Unlocking the magic of mentoring

Northwestern is committed to fostering excellence in mentoring for faculty, whether they are mentoring new and early-career faculty or graduate students and trainees. On Jan. 15, a session in the Faculty Leaders Series brought together Faculty Chairs, Program Directors, and Center/Institute Directors to share best practices for department mentoring programs aimed at developing new and early career faculty. A panel of leaders from the School of Communication, Feinberg School of Medicine and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences was moderated by Associate Provost for Faculty Sumit Dhar.

Read on for some of the insights shared by the panelists.

On creating a structured department mentoring program  

• "SoC is a very diverse school, with faculty artists, humanists, and scientists. There did not use to be a formal mentorship program in the school. After participating on the Provost’s Mentoring Council, I presented data on mentorship. There was buy-in from faculty but also some concern that a structured mentoring program could be too rigid. We created mentoring champions in each department who took the core principles and developed a mentorship program that met the needs of the department. All pre-tenure faculty now have a designated mentor recorded in the Associate Dean’s office." – Bonnie Martin-Harris
• "In Medicine, we developed a peer-coaching program, using experienced faculty who apply to be faculty coaches. They get paid; it’s an important job. After training they are assigned four new faculty a year and are required to meet at least quarterly for 18 months."  – Cybele Ghossein
• "In the history department, we establish a faculty mentor during the summer before new faculty arrive on campus. We expect mentors to take a really active role, including helping with teaching challenges, reading and providing feedback on manuscripts, and preparing the evaluation for the third-year review for tenure. However, the program is informal in that we are all in the same building, so you see your mentor in the hall; we do not need to have strict meeting requirements." – Kevin Boyle

On mentor motivation

• "There is a very strong culture of responsibility to the community in our department. Because of that culture, people don’t want to be the faculty member who is the outlier, who doesn’t want to fulfill the work of mentoring." – Boyle
• "Our peer coaches almost get more out of it than the mentees. We want our coaches to be really engaged in the community, willing to listen, willing to learn. The thing I hear most is that the stipend is nice, but they enjoy the positive experience more." – Ghossein 

On mentor networks

• "Our junior faculty tend to want multiple mentors, but due to numbers, we assign just one official mentor. Faculty can reach out to others informally. They also rely on their advisor from graduate school and other external mentors. We make sure their network is well grounded in the department. As chair, I try to coordinate with the mentor to make sure that we are consistent with our messaging." – Boyle
• "For the tenure-eligible mentoring program in our department, we offer a mentoring committee on which each member has a role: a scientific mentor for research; near-peer mentor for help with navigating day-to-day needs; a career mentor for career development; and a senior mentor to help make connections." – Ghossein

On communication expectations for the mentee and mentor

• "Each department has a mentorship plan and the role of the mentor and mentee are written into guides. We have additional guides on how to write goals as a mentor and a mentee, and tools to evaluate your relationship. " – Martin-Harris
• "We have an FAQ document that explains the program and expectations. Faculty coaches are expected to meet with their coachee no less than quarterly." – Ghossein
• "When a mentor can embrace the structure but infuse it with the free-flowing approach of 'how can we best improve your career,' that is where the magic happens." –Sumit Dhar

On developing your style and building trust

• "I hope the mentee feels free to come by, but I am also a big fan of walking the halls. If there is a specific moment they need something, I try to be available and accessible." – Boyle
• "Earlier, I would have tried to influence faculty more, but now I try to listen and ask questions. When it comes to career mentoring, I try to get them to figure out what they want to do and where they want to go." –Ghossein
• "I make sure I use opportunities to connect. The driver is the mentee, but you create the atmosphere in which that is possible." – Dhar