Faculty Mentoring Program

College-Wide Faculty Mentoring Program

For questions about becoming a mentor or mentee, please contact:
Mark Sample, Program Co-Coordinator
Brighton Campus, Building 5, Room 302
(585) 292-3252

For questions about the logistics of the program, please contact:
Kara Tierney, Program Co-Coordinator
Brighton Campus, Building 8, Room 310
(585) 292-2416

How Does the Process Work?

Mentors for new faculty are chosen from among tenured and untenured faculty. New full-time teaching faculty members are invited to participate and they seldom decline the opportunity to have a mentor. A coordinator selects mentors from across the college and pairs new faculty with tenured or nearly tenured faculty. There is a pizza lunch at the beginning of the fall semester and a summertime lunch late in the spring semester for the pairs of new faculty and their mentors. During the period from September 1st through June 30th of the following year, mentors and new faculty meet. The level of interaction between mentors and new faculty is determined by each individual relationship that unfolds without an agenda imposed by the program. Likewise, the number and duration of meetings between each of the pairs of mentors and new faculty is mutually agreed upon rather than set by anyone outside of the pair.

Mentor Qualifications

  • Faculty Member with 3 years MCC teaching experience
  • Interest in nurturing
  • Generous with time and knowledge
  • Possess great listening skills
  • Eager to acclimate a new faculty member

Why Mentor?

  • Mentoring provides new faculty with a personalized introduction to the culture of the college and helps with challenges and rewards of teaching at MCC.
  • Mentoring facilitates networking, which is advisable for all new faculty at the college.
  • Mentoring provides new faculty with a confidential contact outside their department to discuss matters that they might not otherwise want to discuss within their department.
  • Sharing your thoughts and experiences with new faculty also helps you to re-evaluate what you do on a daily basis, re-think how you operate in the classroom and review possible changes to policies and practices.

Suggested Activities for New Faculty and their Mentors

  • Attending campus events together, enjoying lunch in the Brighton Room, and sharing experiences on finding work—life balance
  • Discussing career goals, the tenure process, academic bullying, classroom issues, embracing diversity, classroom technology, disruptive students
  • Honing instructional techniques, course development, and curriculum issues, informally observing each other’s classes
  • Getting acquainted with issues specific to teaching at a community college such as, reaching the full range of learners we have in our classrooms.
  • Also important are MCC procedures such as parking, key control, print shop, bookstore, health services, human resources, leave reports, and travel reimbursements.

Additional Information