The 1999-2000 President's Advisory Committee for Women recommends that a UTEP Faculty Mentoring Program for Women begin with a pilot in the fall 2000 semester. The pilot, to be managed through the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, will be introduced as part of New Faculty Orientation. Mentees will be recruited by written invitation from women hired in tenure-track appointments for the fall 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 academic years.
Mentors, who may be men or women, will be recruited from the Women's Advisory Council, former UTEP AWARE participants, and tenured faculty members recommended by the Deans. All mentors and mentees will complete interest surveys, and based on the results of these surveys, mentees will be assigned to two mentors: one from within their college and one from another college. At least one of these mentors should be a woman. Both mentors and mentees will negotiate and sign a mentoring agreement, participate in a training program, and be invited to informal social activities.
A review of selected research, UT System reports, and UTEP data emphasizes the need for and benefits of a faculty mentoring program for women. From research, the committee learned of the successes of such programs at other universities and the means for facilitating such a program. The UT System reports revealed that the Chancellor has called for the implementation of such a program on each campus, and the UTEP data underscores the local need for recruiting and retaining women faculty.
The proposed Mission Statement and Program Goals are as follows:
Mission Statement
Because women face greater career barriers than men and because mentoring shows promise as a contributor to career success, UTEP has implemented a formal faculty mentoring program for women with the aim of contributing to the university's goal to retain and promote a highly qualified, diverse faculty. The mission is to assist women faculty in their professional development through the guidance and support of experienced UTEP faculty members who serve as role models, advisors, and advocates.
Program Goals
- Access: Increase women faculty's effectiveness and visibility through improved access to information and resources that support academic activities and to networking opportunities for new ventures and relationships.
- Balancing Work Loads: Facilitate the attainment of individual strategic career objectives by providing an environment where women faculty can discuss the conflicting demands of work and family and prioritizing the diverse demands of teaching, research, and service.
- Acculturation: Orient new women faculty to UTEP, including helping them avoid mere trial and error approaches to managing relationships with students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
Given the demonstrated need to hire and retain women, a UTEP Faculty Mentoring Program for Women would benefit the institution, the mentor, and the mentee. Benefits to the institution include increased hiring, retention, and promotion of women faculty; increased productivity and job satisfaction; a climate of collegiality and cooperation; and the opportunity to nurture future institutional leaders. Benefits to the mentor include the satisfaction of having helped a colleague and having contributed to the overall success of the university, increased knowledge from discussions with the mentee, joint research potential, and improved mentoring skills. Benefits to the mentee include assistance in defining career goals that may improve chances for tenure and promotion, improved access to UTEP information and resources, a better understanding of the UTEP organizational structure and culture, and practical advice on balancing the faculty workload with the sometimes conflicting demands of family.
The members of the subcommittee, along with other President's Advisory Committee for Women volunteers, will provide oversight, conduct an evaluation of the pilot program, and report results to the entire committee at the end of the spring 2001 semester. At that time, the committee will recommend modifications as warranted. |
