Mentoring a Diverse Faculty HERC Conference November 7, 2008 Mary Childers, Ombudsperson Dartmouth College

What Mentoring Systems Should Include Substantive information Institutional support Identification of obstacles and resources Reality testing Group networking opportunities Flexible individual matches Alternative microclimates

Preferred Institutional Context On-going commitment to recruitment Frank discussion of campus climate issues Visible senior leadership support for mentoring program

Case Western Reserve University - NSF-ADVANCE Grant ACES – Major Initiatives, Multiple Levels Commitment of Senior Administrators Provost’s Annual Leadership Retreat Climate Change Committee Faculty Development Faculty Grants Distinguished lectureships Hotline coaching Accountability of Deans Departmental Grants Search Committee Supports New Structures, Policies & Procedures Monthly student pipeline Student bias training

Case Western Reserve University, II Climate assessments and faculty exit survey Executive coaching for women faculty, faculty of color, deans, and others Faculty Development Workshops Courtesy of Amanda Shaffer, CWRU

Different Types of Mentoring Natural mentoring Situational mentoring Supervisory mentoring Formal facilitated mentoring Peer Mentoring

What Mentor Should Understand Relevant institutional policies Complexity of multiple identity challenges Racial and ethnic bias Potential consequences of hyper visibility Unrewarded service tax on minority faculty Possible tensions between needs of individual and institution

Campus Norms and Differential Impact Rank-based hierarchy Untenured Faculty Silence Individualism From “The Impact of Social Interaction and Reward System Norms on Underrepresented Faculty,” Annie Gubitosi-White, from Diversity Web (

Grassroots I RACE (Researchers and Critical Educators) California State University, Fullerton 2002 a group of then untenured faculty of color convened Maintains a campus recruitment and retention website Monthly mentoring and social luncheons for untenured faculty Partnering with a senior associate dean, support from provost and president Leveraging location on a “majority minority” campus

Grassroots II University of Illinois at Chicago Initiated by Black and Latino faculty Documents the needs of Black and Latino faculty Structured mentoring opportunities for under-represented faculty through community building, peer support, and professional development Ongoing feedback to departments, college and university leaders Assists faculty with the challenges of institutional racism, job satisfaction, isolation, and productivity

Grassroots III: Alternative Microclimates Complementary to departmental microclimates Can emerge from rewarding service outside department Potential for collective action against bullies Fosters mentoring relationships “Faculty Microclimate Change at Smith College” – see Ackelsberg in resources

References Keeping Our Faculties Symposium, University of Minnesota, Conference V: March 12-14, Keeping Our Faculties Symposium, University of Minnesota, Conference IV: April 12-14, 2007 (includes Amanda Shaffer Presentation) Diversity Web: (Includes Annie Gubitosi-White abstract at: otion/underrepresented.cfm) otion/underrepresented.cfm University of Michigan ADVANCE Program Publications and Reports References on Chilly Climate for Women in Academe Duke Mentoring of Faculty: Principles and Practice Ackelsberg, Martha, Jeni Hart, Naomi J. Miller, Kate Queeney, and Susan Van Dyne. “Faculty Microclimate Change at Smith College.” Forthcoming in Reconstructing The Academy: Faculty Take the Lead. ed. Winnifred Brown-Glaude Rutgers University: Rutgers University Press, Stanley, Christine A., and Yvonna S. Lincoln. "Cross-Race Faculty Mentoring." Change 37.2 (Mar. 2005):