The Office of Faculty Development

New Faculty Mentoring Program

Purpose:  To establish a structure for meaningful, practical and ongoing professional support for new tenure track faculty that will facilitate their development as teachers and scholars and their successful integration into the life of their departments and colleges, the University, and the Chico area community.

Structure: New faculty will be grouped by college into cohorts of 5-7. Each cohort is assigned to one mentor who is an established faculty member in that college.  Mentors will work with faculty for the first two years of their tenure-track position to provide support and share resources.

Assessment: The Program Coordinator will administer a survey of new faculty at the midpoint and end of the first year and at the end of the second to assess the success of the mentoring program. The Director will also meet with mentors to solicit their feedback on the program at regular intervals but no less than once a semester.

Faculty Mentors

Name

College

Mentee

Jake BrimlowAgriculture (AGR)2nd  year
Lori WeberBehavioral and Social Sciences (BSS)1st year, 2nd  year
Shelley HartBehavioral and Social Sciences (BSS)2nd  year
Tim HeinzeBusiness (BUS)2nd  year
Jessika LawrenceCommunication and Education (CME)2nd  year
David AlexanderEngineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management (ECC)1st year, 2nd  year
Rachel MiddlemanHumanities and Fine Arts (HFA)2nd  year
Marc LangstonMeriam Library (MLIB)1st  year
Carolynn ArpinNatural Sciences (NSC)1st year, 2nd  year

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  • New Faculty Forums Archive

    Conversation with Second-Year Faculty (Friday, September 30th) –
    video recording(opens in new window) 

    Join us for a chance to ask second year faculty how they survived their first year! This is an informal panel where we will ask some questions to second year faculty about their first year experience at Chico State, and what advice they have for you.

    Advice from Newly Tenured Faculty (Friday, November 12th) - video recording(opens in new window)
    Join a conversation with newly tenured faculty to hear about their journey and for a chance to ask some questions!

    Equity Diversity and Inclusion (Friday, October 8th) – video recording(opens in new window)
    Michelle Morris, the campus’ Chief Diversity Officer, will expand on the resources for faculty related to EDI that she shared at the New Faculty Orientation, and Chiara Ferrari will share FDEV resources/programs, and talk about professional development opportunities.  We will then ask all of you to share what you are already doing in terms of teaching and research, as it relates to EDI. 

    Advice from Second Year Faculty (Friday, September 10th) – video recording(opens in new window)
    Join a conversation with second-year faculty and their advice how to survive your first year as a tenure track faculty!

  • Information for Mentors

    Selection: Mentors are recommended by Program Coordinator, Director, and Deans.

    Year One Mentor Responsibilities: 

    • Meet cohort at the New Faculty Orientation and participate with them in relevant portions of the program
    • Work with the Director of Faculty Development to design and help facilitate a yearlong series of First Friday Workshops to address topics such RTP, integration with their departments, pedagogy, work-life balance, and other issues as needed.
    • Offer opportunities for formative classroom observations and invite cohort members to observe the mentor’s classes where relevant
    • Offer individual consultation on professional development and preparation of the RTP dossier
    • Facilitate connections with relevant campus personnel
    • Strengthen cohort relationships with each other and with the mentor through informal check-ins and/or social gatherings
    • Meet once a semester with the Director of Faculty Development to share experiences across cohorts, assess the success of the program, and offer suggestions for its improvement

    Year Two Mentor Responsibilities:

    • Meet with Year One Mentors before the semester starts to coordinate efforts
    • Hold college-based RTP workshops early in the fall semester in preparation for Performance Evaluation
    • Organize and facilitate a workshop exclusively for Year Two Faculty on developing a service profile
    • Continue to offer classroom visits and invitations to observe the mentor’s classes
    • Continue to provide informal support

new faculty group 22-23
2023-2024 New Faculty
California State University, Chico