Faculty mentoring is a valuable investment in our future academic excellence. Academic excellence depends on the ability of our faculty to do their very best work throughout their academic careers.
There is no standard model for faculty mentoring across the campus. Our goal is to promote the development of faculty mentoring programs that are tailored to the traditions and values of individual departments and schools, and are attentive to mentoring across differences such as gender, race, culture and generational lines. Each faculty member has an important role to play in sustaining a supportive academic environment, and all faculty should receive service credit for their mentoring contributions when their merit/promotion cases are being reviewed.
Faculty mentoring is both a formal and an informal activity, and should extend beyond the minimum effort of informing junior faculty of the requirements for achieving tenure. Faculty mentoring should include all aspects of academic life, such as balancing professional and family obligations, and should address the needs of assistant, associate and full professors as they advance through the ranks. Faculty mentoring may take the form of department social events, invitations to professional conferences, research collaborations, and developing individual mentoring plans, in addition to one-to one pairing of junior faculty with more senior faculty. A comprehensive faculty mentoring program should cover topics such as teaching, grantwriting, publishing, time management, networking, financial management, balancing family needs, and navigating departmental culture.
There are many challenges to building a strong and engaged academic community for faculty reflecting the size and diversity of our University. Thank you for your commitment to these efforts. If you would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.