Beginning of AY 14-15

New on the Website

The 2013-2014 End of Year Report is now available! The aim of our annual report is to consolidate what we learn from the end of year chapter representative meetings. Thisyear's report includes discussion of developing trends across chapters, difficulties faced by chapters (along with some proposed solutions), and the impact chapters have had on their departments.  We welcome questions and comments at mapforthegap@gmail.com

We have also added a list of activity and project ideas here to help new and continuing chapters plan for the coming year. 

Funding


Chapter Funding is now open for the fall semester. Applications for the fall semester are due October 2, 2014, and we encourage eligible chapters to apply. Click here for more details. 


Coming this Year

Thanks to the support of the Marc Sanders Foundation, we will be releasing a series of products (posters, mugs, etc) featuring custom art to help chapters and supporters spread the word about MAP.

As noted in the End of Year Report, MAP members are working on a number of collaborative projects, each aimed at developing a larger stock of publicly available resources. We have teams of volunteers currently working to create resources concerning:

• TA Best Practices
  
• Mental Health in Academia
• Climate Surveys
• Data Gathering

International Expansion & UK Regional Director Position

MAP has grown dramatically over the past year, and we have a number of chapters in the UK, Canada, and Australia. We are now taking applications for the position of UK Regional Director. For more information, see link. Many thanks to Filippo Contesi, who has been instrumental in the expansion of MAP in the UK!

As we continue to expand in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, we will be seeking applications for similar Regional Directorships. These will be announced on our updates page, and in our newsletters. 

Mentorship Program

Last year the mentoring program saw mixed uptake, with some academics getting requests for mentoring while others had little contact. After talking with our mentors, all of them expressed an interest in continuing to offer their time and assistance to anyone who feels they would benefit from it. So please consider contacting somebody from our list of mentors if ever you feel you need the assistance. 

Since we are approaching grad school application times, we'd like to also remind everyone that a number of grad students have also volunteered to be mentors, and they may be especially useful to undergrads looking for advice about navigating the application process, having recently gone through it themselves. Please pass this link on to your students, your department's undergraduate philosophy club, etc!

Also, since MAP has grown this year, we would like to expand our mentoring program in our new regions. We welcome and encourage new mentors, particularly from academics in the UK, Canada and Australia.