The Graduate School has appointed Carolina Mangone as an inaugural GradFUTURES Faculty Fellow for Professional Development. Her one-year appointment will cultivate a project put forth in collaboration with graduate student Mathilde Sauquet and Assistant Dean for Professional Development James M. Van Wyck to launch a “career exploration series” for A&A graduate students in spring 2024.

“This is an exciting initiative that underscores the vibrancy of professional careers beyond academia and that offers real-world examples of the paths art historians have taken to realize them,” Mangone said.

"This is an exciting initiative that underscores the vibrancy of professional careers beyond academia and that offers real-world examples of the paths art historians have taken to realize them." —Professor Carolina Mangone

The series comes in response to a survey of A&A graduate students regarding their experience with professional development. Respondents emphasized the need for career preparedness events, particularly centered around non-teaching professional paths. “A&A grad students are seeking practical and honest advice on topics such as job applications, as well as administrative and technical skills,” said Sauquet. Addressing the request, Sauquet and Mangone proposed inviting speakers who represent a breadth of career paths launched with an A&A Ph.D. as well as recent alums who can speak to the acute experience of transitioning into a career.

Two career panels are now in the works. The first, open to all Princeton graduate students in the humanities, is a lunch planned for April 17 featuring Princeton University Near Eastern Studies Librarian Deborah Schlein *19, lecturer in the Religion Department Jonathan Henry *20, and Princeton Writing Program lecturer Abigail Sargent *22. The second panel, specifically designed for A&A graduate students, will take place on April 19 with panelists Nancy Um, Getty Research Institute Associate Director for Research and Knowledge Creation, Jonathan Fine *20, Weltmuseum Wien Director, and Justin Willson *21, Icon Museum and Study Center Curator. These will complement A&A’s departmental programming for professional development; as graduate placement officer, Mangone organizes various workshops on academic job and fellowship applications, careers in museum and curatorial work, and academic publishing. The program aims to comprehensively familiarize students with a diverse range of career possibilities, highlighting transferable skill sets and emphasizing the humanistic values shared by many professional paths beyond the tenure track.

“These events will allow graduate students to hear from and connect with professionals who hold an art history Ph.D. and who continue to contribute to the field and to humanities scholarship in non-teaching roles, providing a relatable and inspiring platform for fruitful conversations to take place and for valuable guidance to be shared,” said Sauquet. “It’s really exciting to see that so many of us are looking to connect with art historians who have pursued unique career paths after the Ph.D.”

“These events will allow graduate students to hear from and connect with professionals who hold an art history Ph.D. and who continue to contribute to the field and to humanities scholarship in non-teaching roles, providing a relatable and inspiring platform for fruitful conversations to take place and for valuable guidance to be shared.” —A&A Graduate Student Mathilde Sauquet

“The GradFUTURES professional development initiative requires strong collaboration with faculty, campus partners, graduate alumni, academic and industry partners – and graduate students,” said Rodney D.  Priestley, Dean of the Graduate School. “This fellowship recognizes and supports faculty committed to delivering innovative and impactful professional development programs that prepare Ph.D. students for lifelong success within and beyond the academy.”

“I’m very happy that the proposal caught the eye of GradFUTURES - this will help bring out some exciting additions for A&A graduate students,” said Sauquet. “I want to thank Professor Mangone and Dr. Van Wyck for supporting this initiative, as well as everyone who participated in the survey.”