What is LAUNCH?

LAUNCH is a mentoring program designed to support Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) and Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (CAMPSSAH) faculty scholars at UC Davis. LAUNCH committees provide mentorship and guidance to faculty members during much of their careers at UC Davis. The LAUNCH program was piloted under the UC Davis National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant (2012 – 2018) for STEM faculty. When the grant ended, the program became institutionalized within the Office of the Vice Provost of Academic Affairs (Note: CAMPSSAH is an expansion of the original CAMPOS program to include faculty in the social sciences, arts, and humanities).

What is a LAUNCH committee?

A LAUNCH committee is the group of faculty that serves as mentors to the LAUNCHee. The LAUNCH committee supports the LAUNCHee with that individual’s academic career and advancement from promotion to associate professor and eventually full professor. Academic Affairs works with the LAUNCHee and their home department to determine the membership of their LAUNCH committee. A LAUNCH committee has at least three mentors and is typically chaired by a senior faculty member, e.g., department chair, vice chair, or other senior faculty member. Each committee also includes a CAMPOS or CAMPSSAH Affiliate. Members of the LAUNCHee’s committee may be both within and outside their department, and members may be added or removed as needed to meet the LAUNCHee’s mentorship needs. More information about LAUNCH committees can be found here: LAUNCH guidelines. 

What is a LAUNCHEE?

The term LAUNCHee refers to the mentee: the CAMPOS/CAMPSSHA faculty scholar.

Contact:

For questions about the LAUNCH program, contact Michelle Dowling, Program Coordinator, at mdowling@ucdavis.edu.