Inspired by their attendance at the 2012 Mentoring Institute, three faculty from different health and human service disciplines are working together to create a formalized mentoring program for their university.  Funding is being provided by the Provost and the College to develop a pilot program across seven academic departments in one College during the 2013-2014 academic year. Best practices identified during a literature review and visits to other universities with established mentoring programs will provide the framework for the pilot program. Newly hired tenure track faculty and their assigned mentors will be provided with resources and have regularly scheduled meetings to assist new faculty in adjusting to the university and assist the mentors in providing effective guidance. Using a mixed methods design, data will be collected throughout the year to assess program effectiveness. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be included to assist with literature review, tool development, data collection, and data analysis. This presentation will discuss the inspiration for the program, its structure, methodology, funding, and resources. Baseline data, collected from 2012-2013 new hires not involved in a formal mentoring program, will be discussed as well as preliminary data collected from the newly hired faculty and their mentors.

The purpose of this presentation is to explore the phenomenon of faculty mentoring in higher education utilizing a collaborative approach. Many new faculty enter higher education feeling a sense of isolation which is often mixed with unclear expectations during their probationary period. Research shows that faculty mentoring can reduce professional isolation, increase rates of promotion, and reduce the likelihood of faculty leaving an institution prior to gaining tenure (Washburn, 2007). Faculty members who do achieve tenure frequently lack mentoring by senior level administrators to move into leadership roles on campus such as graduate coordinators, department chairs, and deans.  This article presents case studies of the implementation of a collaborative model utilized at a state university to address issues related to achieving tenure as well as ongoing opportunities for leadership roles when tenure is achieved. Interpersonal conflict, isolation, and negotiation issues faced by faculty members of a university-counseling center are presented in the first case study. This case example proposes that a collaborative approach to faculty mentoring can provide ways for mentors and peers to understand issues of diversity, learn about conflict mediation skills, and provide direction and support required for faculty to succeed during their probationary period. It proposes specific techniques for engaging junior faculty in problem solving and in setting goals beneficial for professional growth that will meet university requirements for tenure.  The second case study outlines the challenges faced by a faculty member in a department where the “publish or perish” mentality and lack of collaboration were organizational obstacles to tenure that had to be overcome. This case study will outline explicit techniques for senior faculty to assist in the development of a junior faculty’s publication plan for tenure by supporting research goals and objectives. Collaboration and knowledge sharing of institutional artifacts needed to navigate the university requirements during the probationary period are also explored.  The third case study investigates the experiences of faculty members after tenure as they move into various leadership roles on campus and move towards earning full professorship. This case study reflects on the cultural norms of our college including some administrators disinterest in encouraging and allowing tenured faculty to moving into leadership positions. In other cases tenured faculty are forced into leadership positions without support and mentorship to assist them to grow into those positions. It will address organizational defenses and how faculty can establish mentoring relationships with administrators.

Recognizing the importance of university and community partnerships to address social issues, a mentoring program was implemented on a juvenile justice campus (JJC). A collaborative effort between a regional Hispanic-serving university, the county probation department, and a non-profit agency resulted in the development of a mentoring program with incarcerated youth. Students assisted in the development and implementation of the mentoring program, which incorporated life skills development, violence prevention, financial planning, parenting groups, needs assessments, and meditation. Student perceptions of their experience are explored using qualitative research methods. Educational benefits, the importance of collaboration, and the relationship between self-efficacy and placement satisfaction are discussed.