Thank you for serving UCSC faculty through your mentoring!

Mentees value the guidance and suggestions they receive from mentors in order to successfully face the challenges of academic life and integrate themselves into our community.  Many UCSC faculty who have served as mentors find the experience to be gratifying, not only because they make a meaningful contribution, but also because they learn a lot from their mentees.

Meeting with Your Mentee

CCA requests that all mentors to contact their mentees in fall, as soon as they know their mentees,  to set up a timeline for collaboration throughout the year. We expect mentor and mentees to meet at least once a quarter and more frequently if the need arises.  As the senior faculty member, you should initiate the quarterly meetings. It is often useful to meet all your mentees together, so that they meet and learn from each other as well as you.  

Please remember to treat all personal information confidentially, unless you are required by law to report it to the appropriate authorities.

Creating a Constructive Relationship with Your Mentee

Faculty new to this campus often need help learning about the the norms and culture of UCSC.  An important aspect of mentoring is the creation of a trusting relationship that provides a safe and comfortable space for new faculty to ask questions and bring up their concerns.

Be honest and constructive with your feedback, offer, encouragement and prompt mentees to be reflective.

It is often helpful to mentees to talk through their goals.  Many benefit from a mentor’s help in thinking through and setting specific near-term and long-term goals.

Mentees appreciate hearing about the experiences, strategies, and concerns of their mentors. We encourage you to share your failure and success stories and what you have learned from them.  It helps to be open about your own struggles, show mentees it is natural to feel overwhelmed with work, and reassure them there are things they can do to improve the situation.  At the same time, it is important to appreciate differences in others and not assume your own way is the best. Provide guidance, but also recognize that mentees will find their own way.  You don’t need to know the answers to everything.   Feel free to say “I don’t know,” and make suggestions regarding where else mentees might get the information they need.

Attending CCA Events

Throughout the year, CCA will host a series of social events where mentors and mentees can connect.  We will also offer workshops on issues of interest for mentees and mentors (in relation to teaching, research, and the path to tenure) throughout the year.  You are welcome to use these events as venues for your meetings, and we also encourage you to meet at other times/places to talk together.

Documenting FMP mentoring for the personnel review process

You work hard as a mentor, and we recommend that you include information about your service in two places in your merit review materials: in your biobibliography and in your personal statement. Please see this guide for more information. 

Additionally, although many of you are senior faculty who may not need them, service letters can be solicited for your personnel files. If you would like CCA to provide a formal service letter, please contact the CCA analyst and provide a short statement about your work as a mentor and what events you attended.