Doing It All When Your Children Are Small: A Support Group for Faculty Parents
Attention, faculty parents! The demands of parenthood can be overwhelming and the pandemic has only intensified these challenges. Faculty parents are not only teaching courses, trying to write and conduct research, but also caring for and schooling their children. Do you sometimes feel as though you’ll never sleep again, let alone have a clear intellectual thought? Does publishing seem like a pipe dream? You are not alone.
In Fall 2025, we will host two drop-in Zoom support group meetings at various days to accommodate faculty parent schedules. Meet and connect with other faculty as we share ideas and strategies for engaging in research and writing while parenting. Please feel free to join these web meetings at any time between 12-1pm and for as little or as long as you like. The meetings are open to UC Davis and UC Irvine faculty parents.
All parents are welcome, as are their children!
Fall 2025 Schedule
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 12-1pm
SETTING LIMITS AND BOUNDARIES
Everyday routines - dressing, leaving the house, eating, and going to sleep - can easily turn stressful when a child has difficulties with these types of transitions. These moments often become points of conflict at different stages of a child's development, for a variety of reasons.
Join parent coach Jill M. Rosenthal, MSW, for a thoughtful discussion on how to set effective limits while also understanding your child's developmental needs. We can explore strategies to reduce power struggles, increase cooperation, and take care of your own well-being in the process.
Bring your real-life examples and questions, as this can be a great opportunity to get advice tailored to your family's needs.
Monday, November 17, 2025, 12-1pm
FROM THE CHAIR'S PERSPECTIVE
The first part in a two-part series, this session offers faculty parents an opportunity to hear directly from different department chairs. Professor Colleen Clancy and Professor Kristin Lagattuta have experience both as faculty parents and as departmental chairs. They will offer their perspectives during this session and suggest when and how faculty parents might approach their chairs as well as what chairs might expect from faculty parents. Please bring your questions for them - this is an opportunity for practical advice.
Dr. Colleen Clancy, Professor, Associate Dean and former Interim Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, School of Medicine
Dr. Kristin Lagattuta, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, College of Letters & Science
The convener of the Faculty Parent Support Group, Professor Emerita Diane Wolf, is also available for one-on-one confidential consultations to fit your schedule, including faculty parent of all school-age children. Please contact her directly via email at dlwolf@ucdavis.edu.
For additional information and all other inquiries, please contact Diane Wolf, dlwolf@ucdavis.edu, or Brad Horton, Program Coordinator for Faculty Relations and Development, bhorton@ucdavis.edu.