Mentoring

In its effort to foster and support the success of all faculty, including emerging faculty, The Office for Faculty Excellence provides programs and resources and works with other units and offices. Mentoring of new and emerging faculty, as they learn from experienced faculty and staff is an important part of our mentoring effort. But we recognize that even the most experienced faculty are expanding their understanding and need mentoring from experienced people in new areas of interest. The Merriam-Webster Webster Dictionary defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” We believe a mentor in one area is often a œmentee in another area.

New Faculty Mentoring:

  • New Faculty Orientation activities and the networking established through that program provide opportunities for new faculty to connect with other faculty and with the university leadership.
  • The University Mentoring Program for First Year Faculty. Each unit is asked to provide a mentoring program (may be formalized or informal) to guide faculty members during their first year at the university. View Resolution 93-27. The OFE and the Faculty Senate Faculty Welfare Committee have compiled information about these programs.

Emerging Faculty Mentoring and Development

  • Some units provide coursework on becoming a faculty member and teaching in the various disciplines.
  • The OFE offers special sessions for emerging faculty. In addition, all emerging faculty are invited to participate in other OFE programming.


Special Mentoring Programs

Teaching with Technology Summer Workshop and Mentoring Program
This especially designed one-week summer program was offered for the first time during Summer 2010. The program provided approximately 20 faculty support in their development of a new online or hybrid course or the revision of a current one. Participants worked with staff and five faculty mentors who continued to support the faculty during implementation in the fall semester. The program will be offered each summer if funds allow. If interested, faculty are asked to complete the online interest form.

Workshop goals:

  • To provide introduction to major vehicles/platforms/software for teaching online and hybrid courses
  • To introduce social media and their uses in the online/hybrid course
  • To discuss course design principles and needs for participating faculty “ using syllabi, course descriptions faculty proposals for courses to be developed
  • To provide hands-on opportunity for participants to develop course structures using technologies identified with assistance from faculty/staff mentors
  • To assist participants in locating teaching resources and developing a plan for online/hybrid course development completion
  • To provide mentors during the semester of implementation of the new or revised course.


Faculty Welfare Committee Report on Faculty Mentoring