Application deadline: November 2, 2026
You’ve built a career, found your footing, and accomplished much of what you once set out to do, and now a quieter, harder question has started to surface: What now? If that sounds familiar, you are far from alone, and this program is for you.
The Mid-Career Mentoring Cohort Program is a new, year-long initiative that offers a dedicated forum for exploration at this pivotal moment. It is a space to ground yourself, take stock, and think deeply about the connection between your what and your why.
Our goal is not to tell you what “the right path” is. Instead, we aim to help you discern what your right path is, whether it runs through academic or non-academic options. Along the way, you will have room to develop new skills, experiment with new possibilities, and plan your future in ways that feel meaningful to you.
About the Program
The program brings together a cohort of up to 20 participants for a full year of shared exploration, from December 2026 through November 2027.
- Launch: The cohort meets in person for the first time at the ASA Annual Meeting in December 2026.
- Monthly sessions: Throughout the year, we meet monthly via Zoom, with a summer interlude for independent work.
- Culmination: Our final gathering takes place in person at the 2027 ASA Annual Meeting in November.
This is intended to be an authentic and safe space to explore and reflect, while also helping you think through the very practical next steps that matter most for your career and life goals. Organizers and colleagues from throughout the association will facilitate sessions and share their own experiences.
Our Goals and Values
Key Goals
- Provide resources and support for mid-career colleagues navigating the professional rigors of academia.
- Provide space for discernment and inspiration.
- Develop a sense of ownership and confidence in your career path.
- Create cohorts of connection and support among colleagues.
Our Values
- Mentees are also mentors. This is a community of practice in which we learn from each other. Everyone brings skills, knowledge, and experience to the table, and everyone has the opportunity to learn.
- There’s no one path forward.
- Knowing your values and strengths helps. A clear sense of both can help you navigate possible paths with confidence.
- Work doesn’t have to be your life.
- Success in academia isn’t a zero-sum game. We can support each other and cheer each other on.
- Uncertainty and insecurity are realities everyone is facing.
Program Schedule
The year unfolds in three phases. Attention to work-life balance runs throughout, and especially through the fall sessions.
Spring 2027: Develop Your Skills
| When | Session | Focus |
| December 2026 | Opening meeting (ASA Annual Meeting) | Values and vision; strengths and challenges |
| January | Meeting 1 | Building a professional network |
| February | Meeting 2 | Building and maintaining a public profile |
| March | Meeting 3 | Shifting your research agenda or starting a second project |
| April | Meeting 4 | Building new skills: digital research and scholarship, consulting, and policy |
Summer 2027 Interlude (May–July): Experiment and Implement
Use the summer to put new skills to work in a project of your choosing. You might build your network, pursue new opportunities, or learn about new fields. Come back ready to share a concrete report: What have you implemented? What questions have emerged? What more do you need to do or know?
Fall 2027: Reflect and Plan for Your Future
| When | Session | Focus |
| August | Meeting 5 | Reflection and debrief from the summer interlude |
| September | Meeting 6 | Career planning |
| October | Meeting 7 | Navigating the balance between research, teaching, and service |
| November | Meeting 8 (ASA Annual Meeting) | What else is out there? Exploring possible paths |
A Commitment to Full Participation
The cohort model depends on continuity and trust, so participants must commit to attending all sessions, from the December launch through the November finale.
Spaces are limited and demand is high. If your schedule or circumstances will not allow you to participate fully this year, we ask that you hold off on applying so that a spot goes to someone who can. We hope to offer the program again and would welcome your application in a future year.
How to Apply
Please complete the short application form by November 2, 2026: [link to application form].
Applications will be evaluated on:
- Commitment to growth: your openness to reflection, exploration, and trying new things.
- Understanding of the program structure: your awareness of what the year involves and how it fits your goals.
- Commitment to full participation: your ability to attend every session and engage fully throughout the year.
In selecting the final cohort, the committee will also seek a group that reflects a diversity of institutions, disciplines, and other perspectives, so that participants can learn from one another’s varied paths.
Organizing Committee
- Jennifer Hart (co-chair)
- Andreana Pritchard (co-chair)
- Toja Okoh
- Ademide Adelusi-Adeluyi
- Mark Deets
- Jody Benjamin
Questions? Contact [name and email].
If you find yourself asking “What now?”, we warmly encourage you to apply. We look forward to building this community with you.
