Policy on Mentoring (2012)
Successful mentoring advances the academic goals of individuals and departments by promoting professional development and successful teaching across the ranks of faculty, including tenure-track, NTT and clinical faculty as well as research associates, research scientists and scholars, and lecturers, who have long term appointments within the unit. (For a description of academic ranks, see the IUB Academic Guide.)
Every unit with FTE will have a written policy that outlines the unit’s procedures for mentoring. The unit will include this policy in its governing documents and submit it to the Dean of the College. The policy should allow for mentoring both within the unit and across units. Within an individual unit, mentoring relationships may be limited to a fixed term, typically a year, but may be extended when both parties so desire.
Best practices in mentoring will vary according to the discipline and faculty rank of the mentee. A mentor serves as a sounding board about issues of professional development. He or she may also read a mentee's scholarly work; offer advice on teaching, provide model syllabi and assignments, observe classes and inform the mentee about campus resources; advise on appropriate service commitments; and provide guidance on recruiting and mentoring graduate students.
It is the chair's or director’s responsibility to provide the opportunity for mentoring and facilitate appropriate mentoring relationships in consultation with the mentee. Also, it is the responsibility of the chair or director of each unit within the College to ensure that junior and mid-career faculty know and understand the policies and expectations for contract renewal, tenure and/or promotion in accordance with the unit’s governance policies. Each faculty member must receive written guidelines that articulate the unit's expectations in the areas of research, teaching and service that are considered responsibilities of the faculty member, and on which they will be assessed for continuation, promotion and career advancement.
The availability of mentoring shall not obligate a unit to a particular action or outcome, and the existence of a mentoring program and provision by the unit of a mentor does not absolve a faculty member of the obligation to demonstrate excellence in areas in which he or she is assessed.