By: Anthony Marini
As someone who has spent much of their academic career working with university instructors in promoting teaching excellence, new faculty hires are of a particular interest to me. Part of that interest stems from the fact that new faculty members face significant challenges as they take on their first academic appointments. For example, despite the fact that many of these individuals have little, if any, teaching preparation, they can be assigned some of the most demanding teaching roles typically involving very large lecture courses.
In addition to teaching requirements, new faculty often encounter difficulties simply understanding the culture and structure of their university. While they may have encountered some elements of this culture as graduate students, the complexities of facing these elements as new faculty members can be bewildering.
Unlike many other professions where a period of internship precedes formal entrance into the profession – such as those typically found in the health professions or articling associated with the legal profession – new academics do not generally have an opportunity to develop the professional skills designed to help them transition into actual practice. This lack of preparation can often result in frustration and stress in the initial years of their appointment, which can serve as a significant barrier in building a strong foundation to their careers and positioning them well in terms of attaining tenure.
In order to assist new faculty in experiencing a productive first year, a number of Canadian universities have begun to explore formal mentoring programs. The response from new faculty has been generally very positive and many participants have experienced a much better adjustment and specific benefits, including high grant application success and greater comfort with their teaching assignments.
While mentoring is not altogether new in the university setting, much of what occurred in the past was informal and did not achieve the targeted outcomes. More formal programs generally have the support of key administrators, consider what kind of training a mentor may need, monitor progress and are more reflective in matching senior faculty with new hires.
Moreover, there is a growing belief that traditional models of mentoring characterized by one mentor and one mentee may not be the most effective approach. Increasingly, consideration is being given to models of mentoring that have a new faculty member interact with a number of senior faculty members. The case for this more expanded model of mentoring addresses issues such as the heavy workload that traditional models place on a single mentor and acknowledges that the needs of new faculty can be better addressed by working with a number of faculty members each contributing a varied set of skills and background.
In establishing mentor programs, universities would directly address a need frequently voiced by new hires and assist new faculty in becoming more positive and contributing members of the university community.
In addition to New Faculty Orientation, the EDC offers a learning community aimed at facilitating new faculty’s adjustment process as they begin their new venture at Carleton. Learn all about it.