Welcome to Faculty Mentoring
The goal of this mentoring program is to assist "new" faculty and newly promoted faculty in identifying and obtaining the resources and support that will help them be successful. On arrival new faculty are faced with a new set of challenges such as setting up their research program, directing a lab and teaching a class; yet, they have little knowledge or experience of policies, procedures, resources available nor of the culture at the UD COE.
The goal of the program is to assist those faculty in recognizing and obtaining the resources that will help them succeed. Newly promoted (tenured) faculty, having achieved the goal of tenure, often benefit from support and coaching to keep them on track for the next promotion. This program has at its core the need for a diversity of mentors for a diversity of input. This program was developed with support of an NSF ADVANCE P.A.I.D. grant HRD #- 0819993.
Current Faculty Mentoring Program
The current UD COE faculty mentoring program is focused on tenure- track and newly tenured (within two years of tenure) faculty. The COE recognizes that faculty members at all levels should have a variety of mentors/coaches and should seek a wide diversity of input. No one person knows or can communicate all aspects or needs. With this in mind the COE recognizes that each faculty member should have a diversity of mentors and coaches. The members of this "team" will have different duties and input for example:
1. Evaluative;
Department Chair through yearly evaluations Department P&T committee through two and four year reviews
2. Procedural/Mechanics:
A Senior faculty member from within the department - appointed by and monitored by the department chair. This individual should meet formally monthly with the mentee and go over policies and procedures of the University, College and department.
3. Professional Life:
A senior faculty member preferably from another institution - preferably within the candidates research area. This individual can directly recommend funding opportunities, external opportunities, national/international research opportunities and can give an outsiders view of events.
4. Other (as the mentee deems appropriate): Including possibly a senior faculty member from another department within the university who may have cultural, gender, international or other similarities with the mentee and thus can act as a conduit for specific local information and advice. This individual's vale, among others, is that he/she is not influenced by departmental politics.
This web site deals primarily with items 1 and 2.
For questions or further clarification contact Pam Cook, Associate Dean of Engineering, cook@udel.edu.
Roles, Duties & Assignments
The role, duties and assignment of the procedural mentor and of the mentee.
The procedural mentor, a senior member of the mentee's department, shall be appointed by the department chair. It is the department chair's responsibility to oversee the success of this pairing, to recognize the time commitment and importance of the mentoring arrangement, and to intervene in the case that the mentor mentee relationship is not progressing successfully. The chair will, at a minimum, check on the actual interactions twice a year. The mentor will set up "formal" monthly meetings with the mentee and will at a minimum go over the "checklist" reviewing dates/deadlines and responsibilities.
The COE will run workshops to "mentor the mentors" and will organize one workshop each spring for the mentees.
Documents on specific responsibilities of the Mentors, Mentees, and Chairs are available through the links below.
Checklist for Mentor/Mentees
Back-up Materials for the Chair
Additional Resources
Resources of importance including the UD Faculty Handbook, the UD Family Friendly Policies Brochure, the UD Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the College of Engineering Policies are linked directly here.
Professors Michael Santare and Anette Karlsson are collaborating with Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., to make polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells commercially viable for transportation applications.
