Purpose:
The purpose of tenure track mentoring committees is to advise and to gauge the progress of probationary faculty toward promotion in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. For reappointment and promotion, the accomplishments of the mentee in each of these areas will be assessed. The mentoring committee does not replace, but rather augments, the standard mentoring that occurs between a division director and the mentee, and other informal mentoring relationships. The purpose of the mentoring committee is to provide a broader base of individuals looking out for the mentee’s best interests, and to provide oversight and advice independent of the division director.
At the time of promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure, faculty will be expected to have a convincing record of teaching excellence (based on teaching in the classroom, clinic/wards, small group sessions, and/or in lectures). They will have an established record of scholarship, as reflected by the discovery of a substantial body of new knowledge, and its dissemination in high-quality publications. They will make contributions to the service missions of the university and their professional community, and (if appropriate) provide outstanding care to their patients.
The Department and College will evaluate faculty for reappointment (year 3 for scientists, year 4 for physician scientists with patient care duties) and they will be considered for promotion prior to the end of their tenure “clock” (6 years for scientists, 8 years for physician scientists with patient care duties). The tenure clock may be automatically extended by 12 months for addition of minor children to the family during the probationary period (up to 24 months for addition of two or more children). Discretionary extensions may also be granted for personal or professional impediments that delay progress.
Mentor-Mentee meetings:
The mentoring committee will be composed of at least 3 faculty with experience or expertise relevant to the career path of the mentee. The committee members will be assigned by the Division Director, in consultation with the mentee. One of the committee members will be designated as chair. Ordinarily, the mentee’s division director will not serve on the mentoring committee. The committee will meet with the mentee at least annually, although the committee or individual members are encouraged to meet with mentees more frequently. Divisional support staff will work to schedule the meetings.
At these meetings, the mentee should present work in progress, plans for papers, and plans (aims) for upcoming grants and new research directions. They will also discuss progress and plans in teaching and service. In each of the missions, they should outline their goals for the coming year. Progress toward these goals should be reviewed in the following year. The mentee may also provide a written summary of their progress. If the mentee gives an annual divisional or programmatic seminar, the committee meeting may occur in conjunction with that presentation.
In the years prior to reappointment, most of the emphasis should be on scholarship, particularly the establishment of an independent research program. At this stage, the mentee should be beginning to publish high quality papers in appropriate journals for their field, and should be working to secure independent funding for their work (typically R01, VA Merit, or equivalent). However, it is recognized that some areas of scholarship may not require substantial funding. In the year of their reappointment, the mentee should be scheduled to present a one hour divisional or departmental seminar describing his/her research (e.g. division grand rounds, Internal Medicine Research Conference). The mentoring committee should attend that seminar and meet with the mentee afterwards to provide feedback. The committee should also take care to assess whether the mentee is developing as an effective teacher and is making appropriate service contributions.
Deliverables:
The mentoring committee chair will submit a report on the mentee’s progress in teaching, service and scholarship after each meeting. Following reappointment, an explicit assessment of the mentee’s progress toward promotion should be included. Of particular help will be to highlight areas of concern and possible remedies. The report should be approximately one page in length.
The report is to be submitted to Amy McDonald in the Department of Medicine no later than two weeks after the meeting. Copies of the report will be sent to the mentee, Division Director, Vice Chair for Faculty Advancement, Vice Chair for Research, and the Department Chair. To facilitate candor, the report will not be shared with the reappointment and promotion committees.
If desired, the mentee may submit a response to the committee comments to Amy McDonald (no more than two pages). The Division Director and/or Vice Chair for Faculty Advancement will meet with the mentee if necessary to assist with the implementation of committee suggestions.
Suggested template for Tenure Track mentoring report:
Date:
Mentee/Faculty member:
Rank of mentee and years in rank:
Mentoring committee names, ranks and divisions:
Summary of discussion including current status, goals, and progress towards previous year goals:
Scholarship
Teaching
Service
Future projects (this may be included in above discussion by type):
Barriers to accomplishing goals (also may be included above or in separate paragraph):
Overall summary – 3-4 sentences stating if mentee is on track, any major concerns, etc. Please include a clear assessment of the mentee’s progress towards promotion.
Signature of mentor composing letter