The university supports faculty as they build their network of mentors, while simultaneously developing their own skills as a responsive, reciprocal and adaptive mentor, coach, sponsor, or advisor of students and junior faculty. This work is supported by the Provost Mentorship Fellow. Learn more about the Provost Fellows Program.
Network-Based Mentorship
The UO is reimagining mentorship. Instead of limiting mentorship to a single, formal, or assigned mentor, typically senior to the mentee, we are shifting to a network-based approach in which you have the agency to build your mentorship network with a variety of relationships and interactions. Some will be formal, but most are informal. Some may be long-term relationships, but most are short-term interactions. Your mentorship network could include advisors, sponsors, coaches, role models, supervisors and peers. Everyone at UO deserves a mentorship network, including undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and staff.
Mentorship Characteristics
When developing your network, or when you are a part of someone else's mentorship network, keep the following characteristics in mind. Mentorship should be:
Responsive
Responsive mentors (coaches, sponsors, advisors, etc.) respond to the needs, goals, experiences and identities of the mentee with care, compassion and cultural humility. Responsive mentors listen with curiosity, affirm and validate experiences, center the mentee's goals, and let them be the expert about their lived experiences and identity.
Reciprocal
Reciprocal mentors (coaches, sponsors, advisors, etc.) recognize that mentees bring complementary knowledge and experiences to the relationship that allow the mentor to learn and grow as well. Reciprocal mentorship includes curiosity about the mentee's ideas, a willingness to learn and not always be the "knower" in the relationship, interest in the mentee's unique expertise, and the ability to acknowledge and name what you have learned from them.
Adaptive
Mentoring changes with the needs of the mentee, reflecting the mentee’s current career stage, professional goals, and need for guidance. If a mentorship relationship occurs over a longer period of time, mentors (coaches, sponsors, advisors, etc.) need to regularly adjust based on the mentee's input. Mentors must be reflective about the mentee's needs over time, and self-assess regarding any outdated assumptions about the mentee.
At UO we recognize that there is no such thing as one single mentor who will have all the answers. Instead, we support the idea of a mentoring network. The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity offers a Mentoring Map as a guide.
► Mentoring Map template from NCFDD
► Academic Impressions networking course
► LinkedIn course on being a good mentee
Resources for Faculty Members & Graduate Students
New faculty members
- The UO New Faculty Success Program offers the opportunity to build relationships with others joining the university and get your questions answered.
- The New Faculty Group Mentorship Program helps with developing a mentorship network and honing the skills needed to be successful.
Tenure-track faculty members
- The External Mentor Program supports the work of faculty who are early career and underrepresented on campus and those whose research or creative activity focuses on diversity-related issues.
Recently tenured faculty members
- A Peer Mentorship Program helps faculty members navigate this exciting transition.
Recently promoted career faculty members
- A Peer Mentorship Program supports those taking their first promotional step.
New campus leaders
- The Peer Leadership Coaching Program partners UO Leadership Academy graduates with new leaders.
College of Design faculty
- The College of Design Mentoring Program is a group-based program for all faculty in the college.
Women's Innovation Network
- The Women's Innovation Network (WIN) helps UO faculty and graduate student entrepreneurs navigate gender-based barriers to bringing their research to market or launching a business.
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
- Pre-tenure faculty, tenured faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and doctoral students can activate a free membership to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity.
Other graduate student mentorship resources
- See the Division of Graduate Studies Best Practices guide.
Resources for Undergraduate Students
Resources for Aspiring Mentors
Multiple online tools are available to UO faculty, students, and staff who want to improve their mentorship skills. LinkedIn Learning and Academic Impressions provide numerous professional development resources on mentorship.