Mentoring Program for Junior Faculty
Department of Economics, McGill University
The mentoring program is intended to provide junior faculty with tools and advice that may be helpful at the start of their new academic career at McGill. The program supplements, but it does not replace, the informal guidance and assistance provided by other colleagues.
Upon the arrival of the junior faculty at McGill and in coordination with both the junior faculty and the mentors, the Chair will assign up to two mentors. The mentors can be either Associate or Full Professors and one of them should ideally work in the same area of research as the junior faculty.
The mentors should contact the junior faculty after their assignment and meet on a regular basis until tenure. The frequency, length, and time of meetings will be jointly determined by the mentors and the junior faculty in a manner convenient to both parties. The mentors should provide informal advice to the new faculty member on aspects of research, teaching, and service duties, or direct him/her to the appropriate individuals or resources. Example of helpful advice are information on funding opportunities both within and outside McGill, career advice, help interpreting referee reports and drafting responses to editors and referees, information on teaching resources at McGill, and information on committee service at the level of the department, the Faculty of Arts, and the University. The mentors should also provide advice on the preparation of the dossiers for renewal and for tenure review.
The junior faculty should inform the mentors of problems or concerns as they arise. Should input be desired (for instance, regarding a grant application), the junior faculty should leave sufficient time before the deadline to allow mentors the opportunity to review the material.
The mentors should treat all dealings and discussions with the junior faculty as confidential. Note that the goal of the program is only to provide supportive guidance and constructive criticism. Thus, the role of mentor will not preclude the mentors from taking part and voting in the departmental tenure committee in charge of reviewing the renewal or tenure file of the junior faculty member.
In cases of changing commitments, incompatibility, or where the relationship is not mutually fulfilling, either the junior faculty or mentor should seek confidential advice from his/her Chair. Changes of mentor can and should be made without prejudice or fault.
An additional source of mentoring at the university level is the Provost's Faculty Mentorship Network, which was launched in 2021 and provides guidance and support to all pre-tenured professors.