Who can be a mentor?

Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program mentors are experienced, well-respected, tenured faculty who volunteer to participate in a brief formalized mentoring training session, spend focused and productive time with a faculty protégé for the duration of the mentoring relationship (longer if both parties agree), attend special topic workshops and seminars for mentors and protégés, and get involved in scheduled activities designed to enhance the mentoring relationship.  A mentor’s goal should be to develop a supportive mentoring relationship that will contribute to a protégé’s career satisfaction and development.

Serving as a mentor requires important personal qualities.  To successfully mentor a protégé, mentors must:

• be good listeners and strong communicators,
• have an established network of professional peers and resources that can be used to assist the protégé,
• possess supervisory skills,
• be independent, allowing the protégé to develop a career path distinct from the mentor’s,
• avoid competition with the protégé,
• have solid self-esteem and an excellent reputation,
• and be motivated to help others.

Mentors complete a participation form, and attend an initial training session offered by the Office of Academic Affairs.  Throughout the year, mentors will be invited to special topic follow-up workshops designed to support them as mentors, and introduce them to programs, resources, and assistance available to protégés on campus and in the region.  Mentors may join the program at any time.

Being a mentor takes time, commitment, and effort on the part of tenured faculty members.  Nevertheless, commitment to the Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program has its benefits.  Mentors know the satisfaction of helping a colleague develop professionally, can share their own ideas about teaching and research with another interested colleague, and help the College and their department retain excellent faculty members.

Mentors in the Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program offer developmental support and guidance intended to enhance the performance and satisfaction of the new faculty member.  Their purpose differs somewhat from the sort of mentoring offered by Department Chairs.  Chairs are required to shepherd untenured, tenure track faculty through the tenure process, and to familiarized new colleagues specifically with departmental expectations.  In the Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program, mentors are more concerned with ensuring new colleagues understand the larger Loyola College environment and expectations.  The Faculty-To-Faculty Mentoring Program complements departmental mentoring efforts, providing clarification and support with issues that affect all untenured, tenure track faculty members.