THE
FACULTY
SENATE
Senate
Document Number 8108S
Date
of Senate Approval 04/24/08
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Statement
of Faculty Senate Action:
FWDC 7: Proposal to Establish a Mentoring Program
for New Faculty and
Establish the service
positions of two Faculty Mentoring Program Coordinators
(Faculty Handbook Sections 4.1 and 10.5)
Effective Date: Immediately
Purpose
To officially create a Mentoring Program for New Faculty and to
insure its success by establishing Faculty Mentoring Program Coordinators as
service assignments.
1. Add to the Faculty Handbook, Section 4.1:
4.1.9
Mentoring Program for New Faculty
The New Faculty Mentoring Program is
a volunteer program that welcomes new colleagues to UNC Asheville and provides
support as they adapt to the culture, expectations, and pace of our
institution. New faculty are matched
with experienced faculty who act as personal mentors during the coming
years. Mentors volunteer for the program
and new faculty have the opportunity to meet and select their personal mentors.
Faculty are encouraged to pair with mentors from a different academic
department so that they can benefit from an objective and confidential
partnership and begin to form connections with colleagues outside of their home
departments. For tenure-track faculty
members, mentors can serve as confidential advisors during the progression
towards contract renewal, tenure and promotion.
In addition to opportunities for private mentoring meetings,
participating faculty and mentors are invited to a series of social gatherings
each semester.
2. Position Descriptions
Add to the Faculty Handbook, Section 10.5:
Item 10.5.12 Faculty Mentoring Program Coordinators
Duties include, but are not limited to,
the following:
·
Contacting new faculty members in spring/summer
·
Recruiting faculty mentors in spring/summer
·
Develop a calendar of events for the academic
year spring/summer (including three gatherings throughout year and at least two
cultural event outings)
·
Attend new faculty orientation session to
describe mentoring program in fall
·
Complete mentor/mentee assignments by beginning
of fall semester
·
Maintain contact with mentees between mentoring
events
·
Administer end-of-year evaluation to both
mentors and mentees to assess program
Membership
The
Faculty Senate will elect two coordinators from two different program areas for
staggered, renewable, two year terms. There should be one male and one female
coordinator, one a junior faculty member (at least 3 years at UNCA) and the
other a senior faculty member. These appointments will be made in April of the
preceding academic year to empower the coordinators to seek out volunteer
mentors and plan initial activities well in advance of the arrival of new
faculty.
Because
coordinating this program is time-consuming, it is suggested that faculty who
serve as coordinators be protected from other significant service assignments.
Recommendations
to: Provost
Reports
to: Provost
Rationale
As our
colleague Tucker Cooke noted many years ago, the success of new faculty rests
not only on their ability to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to
succeed. Their ability to develop connections and relationships with colleagues
is a third critical factor. A Faculty
Mentoring Program is an important component of UNC Asheville’s other faculty
development activities (e.g. new faculty/new chair orientation, professional
development programs through the Center for Teaching and Learning). A successful mentoring program requires
identified coordinators who are committed to providing this important
experience. The logical way to ensure this success is by appointing program
coordinators through the Faculty Senate.
Initially, one coordinator will serve a three-year term and the
other will serve a two-year term.