Faculty Excellence Peer Mentor Program

New for the 2021-2022 academic year, the Office of Faculty Excellence (OFE) is delighted to provide an opportunity for UNF faculty, instructional staff, and librarians to connect in project-based reciprocal mentoring relationships. Through the Faculty Excellence (FE) Peer Mentor Program, participants will explore and improve their working knowledge in teaching, research, and/or service.

The goals of the FE Peer Mentoring Program are to create an inclusive, diverse culture, to improve the working knowledge of academic responsibilities, and to retain talent.

The FE Peer Mentoring Program is:

• A voluntary commitment
• An exploration of teaching, research, or service, done in a collaborative and collegial manner
• Available to all faculty and instructional staff who would like to gain insight from independent, non-judgment sources about various aspects within academic frameworks
• A strategy to obtain and use feedback from professionals in a positive, meaningful, and useful manner
• An opportunity to connect and collaborate with colleagues who, like you, want to enhance their academic success at UNF

Eligibility

To participate in the FE Peer Mentoring Program, you must be either a/an:

• Professor (Assistant, Associate, Full, Clinical)
• Instructor or Lecturer (Full-time)
• Librarian

However, if you do not meet this eligibility criteria and you are interested in peer mentoring, please contact Dr. Gordon Rakita at GRakita@unf.edu.

Process

• Any new faculty and instructional staff
• Recommendation from department chair or colleague
• Self-nomination

Please complete the APPLICATION, or email Dr. Kristen Hicks-Roof (Hicks-Roof@unf.edu) for more details.

Mentoring Composition

Each mentoring dyad will consist of at least two of the following individuals:

• Mentee (e.g., full-time permanent instructional staff or faculty)
Mentor (e.g., inside/outside department member, member of the OFE, or member of the Department
• of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)

Time Commitment

The FE Peer Mentoring Program at UNF will run in a cohort system from September to April each academic year. All participants will commit to the following program activities:

• Orientation (M September 20, 2021, from 12 noon to 2:00 pm)
• Mentoring meetings (at a minimum, 2-3 per semester, 30-60 minutes/meeting)
• Professional development workshops (quarterly, 60 minutes)
• Closing ceremony (TBD, April 2022, 2 hours)

Total Time Commitment = 15 Contact Hours

Each participant will complete a satisfaction and post-program evaluation survey. Each mentoring dyad will also work collaboratively on a tangible project. Some mentors may play larger roles than others in this model. Each working group must have at least one tangible project to submit at the end of the academic year. For example:

Teaching

• Teaching evaluations (2)
• Substantial course revision and/or design/redesign
• Development/implementation of innovative instructional technique(s)
• Cross-discipline teaching collaboration

Research

• Collaborative research project
• Collaborative grant submission
• Mentor-assisted research effort (e.g., study proposal or grant)
• Artifact (publication, creative piece)

Other

• Acquire new skill (related to teaching, research, or service), or
• Discuss your idea with the OFE for pre-approval