Faculty Mentoring

By mentoring, faculty members share experience, expertise and advice with their colleagues.

Drs. Shi, Zhang, and Bandyopadhyay
Professors Shi, Zhang, and Bandyopadhyay collaborate with undergraduates on a cellular biology research project

In Fall Term 2024, the Office of the Provost began a new Faculty Development Mentoring Program, which automatically enrolls all new tenure-track faculty members, with planned extensions to all faculty members, with added programs for lecturers and graduate students.  

Academics often think of mentoring as one-on-one guidance for assistant professors seeking tenure, but it encompasses all faculty members working towards career development goals. Faculty members may serve as guides for each other to the institution and its culture, research opportunities, teaching resources, other professional development resources. The goals of mentoring are to:

  • help other faculty members work successfully within both formal and informal norms of the department, college, university, and community;
  • foster effective research skills and publishing strategies;
  • encourage faculty members to refine and expand teaching strategies for enhanced student success;
  • foster development of a productive balance between research, teaching, and service;
  • guide each other in progression toward promotion and tenure; and
  • foster an atmosphere of collegiality, collaboration, and community.