the challenges, and the self-doubt on the road to tenure. Hearing about their experiences made me feel less isolated and more empowered to overcome my own struggles." - Jenny Link, ELEVATE Fellow 2022​​

• "ELEVATE was an opportunity to gather with colleagues across the country who have similar, yet different experiences.  MSIs are unique, in terms of student body and much more, so it is great to bond with others who understand the beautiful struggle." - Omari Jackson, ELEVATE Fellow 2021​

• "As an inaugural ELEVATE fellow, the experience changed the trajectory of my entire career. I now have a network of scholars with whom I do research, service, and, most importantly, LIFE. Being asked to return to ELEVATE as a mentor for the past several years has been the highest honor, and it is my commitment to reach back to serve in the spaces where I was welcomed when I needed guidance and encouragement as a junior faculty member navigating the politics of the tenure and promotion process. It is like coming home each year, and I am grateful for the ELEVATE family." - Cheron Davis, ELEVATE Fellow 2015