Looking Forward: Mentoring Community of Practice
In collaboration with other campus leaders, the VPFA’s Office is launching a new faculty “community of practice” in 2022, centered on cross-identity mentoring. Mentoring leaders from across disciplines will engage current literature and explore mentoring models to develop best practices and approaches for cross-identity mentoring at DU. Stay tuned for more information!
IChange Network Sends DU Team to Mentorship Training
As a consequence of DU’s participation in the IChange Network (see earlier update), we were able to send a team of four campus leaders to the weeklong, Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER, pronounced “simmer”) flagship “train-the-trainer” institute. The DU team include two faculty who have been leaders in the Symposium and DU-MERISTEM NSF-Advance project: Robin Tinghitella, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences; and Shannon Murphy, Professor of Biological Sciences; as well as Faculty Fellow for Mentoring Initiatives (FFMI) Heather Martin, Teaching Professor in the Writing Program; and Alison Staudinger, Director of Faculty Development & Career Advancement in Faculty Affairs.
The Institute guides faculty through CIMER’s research-based Entering Mentoring curriculum, providing a wide range of customizable modules, case studies, and exercises which can be adapted to fit a variety of disciplines and situations. The goal is to better prepare faculty mentors to support mentees, through transparent structures, inclusion, and trust. Want a taste of this content? Consider how you might respond to the following CIMER case study:
Life Changes: Since your relationship began, your mentee has been productive with manuscripts and small grants. However, in the last year, your mentee’s mother fell ill and died from a serious illness. Prior to her illness, the mentee’s mother provided substantial support for the mentee’s family, including childcare, cooking, and general support. This life event has put the mentee’s productivity on a slower course, and your mentee needs support to complete a pilot project for future funding from a major outside funder? What is your advice?
Piloting Mentoring Training in CAHSS
Building on the CIMER Institute, Martin and Staudinger have partnered with Associate Dean Andrea Stanton in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) to offer a mentoring workshop for CAHSS faculty mentors on Tuesday, October 12 from 1:00–2:30 pm. CAHSS has been a campus leader in new faculty mentoring across lines, and this training highlights their commitment to equity-minded support.