Mentoring

Appointed by the dean of each academic college, College Peer Mentors collaborate with the Assistant Provost for Faculty Success to advance the effectiveness and impact of faculty mentoring across the institution and within college contexts. College Peer Mentors create networking opportunities and organize college-specific professional development events.

As we support first-year, tenure-eligible faculty through mentoring, the goal is to ensure successful faculty reviews including preliminary/third-year, promotion, and tenure. In furtherance of this goal and our institutional strategic goals, this program aims to increase faculty retention and success (e.g., promotion, sense of belonging, retention, developing future mentors and leaders).

• Read more in this program overview (PDF).
• Mentees and their mentors are asked to complete the mentoring agreement form (DOC).

This program is designed for:

• early career faculty at the rank of assistant professor (term and tenure-eligible)
• mid-career faculty at the rank of associate professor (term and tenure-eligible)

As we support early and mid-career faculty through mentoring, the goal is to ensure successful faculty advancement, promotion, and overall career satisfaction. In furtherance of this goal and our institutional strategic goals, this initiative seeks to increase faculty retention and success (e.g., promotion and advancement, sense of belonging, developing future mentors and leaders).

• Read more in this program overview (PDF).
• Mentees and their mentors are asked to complete the mentoring agreement form (DOC).

The Provost’s Office will offer a Term Faculty Learning Community (TFLC) for the 2024-2025 academic year. The program’s purpose is to afford term faculty, appointed at least 75% time, an opportunity to cultivate leadership skills, build connections, and pursue their professional goals. The TFLC’s purpose and focus aligns with the university’s mission to “create, share, and apply knowledge.” The TFLC also dovetails with the goals outlined in the 2022-2031 strategic plan. Teaching Professors Sarah Bennett-George (Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management) and Michael Bootsma (Accounting) will lead the TFLC. For additional questions, contact Assistant Provost for Faculty Success Tera Jordan (email: trh@iastate.edu). 

Smile and Write is an online program open to faculty and staff, designed to leverage peer accountability and help carve out space in your schedule to work on your curriculum, manuscripts, and other writing projects. Smile and Write is a great way to connect with peers in all disciplines, working together to accomplish writing goals to aid in your career progression.

Smile and Write format:

• Register ahead of time for as many sessions as you want. Upon registration, you will be sent a zoom link to use for each session.
• Once you have logged in, we ask that your video be turned on. Doing this helps to assure accountability and can keep us from distraction.
• At the start of each session, we state our goals that we want to accomplish. At the end of each session we take a brief bit of time to share progress made towards those goals.

Virtual mentoring is provided through Iowa State’s institutional membership in the ncfdd. Resources include weekly “Monday Motivator” emails and webinars on a variety of topics. Activate your sub-membership (PDF).

• Best Practices in Mentoring and Promotion of Assistant Professors
• Best Practices in Mentoring and Promotion of Associate Professors
• Term Faculty Career Planning Resource Guide

The Office of the Vice President for Research also has a curated list of mentoring resources for faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and Professional & Scientific Staff and links to other external resources. 

The Office of Faculty Success equips mentors with the information and tools needed to increase the impact of faculty mentoring, cultivate effective mentoring practices, and optimize mentoring relationships. Guidance for faculty mentors can be found in the Faculty Mentor Guide (PDF). 

• Term Faculty Career Planning Resource Guide
• Office of the Vice President for Research Mentorship Resources
• University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
• Virginia Tech ADVANCE