Timothy Fredstrom, Music and CTLT Faculty-in-Residence, 2006-07; Patrick O’Sullivan, CTLT Director
Recruiting and hiring new faculty is one of the most important responsibilities of institutions of higher education, including ISU. As important, however, is helping new faculty succeed once they are hired. A strong beginning to their career can enhance their morale and improve their research and teaching productivity as well as enhance ISU’s status as a desirable place for an academic career. This could also encourage faculty retention, which can reduce the financial and social costs of employee churn. This session introduces a new program for mentoring new faculty through the Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology. It was piloted in Fall 2006 with the goal of smoothing new faculty members’ transition to academia and accelerating their productivity. The program diverges from the traditional one-on-one mentoring models that usually match a senior faculty member with a new faculty hire. Instead, we borrow from the learning community model by arranging new faculty into Professional Development Circles of 5-7 faculty each. These provide informed and motivated mentors as well as opportunities for social and professional peer support. Insights from Fall 2006 and plans for Spring 2007 will be shared. Participants will be invited to share reflections on their first-year experiences and provide suggestions for addressing new faculty’s most pressing needs.
