About the Program

Faculty mentoring is a significant component in a faculty’s career development, retention and success. This universitywide faculty mentoring program coordinates activities to inform and encourage effective mentoring of faculty across ranks with stronger emphasis on junior faculty in their pursuit of tenure and promotion. The program also focuses on mentoring initiatives for midcareer faculty who aspire to achieve full professor status, and the retention and success of faculty of color across ranks.

The program specifically:

• Develops programs to connect new faculty with various offices and services on campus to assist with their teaching, research and self-care.
• Coordinates faculty mentor training sessions.
• Coordinates programs of interest to faculty across ranks.
• Coordinates faculty mentor table talks focusing on various issues related to mentoring faculty.
• Coordinates faculty mentee table talks focusing on issues of interest and/or concern among junior faculty.
• Coordinates table talks with faculty of color in collaboration with the Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on related faculty initiatives and concerns regarding their retention and success.
• Contributes to fostering a universitywide faculty climate that respects diversity, employs equity and embraces inclusion in valuing a sense of belongingness to all of its faculty.

Desired Outcomes

• New faculty will gain a clearer sense of the rigors and rewards of a career in academia.
• New faculty will acquire a better awareness of expectations for career advancement.
• New faculty will develop rapport with at least one other faculty member but will be encouraged to seek additional mentors based on professional affiliation, gender, race and ethnicity, and so on.
• The transition period from new investigation to established research will decrease.
• An increase in effective early intervention will take place.
• The university should be able to demonstrate an increase in the number of promotions from assistant to associate professor, and from associate to full professor.
• Senior faculty will have the opportunity to engage the curiosities and energies of fresh minds at the university.
• Both faculty mentor and mentee will keep abreast of new research questions, knowledge, paradigms and techniques.
• Both faculty mentor and mentee will have the opportunity to cultivate possible collaborators for current or future projects.
• Both faculty mentor and mentee will have the opportunity to enjoy the personal and professional satisfaction inherent in mentoring relationships.
• Stronger potential for retention, success, job satisfaction and “Huskie pride” will be enhanced.

Faculty Mentoring Advisory Committee

• Lisa Finkelstein, Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Reinaldo Moraga, Ph.D., College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
• Laurel Rigertas, J.D., College of Law
• Reggie Thomas, M.M., College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Paul Wright, Ph.D., College of Education
• Lei Zhou, Ph.D., College of Business
• Jennifer Gray, Ph.D., College of Health and Human Sciences
• Gwen Gregory, Associate Dean, University Libraries