Journal of Education & Social Policy

A Mentoring Network for 21st Century Faculty
Dr. Lisa M. Bunkowski, Dr. Stephen Anderson

Abstract
New faculty today are characterized by greater diversity, a variety of appointment types, a familiarity with communication technologies, and a range of approaches to their academic careers, including an emphasis on work-life balance, collaboration, and collegial relationships. The arrival of a large cohort of new faculty in 2014 challenged the existing support structures of our university. As a new institution, we had not yet developed a formal framework to meet the orientation and mentoring needs of our new faculty. Inspired by recent scholarship, we developed an innovative mentoring network with orientation and professional development opportunities to appeal to next-generation faculty. The network we developed centered on group orientation and professional development sessions, augmented with mentoring options (peer, one-on-one, small group, and e-mentoring). This article provides an overview of the formation and scope of the project, and a discussion of the brief assessment and results of the 2-year pilot phase.

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