The College of Letters and Science Junior Faculty Mentoring Program provides assistant professors with mentoring at the department and College levels on the way to tenure and builds a community of junior faculty who can support each other throughout their academic careers.

The program is based on best practices and successful, established faculty mentoring programs. Mentors serve as trustworthy advisors who are willing to share wisdom gained from their own experiences. Mentoring includes at least one meeting per quarter and provides a combination of formal mentoring and informal community-building.

Aims

• Provide assistant professors with mentoring in their department and in the College throughout their pre-tenure period.
• Create a community of junior faculty members to provide mutual support during their pre-tenure period and beyond.

Guiding Principles

• Require all departments to have established mentoring programs for junior faculty throughout their pre-tenure period.
• Provide mentoring at the levels of both the department and the College.
• Build on existing mentoring programs by departments or otherwise (e.g., CAMPSSAH) where successful and where they meet or exceed minimal best practices.
• Establish best practices for mentoring, but allow departments flexibility in implementing their programs.

Best Practices for Mentoring

Department Mentoring

• Appoint at least two senior mentors (i.e., tenured faculty), generally one from inside the department and one from outside the department, for each junior faculty member.
• Mentors may change over time due to changed circumstances, “fit,” etc.
• Mentors will meet with mentees at least once per quarter.
• The substance of discussions between mentors and mentees will remain confidential.
• At the end of the academic year, both mentors and mentees will submit a brief report to the department chair summarizing mentoring activities during the year.

College Mentoring

• There will be at least one meeting per quarter for junior faculty members.
• Meetings provide a combination of formal mentoring (e.g., topics such as the academic personnel process, teaching and course management, etc.) and informal community- building.

Guidelines for Mentors and Junior Faculty Members

The Role of the Mentor

Mentors are trustworthy advisors who are willing to share wisdom gained from their own experiences. Mentors should be accessible and approachable, helpful problem-solvers, and willing to offer advice. Ideally, a mentor is:

• Knowledgeable about institutional culture and faculty life at UC Davis.
• An advocate for scholarly values and academic integrity.
• An advisor who helps the junior faculty member set and attain career goals.
• Helpful in resolving difficult work-related issues.
• Sensitive to the challenges of creating a balance between work and personal life.
• A strategist for building relationships that will sustain a successful academic career.

The Role of the Junior Faculty Member

Your career is the focus of this mentoring relationship. It is your responsibility to prepare for meetings with your mentors by thinking about what kind of support, feedback and advice would be most beneficial for you. You should be open to feedback and willing to listen to advice, even if you decide not to act on some of the mentor’s suggestions. Remember that you are ultimately in the strongest position to recognize and make decisions about what is in your best interest.

To participate in the program, contact John Scott, Executive Associate Dean of the College of Letters & Science: jtscott@ucdavis.edu