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|Faculty-to-Faculty Mentoring Program
Goals & Objectives | Expectations & Responsibilities
Time Commitment | Qualifications | Contact
Goals & Objectives
The purpose of the Faculty Mentoring Program is to create a link between newly-appointed, tenure-track faculty and respected, tenured UT-Arlington faculty. It is anticipated that the program will improve the overall university experience for mentored faculty, compared to non-mentored faculty. Specific objectives of the program are to:
- Accelerate the time required for new faculty to acclimate to the university
- Increase the level of productivity for new faculty
- Enhance the likelihood of retaining new faculty
- Facilitate the achievement of promotion and tenure for new faculty
- Improve the quality of education provided to students
These outcomes are consistent with literature which reports that mentored faculty experience higher levels of job satisfaction, better student evaluations, greater academic productivity, and stronger likelihood of remaining at a particular university than non-mentored faculty. In addition, the benefits of mentoring are reciprocal with faculty mentors acknowledging considerable personal and professional satisfaction from involvement in such a program.
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Expectations & Responsibilities
Mentor-Mentee Pairs
The mentoring program is not designed to be discipline specific. In order to encourage open communication and to avoid the pairing of mentees with future Promotion & Tenure Committee members, mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their college or school. Participation by both mentors and mentees is voluntary.
Mentor-Mentee Interaction
Each mentee will come to the mentor-mentee relationship with distinct expectations and needs for direction and guidance. As a result, each relationship will evolve differently and involve various types of interaction. A mentee may have general questions about the community at large or specific concerns about university policy. The mentee may want to know more about the tenure process at this university. Regardless, the issues discussed will change as the semester progresses and as the mentee becomes more invested in the university.
The primary goal of the program is to facilitate interaction. The particular dimensions of the relationship are left to the individuals involved. Some mentor-mentee relationships are highly structured. When this is the case, the individuals often create a list of items they expect to discuss and then proceed methodically through the list. Other relationships are fairly unstructured and issues or concerns are addressed as they arise. Both types of experiences can be successful. The most necessary ingredient to a fulfilling mentoring relationship is for the two individuals to spend time interacting.
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Time Commitment
It is obvious that good mentoring involves regular interaction between the mentor and mentee, but the relationship should not consume so much time as to become burdensome. As a rule, contact should occur at least once every two weeks during the fall and spring semesters. Faculty members can meet for lunch or coffee, attend University athletic events together, or talk by phone. The possibilities and combinations for interaction are endless, and the process doesn’t need to be complicated.
Expected Duration and Exit
The mentoring relationship is expected to last for one academic year (Fall 2004–Spring 2005) and may or may not continue after that. While it is hoped that the relationship will continue in some form or another, there is no specific expectation that this will occur. If for some reason the mentor-mentee relationship is not functioning as expected for either party during the academic year, please contact Linda Wilson (contact information below) and efforts will be made to assist you.
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Qualifications
Mentors
In the fall of each academic year, tenured faculty are invited and encouraged to participate as mentors. Those interested in serving in this capacity should complete and return a Mentor Response Card.
Mentees
Each fall, recently-appointed, tenure-track faculty are invited and encouraged to participate as mentees. Those interested in seeking a mentor should complete and return a Mentee Response Card.
Matching of Mentors & Mentees
Each academic year, approximately 30 to 50 mentor-mentee pairs are accommodated. Priority is given to the mentor and mentee requests based on the order in which the response cards are received. Every effort is made to create a mentor-mentee match based on the information provided on the response cards, but this cannot be guaranteed. Faculty who are matched with a mentor or mentee are notified by letter near the end of September. Those who are not successfully matched will also be notified by this date.
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Program Contact Information
If at any point you have questions or concerns about the Faculty Mentoring Program or your mentor-mentee relationship, please contact:
Linda Wilson
Assistant Provost
Office of the Provost
817.272.3838
l.wilson@uta.edu
