5: A Mentoring Program to Support University Junior Tenure‑Track Faculty

Newly hired university faculty members on the tenure‑track can face an overwhelming range of tasks, time-consuming expectations, unfamiliar procedures, and institutional demands in their new position. Early career academics not only have to develop and teach various courses, but also they have to establish a research agenda within an already-tight work schedule and provide service to the university, their department, and/or the community. However, the level of support provided by the university to help them navigate these challenges can vary across institutions. Universities usually provide an introductory orientation program. Some universities also have a formal mentoring program to help tenure‑track faculty become familiar with their new workplace expectations, guide them in personal and professional development, and prepare them to be successful in achieving promotion and tenure (Fountain & Newcomer, 2016; Lumpkin, 2011). Research studies have indicated the efficacy of and potential difficulties facing mentoring programs. Studies from universities with formal mentoring programs report that mentees have greater job satisfaction, higher rates of retention and promotion, more opportunity to establish a broader professional network, and increased success with securing grant funding and publications (Efstathiou et al., 2018; Gardiner et al., 2007; Wasserstein et al., 2007; Wilson‑Ahlstrom et al., 2017; Zehra et al., 2023). However, Williams et al. (2019) noted that though tenure‑track assistant professors overwhelmingly held the belief that a mentoring program could positively guide them along their career path in academia, the actual success of the mentorship depended on (a) the degree to which the expectations and tenure guidelines were made clear as well as (b) the level of trust and support they received from their mentor.