UW Oshkosh has
a strong interest in seeing that each new faculty member realizes
his/her full potential. We want to do whatever it takes to retain
and advance all new faculty members, both in his/her own interest
as well as in that of the department/team and the University community.
Each college and department/team has its own culture, a system with
distinct structural features, role relations, informal system dynamics
and environmental stresses and strains. New faculty members are not
left to discover this culture and navigate in it alone.
Research suggests
that new faculty who have the help of a mentor perform better both
as teachers and as researchers. And the department/team and University
is enriched and strengthened also. After all, mentoring is the socialization
of faculty members learning the rules of academe, involving colleagues
who are role models, consultants, advisors and sponsors for their
peers.
Although all
new faculty have responsibility for their own growth and success,
having a mentor offers an avenue to become acclimated more quickly
to the UW Oshkosh culture. The effectiveness of having a mentoring
relationship depends on the active participation of the mentee as
well as the mentor.
Benefits for
a new faculty member in having a mentor:
- Expand your
view of the University
- Receive honest
and informal feedback
- Receive advice
on how to balance teaching, research, and other responsibilities
and set professional priorities
- Obtain knowledge
of informal rules for advancement (as well as political and substantive
pitfalls to be avoided)
- Obtain knowledge
of skills for showcasing one's own work
- Understand
how to build a circle of friends and contacts both within and outside
one's department or team
- Provide a
perspective on long-term career planning
- Connect you
closer to the University and to other employees
- Increase communication
about what is happening in other areas of the University
- Expand growth
in your sense of competence, identity, and effectiveness as a professional
- Provide an
outlet to discuss concerns
- Increase your
value to the university
- Learn to cope
with the formal and informal structure of the University
- Provide a
successful and productive integration to the University
Mentee responsibilities:
- Meet regularly
with the mentor
- Maintain confidentiality
- Keep yourself
informed in regard to the requirements for tenure and promotion
and your progress toward meeting those requirements
- Ask for and
give feedback
- Take responsibility
for own growth and success
- Follow through
on referrals from mentor to appropriate office for specific information
- Listen actively
- Ask your mentor
for guidance and assistance whenever it is needed
- Present needs
in an articulate way