Montclair State University PCAA 2001-02
Mentoring
for Affirmative Action Faculty Recruitment and Retention
Prepared by
President's Commission on Affirmative Action
Recruitment and Retention Review Committee
Fall 2001
Resolution
The Recruitment and Retention Review Committee submits the following
motion prompted by the recognition that the percentage of full-time faculty
nationally and at MSU has remained relatively the same for African Americans
or in small proportions for Asians and Hispanics despite increases:
Motion: "We recommend that the university investigate successful
mentoring programs at other comparable institutions of higher learning
with the intent of developing a program adapted to promote recruitment
and retention of faculty of color at MSU."
Rationale
"Student bodies are more diverse. The faculty is not," pronounced a New York Times article, "Professors at the Color Line," on September 11, 2001. Richard Chait and Cathy Trower, authors of the article, elaborated, saying that "Numerous studies, including our own, have shown that women and minority professors still experience social isolation, subtle and occasionally overt prejudice, a lack of mentors and ambiguous expectations." Chait and Trower concluded that "Regrettably, without . . . external pressure, the professorate is likely to remain relatively homogeneous even as the student body becomes more diverse." However, without external pressure, at Montclair State University, the President has charged the Affirmative Action Commission to seek effective innovation to achieve faculty diversity. During the symposium, "Keeping our Faculties: Addressing the Recruitment and Retention of Faculty of Color in Higher Education" in 1998, mentoring and community building/networking was second only to "restructuring the faculty reward system" as a strategy to ensure keeping faculty of color. Therefore, in order to provide ways in which the University might improve processes of faculty retention and development, we suggest reviewing various faculty mentoring programs as models.
Types of Faculty Mentoring Programs
In a preliminary review of at least 14 university faculty mentoring programs, different approaches have become apparent. The Worchester Polytechnic Institute Mentoring Program for Faculty is for new, i.e., first-year faculty. The Western Carolina University Faculty Program is for three years and is regarded as an enhancement of professional development for tenured and tenure-track faculty. The University of Washington requires that department chairs serve as mentors to new faculty. The Indiana University program is gender focused. The Big 12 faculty Fellowship Program is a cross-institutional regional program, allowing tenure-track and tenured faculty to be mentored by senior faculty in any one of twelve universities, e.g., the University of Texas and the University of Kansas. The Society for Teaching of Psychology Mentoring Service, i.e., APA's Division 2, used for example at the University of Wisconsin and St. Louis University, is a nation-wide program pairing new and senior faculty outside of their departments and/or institutions. Using a model developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in partnership with the Council of Graduate Schools, the University of Minnesota has adopted a program to mentor graduate students who aspire to become faculty members. But approaches cannot be static, e.g., the Penn State Faculty Mentoring Program is being revamped.
Areas in which faculty mentoring can be effective
- Clarifying expectations and criteria for promotion
- Facilitating acquisition of resources to meet expectations
- Providing frequent and accurate feedback
- Reducing impediments to progress toward promotion
- Establishing a network
- Stimulating scholarly activities in teaching, research, and service
- Making friends and easing into the social fabric of the university
- Becoming aware of professional development resources
- Achieving satisfaction with career progress
- Learning the history and culture of the university
- Enhancing the collegial review process
- Improving student advisement
- Maintaining academic standards
Brainard, S.G. (2000, October 6). Mentoring Training Workshop. Presentation
for Kansas State University.
Webpage: http://www.ksu.edu/provost/mentoring.htm.
Kansas State University (2000). Mentoring program.
Webpage: http://www.ksu.edu/provost/mentfel.htm.
Kerka, S. (1998). New perspectives on mentoring. Office of Educational
Research and Improvement Digest No. 194.
Webpage: http://www.peer.ca/Perspectives.html.
Stanford University, School of Medicine (2000). Faculty mentoring program.
Webpage:
http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/facultymentoring/index.html.
Temple University (n.d.). Senior mentoring service.
Webpage: http://www.temple.edu/ATTIC/mentors.html.
University of British Columbia (1999). Faculty mentoring program overview.
Webpage: http://www.cstudies.ubc.ca/facdev/services/faculty/mentoring.html.
Univerisity of California, Berkeley (2000). Junior faculty mentor grant
program.
Webpage: http://www.chance.berkeley.edu:80/fea/JrMentor.html.
University of California, San Diego, Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor,
Academic Affairs (n.d.). Faculty mentoring program.
Webpage: http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/faculty/programs/fmp/default.htm.
University of Manitoba (1997). Faculty mentoring program.
Webpage: http://www.umanitoba.ca/academic_support/uts/faculty/mentor/index.html.
University of Minnesota Commission on Women (1996). Mentoring for the
1990s and beyond... new perspectives on an old way to move ahead.
Webpage: http://www1.umn.edu/women/other_infoTOC/pubs/mentoring.html.
University of Oregon's Women Faculty Resource Network (n.d.). Mentoring
program for female faculty.
Webpage: http://www.uoregon.edu/~lbiggs/ment.html.
University of Sussex, Staff Development (1999). Staff Development Unit:
Guidance on Mentoring.
Webpage: http://www.susx.ac.uk/Units/staffing/staffdev/policies/mentor.html.
University of Texas-Houston, Health Science Center (1997). Report of the
task force on mentoring.
Webpage: http://www.uth.tmc.edu/ut_general/admin_fin/planning/mentor/mentrpt.html.
Western Carolina University (n.d.). Faculty mentoring program.
Webpage: http://facctr.wcu.edu/FacMentPage/Links/FacMenDesc.htm.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Center for Educational Development, Technology,
& Assessment (2000). WPI Mentoring program for new faculty.
Webpage: http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/CEDTA/Services/mentoring.html.
Other Resources to help achieve faculty diversity
Websites of three higher education boards provide specific program information
on achieving diversity--the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB),
the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and the
New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE).
Shattering the Silences, a 90-minute video distributed by Resolution
Inc./California Newsreel
Principles of Good Practice: Supporting Early-Career Faculty, Guidance
for Deans, Department Chairs, and Other Academic Leaders, an online
booklet by Mary Deane Sorcinelli
Symposium on "Keeping Our Faculties: Addressing the Recruitment and
Retention of Faculty of Color in Higher Education," Caroline Sotello
Viernes Turner, Multicultural and Academic Affairs, University of Minnesota,
October 1998.
"The Gender Politics of Mentoring," The Majority Report,
Office for Women's Affairs, Indiana University, October 1995. World
Wide Webpage: http://www.indiana.edu/~owa/MR/95_octmr.htm1#mentor.