Partnership to Success: Mentoring & the New COPLA Faculty

If you are a typical new (or sort of new) faculty member, you may have some combination of the following needs:

1. Professional Development

How to manage time, resolve conflicts, administer projects, teach efficiently and well, advise/supervise students, and make strategic decisions about service commitments.

2. Emotional Support

As a new faculty member, you may be in the midst of an identity and role transition: from graduate student to professor. As a result, you may value support in dealing with the common stress and pressures of transitioning to life on the other side of the desk.

3. A Sense of Community

Many new faculty have uprooted their lives to move to a new area, you may find yourself seeking both an intellectual and/or social community where you feel a true sense of belonging.

4. Accountability

The structure of your job likely provides the least accountability for the activity that is most valued (research, scholarly work, writing, and publication). In order to avoid getting caught up in the daily chaos, many new faculty members benefit from some form of accountability system for writing.

5. Access to Networks

Because knowledge isn’t produced in isolation, it’s critical for you to connect with others to discuss potential research collaborations, navigate external funding, and access opportunity structures that might not be immediately apparent to you as a new faculty member.

6. Project Specific Feedback

You will also need to regularly communicate with people who can provide substantive comments on your proposals, manuscript drafts, and new ideas.

Partnership to Success: COPLA Faculty Mentoring Program was developed to address these needs of new and sort of new faculty. The goals of our program are to:

• Encourage collegiality across the college
• Help new faculty feel welcomed and part of the university community
• Create support system for faculty through networking
• Facilitate academic and career success
• Enhance faculty satisfaction and encourage a supportive work environment