Mentoring Program for Professional Practice Faculty

The mentoring program for Professional Practice faculty in the College of Engineering was implemented starting Fall 2021 semester. The program’s mission is to guide faculty with outstanding foundations for future success in their academic careers and to be engaging members of the community at the department, college and university levels. This goal is achieved through a team mentoring approach to provide support, guidance and feedback on a regular basis. Team mentoring allows an environment conducive to sharing ideas, building consensus and developing a strategic plan for the faculty member's career and providing support in managing work-life balance. ​

The desired outcome of this program is to provide:​
  • An understanding of the process and expectations for promotion​
  • A supportive mentoring team who provides guidance and feedback on a regular basis​
  • An individualized career plan based on their job definition​
  • An individualized visibility plan of their impact
Each mentoring team includes 3 faculty members:
  • Two senior Professional Practice faculty members 
    • ​in the same department
    • in another department in CoE
    • in another department outside the CoE​
  • Professional Development or P&T committee chair in the department

How it works​:

Mentoring committee selection and meetings are managed centrally and with input from each faculty member’s department. New faculty will attend a workshop with Dr. Kaletunc to develop the best approaches in establishing a mentoring committee through an interactive session. Also, if needed, individual in-person or zoom meetings are scheduled for further clarification of strategies.

  • New faculty will select the mentoring team members and discuss with Dr. Kaletunc
  • Committee will meet once a semester for 1.5 hours (1 hour minimum)
  • Committee meetings will continue until promotion with an agenda set by new faculty to provide guidance and address the emerging needs

Mentor selection criteria​:

  • Mentor provides
    • information
    • connection
    • guidance
    • feedback
    • advocacy​
  • Mentor will support and advise
  • Mentor will be beneficial to personal and professional development
  • Mentor will be an advocate, inspirational to you and cheer you on
  • Mentor guides in decision making and does not make decisions for you