Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Mentoring Program
Join the fifth cohort of aspiring and experienced women leaders from top universities across the Pacific Rim
**UBC application deadline extended to June 26 (mentors only)**
Please note: This opportunity is primarily for faculty members; senior administrators can also apply as mentors.
The APWiL Mentoring Program (APWiL) provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth and development of aspiring women leaders within the member institutions of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).
UBC is a proud member of APRU, a network of leading universities in the Asia Pacific region. Sixty leading research universities from around the Pacific Rim are members, including more than 200,000 academic staff and two million students.
Mentees, are you an aspiring woman leader at UBC?
A year-long program will match you with a mentor to help you:
- Advance professional growth and leadership skills
- Develop a self-reflective understanding and acceptance of your personal leadership style and strengths, plus gain confidence in your unique abilities as a leader
- Expand leadership acumen skills through training and learning from highly successful professionals outside their direct sphere of activity
- Build a strong and supportive network from universities across the Asia Pacific
- Gain insights and guidance to better tackle issues or challenges in the workplace
- UBCV and UBCO faculty member (academic appointment with at least five years and a maximum of seven years experience)
- Identify as a woman (cisgender, transgender, gender expansive and intersex people who identify as women) or an individual of different gender identification who supports and is committed to the program mission
- Able to commit to a year-long program (September 2024-October 2025)
Include in your application:
- Professional bio (250 words) with your full name, title, institution name and email
- Statement of interest (500 words):
- Why would you like to participate in the program?
- What do you hope to learn from your mentor?
- What are one or two goals you would like to accomplish during your participation in the program?
- Which topics would you like to discuss with your mentor?
Vancouver faculty: Send your application package to daniella.weber@ubc.ca by June 5, 2024 at 4 pm PDT (in the subject of your email, note that you are applying as a mentee).
Mentors, are you an experienced leader looking to empower the next generation of women leaders?
- Join a network of like-minded professionals striving to drive gender balance in leadership positions at their universities!
- Advance leadership, coaching and mentoring skills of aspiring women leaders
- Build a strong and supportive network from across the leading research universities of the Asia Pacific
- Give back to the community in a meaningful way.
- UBCV and UBCO academic or administrative senior leaders (at least 10 years experience)
- Mentors of any gender are welcome to participate
- Able to commit to a year-long program (September 2024-October 2025)
Include in your application:
- Professional bio (250 words) with your full name, title, institution name and email
- Statement of interest (500 words):
- Why would you like to participate in the program?
- What do you aim to contribute to the program? Include any relevant mentoring and leadership experiences, as well as areas of expertise (administrative and academic) relevant to a mentee as it pertains to professional development
Vancouver faculty and administrators: Send your application package to daniella.weber@ubc.ca by June 26, 2024 at 4 pm PDT (in the subject of your email, note that you are applying as a mentor).
What happens after I submit my application?
Selection process
Selecting representatives is an adjudication team from the Office of Global Engagement (UBCV), the Okanagan Campus International Office, and the Equity and Inclusion Office, sponsors of UBC’s participation this year. The team will consider representation from both campuses, along with the candidates’ Statements of Interest.
We will notify selected mentees by June 12, 2024. Mentors will be notifed by June 28, 2024.
The team will select up to two mentors (senior academic or administrative leaders) and two mentees (aspiring women leaders) to participate in the APRU Pacific Women in Leadership Mentoring Program 2025. Please note: UBC must nominate the same number of mentors as mentees in order to ensure everyone in the program is matched. Selected participants will be matched with a mentor/mentee from one of the 21 participating APRU member institutions.
Timeline
- June 5: UBC application deadline (mentees)
- June 26: UBC application deadline (mentors)
- July 10: Nominations sent to APRU
- September 24: Program orientation
- Week of September 30: Announcement of mentorship pairs
Why join the mentoring program?
Benefits
- Join a cohort of like-minded professionals striving to drive gender balance in leadership positions at their university.
- Build a strong and supportive network from across the leading research universities of the Pacific Rim.
- Develop a supportive one-on-one mentoring relationship with a mentor/mentee.
- Mentors give back to the community in a meaningful way through supporting women in early career stages and developing their leadership skills.
- Mentors help empower the next generation of women leaders at their institution and across the region.
- Mentees advance their professional growth and leadership skills.
- Mentees expand their leadership acumen skills through training and learning from highly successful professionals outside their direct sphere of activity.
What’s included:
- One-on-one mentor-mentee sessions
- Virtual orientation kick-off and graduation ceremony
- Virtual workshops and seminars offering resource sharing, professional training and international exchange
- Informal networking opportunities
- Resource library
- Optional in-person summit
Testimonials from past participants:
Dr. Samia Khan, Faculty Associate, Institute of Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES), UBC Faculty of Science and Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, UBC Faculty of Education:
“The APWiL program has been a wonderful way for me to mentor a mid-career faculty member at another university around the world. Being a member of APRU also allowed me to participate in many virtual events on women in higher education leadership.
My mentee and I shared an interest in research and academic leadership that crosses geographic boundaries with her work in Oceania and Asia and my research in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries and Africa. We learned from one another and talked regularly about how to sustain international research teams. Later, my mentee joined one my international research team meetings.
Through her leadership and effort, I got an opportunity to travel to Australia on a subsequent study leave and be hosted by her national association to share my work on international collaboration and leadership experience with more than 20 universities in and beyond the Pacific Rim. It was a tremendous highlight and our mentor-mentee relationship continues: We will both be meeting again at the APWiL in-person Summit, years after our cohort began.”
Dr. Carla T. Hilario, Assistant Professor, UBC Okanagan School of Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Development:
“The APWiL program has given me a valuable opportunity to grow my academic network across the Pacific Rim, build leadership and research capacity, and, most importantly, learn from my mentor. Strategies such as mentorship agreements gave me guidance and structure to my experience. I was recently selected to attend the inaugural APWiL Summit at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, and am thrilled to be meeting other representatives in person, including my mentor.”
Read more testimonials.