New Faculty

To meet these goals, our mentoring program has five core priorities:

1. Facilitate the integration of incoming faculty into their departments
2. Address immediate teaching needs (emphasized in fall)
3. Provide information on research funding and development opportunities
4. Encourage the exploration of campus and its many resources
5. Assist in connecting faculty as a cohort for peer support and social interaction

We all know that mentoring can work wonders if done correctly, and research tells us that good mentoring can result in a successful faculty career. Faculty in their early careers are encouraged to seek out multiple mentors or a portfolio of mentors who address a variety of skills and knowledge. Those “multiple mentors” can include peer mentors (at the same level in the institution) as well as mentors outside academia.

• Mentorship should be collaborative and not just the imparting of information from a senior to a junior college. Above all, all mentoring relationships should be supportive and reciprocal – a partnership of equals where both are equally engaged in the process.
• Mentoring should help junior faculty grow as instructors, researchers and colleagues as well as develop productive relationships outside the university.
• Mentoring relationships can be structured and assigned within the department or unit, as well as more organic and initiated by the mentee. Mentees should feel empowered to develop their own mentoring relationships.
• In academia, as in other professions, mentoring can come easier for some groups (those most present and dominant) than others. Mentoring networks are especially relevant to faculty groups traditionally underrepresented such as women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities, among others.
• Mentoring relationships should develop over time and focus on matters important for career success depending on the mentee’s career stage, their career goals, and the level of guidance required. They may be long-term relationships that shift over time into collegial rather than mentoring relationships, or they may be short-term relationships focused on specific areas of guidance at certain career phases.

Ultimately, all units in a university should work to develop a sustainable culture of mentoring for faculty.

Most importantly, good mentoring can lower feelings of stress and isolation and aid in achieving a work-life balance. Mentored faculty have a better sense of fitting in the institution – this is particularly important for women and faculty of color, among other marginalized groups.

Mentees:

• Increased productivity, including more publications, grants, and an increased likelihood of successful publishing as well as designing research projects and engaging in creative endeavors.
• An opportunity to learn the culture and norms of the department and university
• ∙Enhanced likelihood of tenure and promotion
• Increased sense of support for their research
• Greater teaching effectiveness
• Higher career satisfaction

Mentors:

• Satisfaction in assisting the development of a colleague
• Sense of contribution and accomplishment
• Renewed interest in their work
• Exposure to new ideas and different perspectives
• Satisfaction of contributing to overall climate change
• Promoting a network of colleagues to further an intellectual community

Oakland University:

• Increased organizational commitment
• Higher productivity and job satisfaction
• Better retention of faculty
• Advancing a positive and collegial climate
• Encourages social equity and diversity