Everyone Needs a Friend, Even Assistant Professors

Are you a first, second, or third year faculty member? Feeling a little unsure of how everything is supposed to work here at UO and in academia in general? Wish you had someone with more experience you could talk with?

Many faculty feel this way, so we have developed a mentorship program to help facilitate informal faculty networking and support across campus.

Connections with colleagues matched by interests and experiences can be useful in providing guidance on a range of professional issues and topics, including but not limited to: navigating work-life balance, publishing, teaching, nuances of department life, new community and colleagues, approaching third-year and tenure reviews, and navigating academia as a woman, a person of color, an LGBTQ person, and/or a parent.

Our Faculty Organizing for Success Program works with first, second, and third-year faculty to facilitate one-on-one meetings or mentorship groups to share perspectives and experiences and to help with creative brainstorming. Senior faculty seeking mentorship or guidance are also welcome to contact the UA office and we will help identify a suitable colleague or community to discuss hurdles found in academia.

Newer faculty: A UA colleague can help you avoid re-inventing the wheel, help you navigate campus information and resources, and consult informally on questions that come up:
• adapting syllabi to a 10-week term
• sharing 3rd-year review statements, CVs, or grant proposals
• navigating the waiver options in the promotion and tenure process
• finding the best (insert your quest here) in or around Eugene

Current faculty: get an idea of department cultures outside of your own; get to know colleagues in other fields who share your research/teaching interests; find colleagues for writing circles

Please contact our union office and we can point you to a colleague or a mentorship group where you can begin to get some answers.