Here at BAM, we are always looking for new and exciting ways to provide for the business and management communities we serve and support. Which is why we are proud to introduce our New Professors Programme (NPP) aimed at supporting new Professors in crafting and developing their careers.
Speaking to Co-Vice Chairs of the Academic Affairs of Conference and Capacity Building Professor Sarah Robinson and Professor David Sarpong, and programme facilitator Professor Jonathan Liu, we discuss the New Professors Programme.
Professor David Sarpong
David Sarpong is Professor of Strategy and the Marketing and Strategy Subject Group Head at Aston Business School, Aston University. An elected Vice Chair of the British Academy of Management (BAM), David serves on the BAM Council’s Sub-Committee of Academic Affairs of Conference and Capacity Building (AACCB), and is a former Convenor of the Annual Doctoral Symposium of the Academy. A Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Higher School of Economics (HSE) Laboratory for Economics of Innovation, David has since 2015 conducted research on Russia's Basic Research Program (RBRP) on 'Global Competitiveness’ at the National Research University in Moscow. He is Associate Editor for the Journal of Strategy and Management, and currently enjoys a Visiting Professorship at the Bristol Business School, and an Honorary Research Fellowship at the School of Management, Information Technology, and Public Governance, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
Why did you develop the New Professors Programme?
BAM recognises that there is a need to support our academics at all stages of their careers. While we offer a range of development programmes and activities for our members that support them through all the main stages of their career, we also came to understand that there is some support needed for those newly promoted to the Professorship. Our sub-committee, which is responsible for capacity building, identified challenges faced by newly appointed Professors by discussing our own personal experiences which resonated other colleagues.
We then organised an initial online workshop and also held a face-to-face professional development workshop at the BAM2023 Conference. Participants gave insights into what their needs were and following this feedback, we put together a comprehensive programme that we are confident will help guide our community’s new Professors in developing their professorial careers.
What will participants gain by completing the New Professors Programme?
Firstly, we hope that new Professors can develop a network of colleagues facing similar challenges, share their experiences and learn support each other moving forward. We aim to provide a safe space where participants can apply the different inputs and ideas from the experiences of more established Professors to the development of their own professorial career goals and ambitions.
We hope this experience will provide them with the confidence to shape their professional journeys, and work towards improving their academic environments and achieving impact in whatever direction their professorial journey develops. Participants will be introduced to the concepts of Action Leaning and critical friendship to support them in this process.
What are some of the topics you will be covering with the New Professors Programme?
In this programme, established Professors who have taken different career trajectories will share their experiences demonstrating the different career opportunities open to Professors. These include directing research centres, leading large funding bids, education focused profiles, community engagement and consulting, entering senior management roles and coaching and mentoring colleagues. An emphasis is placed on encouraging participants to find their own professorial identity which suits their experience, career goals and values. Advice will be provided on how to carefully evaluate the many requests and demands on their time they might receive and how to learn to say no!
What are you looking forward to in the New Professors Programme?
We are looking forward to meeting new colleagues, hearing their stories and joining interesting discussions. We hope to see participants benefitting from a time out of time where they can spend rare time thinking about themselves and their own career development.
Find out more...
To find out more aboout the New Professors Programme, please visit our webpage here.
Our full list of programmes designed to help guide our community of academics though their careers and professional pathways can be found on our Programmes page, along with the BAM Framework – a graphical representation of career pathways and stages in our discipline.