start@JMU | Coaching for newly appointed professors

Background

As a new professor at JMU, you may be going through a period of change in your career. Maybe you are even stepping into a professorship position for the first time. We have launched the start@JMU coaching programme to help you with any issues you may be facing at the current point in your career. The programme is strictly confidential and will be tailored to your specific needs. It is completely up to you to decide on what issues you want to focus and what questions and/or challenges you want to address.

Your coaching is always confidential. What you discuss remains between you and your coach. At no point will he or she disclose to other people at JMU about what you have spoken. Your confidentiality is of utmost importance to us. You decide whether you want to work with one of the four trained coaches on JMU’s in-house Academic Staff Development team or whether you would prefer an external coach. Your coaching sessions will take place in a location of your choice - either on or off campus - or you can meet with your coach virtually.

Your coach will help you tap into your resources and potential to develop solutions that are tailored to your unique challenges. Using a range of tools, he or she will show you how to develop a better awareness and understanding of how you act and get a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you can get there. Your coach will give you the inspiration to make any changes to the way you act that may be necessary, and you will get the chance to find out whether the steps that you want to take to reach your goals actually work in your specific situation or whether you will need to adjust your strategy.

Remember: Coaching is not just about reaching goals, it’s also about what you learn along the way.