Faculty Affairs / Faculty Development

Mentoring for Pre-Tenure Faculty

Mentoring Projects

The mentoring project will be designed by the new faculty member during the first six months in residence and reviewed by the department head. The project should represent a career development opportunity that may not otherwise be possible without this funding. For the purposes of this program, mentoring is defined to include a wide variety of career development experiences. To assist in the development of their mentoring projects, new faculty members will be invited to a workshop in the fall semester conducted by the Provost’s Office. The workshop will provide ideas from successful mentoring projects and offer the faculty members an opportunity to discuss projects with other new and senior faculty members. New faculty members and department heads may also consult at any time with the Provost’s Office staff.

Guidelines

• Clearly describe the proposed activities, including timeframe and budget.
• Specify the goals for the proposed activities.
• Explain how the project goals support the faculty member’s career development.

Examples

Mentoring projects that have been previously supported by the Provost’s Office include:

• Off-campus meetings to visit a mentoring partner to learn or discuss a new research or teaching method;
• Editing services to proofread, fine tune, or edit a scholarly manuscript or grant;
• Coaching services to improve writing, productivity, and/or time management skills;
• Travel expenses to co-present with a mentoring partner (or partners), and/or meet new or existing mentoring partners at a professional conference;
• Modest honoraria to bring a recognized scholar and/or teacher in your field to Virginia Tech for a departmental or interdisciplinary event, such as a seminar or workshop.

These are examples to guide new faculty members in planning their mentoring projects, but projects need not be limited to these examples. There are, however, some restrictions. Funds may not be used for salary, hardware, software, equipment, and/or capital improvements. All expenditures must be in accordance with Virginia Tech policies and procedures.

Reporting

During the second year in residence, faculty members who received the mentoring project funding will be asked to submit a brief report on the success of the mentoring project to the Provost’s Office. In addition, the faculty member may be asked to participate in a workshop or an evaluation activity to improve the program. The intent is for the mentoring project to be one aspect of a comprehensive mentoring program that is sustained across the pre-tenure years.

Please submit your mentoring project form to Dr. Ellen Plummer, Assistant Provost, 330 Burruss (0132) or eplummer@vt.edu. The mentoring project form is located on the right side bar.