Document Type

Chapter

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia

Editor

David Law & Nora Domínguez

Publisher

Utah State University

Publication Date

5-15-2023

First Page

419

Last Page

426

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Abstract

Recognizing that faculty who are mentored are more likely to successfully navigate the tenure process and become effective members of the academic community, Central Michigan University’s (CMU) College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) developed a comprehensive mentoring and professional development program for all new, full-time faculty. This program provided a network of support, resources, and guidance for navigating inevitable challenges. Prior to the development of this program, departments varied in the ways they encouraged and addressed faculty mentoring. Most informally assigned a faculty mentor, but as our initial assessment demonstrated, little to no mentorship occurred. With the recruitment and retention of faculty as our motivator, we developed a 2-year new faculty development program to aid in their transition and onboarding. Moving away from informal, spontaneous mentorship, we intentionally crafted a comprehensive, research-based program including summer support, orientation, faculty mentorship, professional development, and peer interactions. In our first year, eight new tenure-track faculty participated in the program. In the second year, we added six additional new faculty including three who were full-time and non-tenure-track. This chapter overviews our program from its origins through assessment and is organized into three sections: mentoring context and program development, mentoring activities, and lessons learned.

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