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Mentor & Mentees Logo

The goal of our matching our new employees with a mentor is to welcome them into the Columbia College family by providing support and guidance in navigating our campus, our processes, and their various roles as faculty and classified staff members.

Mentor Job Description:

The role of mentors is to provide guidance to new faculty as they learn how to navigate their various roles as faculty members at Columbia College.

Recommended meeting times:

  1. Meet prior to Fall semester for an Orientation Meeting, a day that all new faculty and mentors meet on campus. Counts as FLEX for both faculty members. 
  2. Meet at least once during Fall semester
  3. Meet prior to Spring semester
  4. Meet prior to graduation

Roles of Faculty Mentors:

Fall Semester Orientation Meeting Topics and Activities could include:

  1. Campus tour:
    1. Overall campus, assigned office, and teaching classrooms
    2. Student Services: Counseling, Special Programs, DSPS, TRiO, EOPS, Veterans Lounge, Academic Achievement Center, Basic Needs (Ponderosa Pantry, CalFresh, etc.), Health Services, Childcare Center 
    3. Important things to know: administration offices, business office, A&R, IMC, ITC, library, security office, facilities office, staff lounges (Manzanita & Tamarack), benches with the best views (campus trails)
  2. Getting Established on Campus:
    1. Parking permit
    2. Keys issuance (office and classrooms)
    3. Office: how to use phone and Outlook
    4. Security phone numbers/safety procedures in an emergency
    5. Set up personal cell phone to receive emergency alerts
  3.  Classroom
    1. Where to get teaching supplies
    2. How to use technology in rooms mentee is teaching in
    3. How to get help if technology in classroom is not working (who to call)
  4. Share and discuss Beginning of Semester check list:
    1. Assistance with navigating connectColumbia:
    2. Accessing class roster
    3. Certifying rosters and dropping students (what is it/why do we have to do it?)
    4. Finding Course Outline of Record (what is it/what is on it)
    5. Syllabus expectations, with course SLOs
    6. Updating person page on college website: syllabus and office hours
    7. Dates/deadlines for roster certification, drop w/o W, Drop w/W, Last day to drop
  5. Explain the purpose of In-Service and FLEX
  6. Governance and Committee Work Overview
    1. An overview of the college’s governance structure
    2. Role of faculty in governance and Senate-of-the-Whole (10+1 cards)

Topics and ideas for other meetings throughout the year:

  1. Socializing, break bread together off campus
  2. General Q/A: Find out what individual new faculty needs
  3. Discuss college culture
    1. Provide (historical) context for some procedures/policies/decisions
    2. Expectation to attend graduation in full regalia
    3. Point out opportunities and warn of pitfalls
    4. Community stuff: restaurants, things to do, how to find out about local happenings
  1. Provide a pair of supportive and non-judgmental ears
  2. Visit them in their office
  3. Model positive and upbeat behavior
  4. Sit in on a class, and invite them to sit in on one of yours (if applicable)
  5. Senate and governance
    1. What is 10+1
    2. Different roles of YFA and Senate
    3. Governance and committee structure
      • What do the different committees do
      • How are they related?
  6. Overview of evaluation and tenure process
  7. Work Expectations:
    1. Hours per week
    2. Committee/council service expectations
    3. Summer work opportunities
    4. Sabbatical schedules
  8. End of semester checklist:
    1. Grades: Submitting online & submitting to admissions and records, what documents are required, grading rationale
    2. SLO assessments
  9. How to get help with Canvas
    1. Certification process for teaching online
  10. General navigation of campus and campus information
    1. How to find out more information on topics
    2. How to contact other faculty
  11. Overview of curriculum process
    1. 5 year review of all course outlines of record
    2. Process of proposing new course
    3. Working with eLumen
  12. SLOs
    1. What are they?
    2. How do they relate to PSLOs and ISLOs
    3. Assessment cycles of course SLOs and service SLOs
    4. How SLOs relate to Program Review
  13. Program review process
    1. How to access the tool
    2. How to find out where their program is in the 4-year cycle
    3. How program review ties to budget and resource requests
  14. Budget
  15. Budget Cycle
    • IELM in the fall
    • Fund 11/12 review in the spring semester
  16. Where do funds come from? (Fund 11/12/Lottery/IELM/other grants)
  17. What are lottery funds, what can they be used for?
  18. What funds can I use as a new faculty, what is my budget?
  19. Procedure for ordering
  20. Foundation mini-grants
  21. Mentoring Part-Time Faculty in your discipline
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