Rutgers Connection Network Faculty Mentoring Program

• A less experienced individual (a mentee) and a more experienced individual (a mentor) focused on advancing the professional, academic, and/or personal development of the mentee
   
• Mentors are committed to helping their mentees grow; mentees are committed to learning from their mentors

• Two individuals at similar career stages focused on advancing the professional, academic, and/or personal development of both individuals  
   
• The commitment to growth is collaborative—guiding one another and supporting self-directed development through information exchange, advising, and knowledge-sharing

Approximately 10 - 12 hours over the 8 month long program, or on average 1.5 hours a month. The program runs from October – May, and mentors are expected to meet once a month virtually or in-person with their faculty mentee. In addition mentors are expected to attend an RCN orientation session, the annual FDC recognition ceremony and 1-2 optional events/workshops.

Faculty value the perspective of mentors in helping them progress towards their goals. Mentors help them think about priorities and how to allocate time across Teaching, Research and Service. Faculty mention that they value being connected with someone who has also navigated the path to tenure or promotion while dealing with challenging family situations, or departmental pressures. Faculty also appreciate having a mentor outside of their school/department to further extend connections at Rutgers and offer them another perspective to their role and struggles as a junior faculty member.

Form 1 (a) of the Rutgers Tenure and Promotion packet for Teaching & Research faculty asks faculty to list their contributions to Faculty Mentoring:  Specifically: “Faculty mentoring (list by year, the faculty members you mentored and describe the mentoring provided)”.

And in the words of faculty mentors …

• I felt isolated before joining RCN and know of other faculty who feel the same. The experience really opens your mind regarding to the depth and breadth of possibilities in academia.
• One of the most valuable aspects is the opportunity to connect across the university. Not only does it widen one's network, it also broadens ones perspective beyond the department and disciplinary boundaries. 
• The most valuable thing about this program is that it matches me as a mentor with people at Rutgers who need help and who I otherwise would never meet.  I have learned a lot about Rutgers as an institution by mentoring people from across the University and at multiple career stages.  These kinds of cross-connections would not happen without RCN.  The other great thing about RCN is that it provides a framework and asks us to make a commitment to the mentoring process, which makes it much less likely that the relationship will peter out.
• This program allows me to see myself holistically as a mentor and scholar and encourages me to simultaneously think of myself as a guiding leader and an active listener.
• Opportunity to meet new colleagues, to share one's knowledge and experiences, to learn of conditions faced by younger colleagues.

We take great care to ensure that our mentor-mentee matches are successful, and this includes working with an RCN Mentoring Platform, the Mentoring Executive Committee, and taking personal preferences into account.

Associate-level faculty and above are generally paired with junior faculty of the same track (Tenure or NTT), and Instructor or Assistant level faculty interested in providing mentoring are paired in peer-mentoring relationships.

We will always confirm your interest and availability to mentor in any particular year prior to matching you with a mentee or peer-mentor.

As this is a beyond the departmental level mentoring program, Faculty within the same department are not paired together for mentoring.