Mentoring: Resources and Guidelines for Non-tenured Faculty Members

Building a Successful Career at Yale

Yale University is a vibrant scholarly community, home to world-class research activity and the school of choice for many of the brightest undergraduate and graduate students from around the world.  The challenges of developing a cutting-edge research agenda are daunting, but Yale is an unsurpassed setting for launching a scholarly career.

The strategy for succeeding at Yale—becoming an excellent scholar and teacher—is the same strategy for succeeding elsewhere.  A non-tenured faculty member's mentors are key contributors to this strategy, providing feedback and perspective.  Strategies and best practices for building a successful mentoring partnership are outlined below.

Mentoring Guidelines for New Non-tenured Faculty

Setting and Meeting Expectations

• Create a list of goals you wish to achieve, and be prepared to discuss priorities.
• Learn about review and promotion criteria at Yale, including scholarship, service, and teaching.
• Familiarize yourself with the procedures and timelines for paid leave periods (the Junior Faculty Fellowship and Research Leave for Associate Professors).
• Take advantage of opportunities to get involved in the community, to learn more about the University, and to engage in professional development and service to your department.
• Keep in touch with your mentor(s), and with your department chair, DUS, DGS, and other colleagues; be proactive in articulating your needs and questions to them.
• Add new faculty members to your support network as you move through your career.  Make the effort to reach out and be active in creating a professional network, both within your department and in other parts of the University.

Key Issues to Address

• Time management
• Expectations of the department
• How to negotiate opportunities, and when to say no
• Prioritization of responsibilities as a non-tenured faculty member
• Development of professional skills including lab management and grant proposal writing
• Issues related to gender, race, and sexual orientation in the workplace

Points to Remember

• Ask peers and leaders for help when needed, including those outside the department.
• Become familiar with resources available to you.
• Be aware of working within your new department to improve the department as whole.
• Familiarize yourself with Yale's Faculty Timeline and Mentoring Plan, and employ it in discussions with your faculty mentor as an opportunity for clarifying practices and mutual expectations.

Faculty Timeline and Mentoring Plan | Guidelines for: Chairs and Deans | Mentors