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Mentoring of New Faculty

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to describe our approach to mentoring new junior faculty. The mentoring program is NOT an evaluative function, but is intended to be supportive. The purpose of the mentoring program is to increase the chance of success for the new faculty and increase their value to the school.

Who is Involved?

All new non-tenured, tenure-track faculty members in the Johnson School will have a faculty mentor appointed. The mentor will be a tenured member of the faculty who has been at the Johnson School for at least three years. Newly-hired tenured faculty members will not have a mentor, unless they request one to be appointed.

Mentoring Approach

  1. Each new faculty member will have a faculty mentor appointed. Usually this will be someone from the new faculty member's academic discipline.
  2. The following points are written for new PhDs and should be applied as appropiate for more experienced faculty.
  3. Appointing a mentor implies that the new faculty member and the mentor should meet at least two or three times a semester in year one. In year two and later, meetings can be less frequent, as needed.
  4. In no way does this limit a faculty member's option to seek advice on research and/or teaching from other people.
  5. The mentor should take the initiative to meet early in the first month of year one to discuss the new faculty member's research agenda. Advice on how to move ahead with a research agenda is very important, including (a) how to respond to referees, (b) how to handle rejections, and (c) how to manage a research pipeline. Of course, detailed feedback on papers is also necessary among colleagues.
  6. The mentor should discuss the syllabus for the new faculty member's first classes and sit in on the class a few times, with the purpose of offering helpful suggestions. Preferably, the new faculty member should tell the class that he/she asked the senior faculty member to be present. The pair must meet after the class to discuss the course and the delivery.
  7. The mentor should offer suggestions about how to be successful in an academic career. A good start is very important for both a research and teaching career. The mentor can assist in making this happen.
  8. Mentors work with the new faculty members directly and do not discuss their efforts outside of that relationship. If additional resources are needed, they may discuss those with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.


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Last Modified: January 18, 2007

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