When she began her doctoral studies at Princeton, Lucy Partman didn’t imagine herself the way she sees herself now: a transdisciplinary scholar, designer, and strategic adviser, with leadership experience in education, business, fashion, and cultural institutions. What changed? A deep connection and involvement in the programs and opportunities afforded by the GradFUTURES campus-wide ecosystem of support.

As a University Administrative Fellow, Lucy helped create a learning cohort focused on exploring leadership and career diversity in the arts and public humanities. Now, in connection with the GradFUTURES team, she is giving a helping hand to fellow graduate students at the local and national levels.

Lucy’s work as a UAF led to an article with national impact: “Why you should share the dissertation-writing process,” published in Inside Higher Ed, highlighting the importance of reflecting on, learning from and sharing the process of building a dissertation and the experience of graduate education more broadly. Inspired by her time working with GradFUTURES, Lucy is now leading an interdisciplinary course with the Keller Center for Entrepreneurship and the Lewis Center for the Arts. Dubbed the “Looking Lab,” the course equips Princeton seniors with critical and hands-on tools for engaging—critically and thoughtfully—with the visual world.

"Graduate students and PhDs have world-class analytical skills, are passionate and dedicated systems thinkers, and can deal with tremendous amounts of ambiguity. I believe we can be agents of innovation, change, and leadership in the world.” 

—Lucy Partman *21, ART

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Learn More About GradFUTURES University Administrative Fellowships

GradFUTURES University Administrative Fellowships help you prepare for the tenure-track job market or a career in academic administration. They are also valuable if you are looking for an experience that will position you for careers beyond the academy. Work on a project under the direction of the host department, attend meetings, and learn the ins and outs of your host’s position—including specific responsibilities, organizational dynamics, external networks, and more. The Fellowship is broken into two components: Mentoring and shadowing, roughly 2 hours per week for the length of a semester; and a project component, roughly 4 hours per week for the length of a semester.