CANR Mentoring Policy

CANR's mentoring policy is implemented through its academic units, each of which is responsible for establishing a mentoring program for tenure-stream faculty through promotion to full professor and fixed-term faculty and academic specialists until they attain the highest rank in their positions. 

Faculty Mentoring Policy: College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) 
Unit Obligations
College Obligations
Review and Evaluation

Unit-level mentoring programs must include:

  • Written policies in bylaws.
  • Defined processes for selecting mentors.
  • Mechanisms for changing mentor assignments.
  • A single mentoring plan for those with joint appointments, coordinated across units.
  • Clear expectations for mentor and mentee roles.
  • Documentation and evaluation of mentoring activities as part of faculty service.

At the college level, CANR supports mentoring through the Director of Faculty Development, who oversees policy review, resource dissemination and faculty development programming. The college provides orientation for new faculty, organizes workshops, maintains a central repository of mentoring resources and provides confidential sources available to all CANR faculty members at the faculty members’ invitation.  

Faculty Mentoring Policy: College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) 

CANR is committed to the professional development and successful advancement of its faculty members. Toward that end, steps need to be taken to ensure that faculty reviews are conducted annually at the unit level (to include written assessments given to faculty members) and that faculty members are informed about the measures and indicators that will be used to evaluate their performance. 

In addition, the College believes that effective faculty mentoring is an important component that contributes to successful professional development. Effective mentoring involves activities undertaken at the university, college, and unit levels. Mentoring programs in CANR should be available through its units to faculty across all ranks and appointment types, recognizing that mentoring needs differ by career stage (early career, mid-career, and senior faculty). Mentoring interactions are intended to be advisory, supportive, and developmental in nature and should remain confidential and not evaluative.   

Unit Obligations

CANR recognizes the central role that academic units play in enabling faculty development and it also respects the variation in disciplines-professions and missions across academic units in the College. With those points in mind, each academic unit within CANR will maintain a mentoring program for its faculty, with particular attention to pre-tenure faculty and their advancement through advancement to the rank of professor. CANR’s mentoring policy is implemented through academic units, each of which is responsible for establishing a mentoring program for tenure-stream faculty through promotion to full professor and fixed-term faculty and academic specialists until they attain the highest rank in their positions.

The goals of department/school mentoring may vary by academic unit, but at a minimum should:   

  • Support faculty excellence across the mission by helping faculty establish and sustain a leading research program; effective teaching and engagement of undergraduate and graduate students; and an effective and high-impact extension, outreach, and engagement program.  
  • Encourage faculty involvement in professional activities, nationally and internationally. 
  • Help faculty strengthen their institutional and disciplinary-professional leadership skills.  

The mentoring approach may vary among academic units, but must include the following elements: 

  1. There will be a written document incorporated into the unit bylaws and actively implemented, which identifies and communicates policies, goals, and expectations for mentor(s) and those being mentored. 
    1. There will be a description of the process to select mentors and a mechanism allowing for changes in assignment of mentors as appropriate for the junior faculty member’s needs, and an alternative provision for faculty members to choose not to have mentors. One or more senior faculty members (not the including the academic unit administrator) should be assigned as mentors. Selection of mentors is not limited to the academic home of the junior faculty member. 
    2. For faculty members with joint appointments, there will be a single mentoring plan coordinated across units—with leadership provided by the lead unit. 
    3. There will be a description of expected mentoring activities with elements addressing research, teaching, extension and outreach, engagement, and leadership development. 
    4. There will be clarity regarding the roles of mentor(s) and the faculty member being mentored; expectations for confidentiality; and a clear separation between mentoring and evaluation functions of faculty. 
    5. Units may adopt mechanisms to confirm mentoring engagement (for example documenting that meetings occurred) while preserving the confidentiality of mentoring discussions.
    6. There will be a description of how mentoring activities will be recognized as a portion of an individual's service to the unit.
    7. Units may also include language in their mentoring policies clarifying that mentoring is advisory in nature, does not guarantee specific outcomes, and respects the autonomy of the mentee in making professional decisions.
  2. There will be support and leadership from the chair/director in integrating mentoring into departmental activities.  Recognition of mentoring as a formal component of faculty service to the department and college should be incorporated into annual faculty evaluations for individuals who serve as mentors.  
  3. There will be sensitivity in the academic units and mentors to potentially different challenges faced by diverse faculty. 

College Obligations

Support for mentoring CANR faculty members will be provided under the leadership and direction of the CANR Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Development (ADFAD), who will also be responsible for the development and regular review of the policy. The ADFAD will also have responsibility for ensuring that all faculty members are informed about faculty development programs in CANR and at MSU.

In coordination with the CANR Faculty Excellence Advocate (FEA), the College will also work with academic units to sustain a mentoring culture across CANR and support the effective implementation of unit mentoring programs.

This support will include: 

  1. Provision of sources of information/link to available university resources concerning good mentoring practices and information about CANR unit policies;  
  2. Organization of workshops and faculty development programs (either by the College or in conjunction with the university, through such units as the Office of Faculty and Organizational Development); 
  3. Assistance for units (through the respective chair’s or director’s office) to create and maintain a central repository for information about mentoring policies; and 
  4. Provision of information to prepare new faculty (e.g., resources, expectations) as part of annual college orientation; and
  5. Periodic opportunities for engagement with unit leaders, mentoring coordinators or representatives, the FEA, and the ADFAD to share practices, discuss challenges, and help ensure that mentoring resources remain current across the College.

The ADFAD will also serve as a confidential source available to all CANR faculty members —to serve as a resource (by identifying appropriate individuals with relevant expertise for advice/consultation for professional development) and/or by discussing sensitive issues with CANR faculty members at the faculty members’ invitation.   


Review and Evaluation

The effectiveness of the college and unit mentoring programs will be assessed at an interval not to exceed 5 years. The College may periodically gather feedback from faculty regarding mentoring experiences to support continuous improvement of mentoring programs across CANR.