Description and Guidelines
Mentoring Programs have been among the most popular and successful of all LFP initiatives. Mentoring Programs provide funds to nurture faculty at all stages of their careers at Network institutions and strengthen the commitment of faculty to institutional mission. Well-constructed mentoring programs encourage faculty ranging from new hires to junior, mid-career, and veteran faculty to understand and share the ethos of the school, to grow to love the questions that the institution holds dear, and to consider the importance of fundamental matters concerning the relationship between higher learning and the Christian faith. Such programs also seek to renew and deepen the commitment of the whole institution and its leaders to those central intellectual and spiritual matters. Applications are due on September 15 of each year.
To learn more about Mentoring Programs and to submit an application, please click here.
Current Mentoring Programs
At its Fall 2019 meeting, the Lilly National Network Board awarded Mentoring Program grants to Baylor University, Goshen College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Saint Xavier University, St. Mary’s University (San Antonio), University of Dallas, University of Notre Dame, Westmont College, Whitworth University.
At its Fall, 2018 meeting, the Lilly National Network Board awarded Mentoring Program grants to Anderson University, Concordia University Texas, Salve Regina University, and Sterling College.
Most Recent Mentoring Programs
At its Fall, 2017 meeting, the Lilly National Network Board awarded Mentoring Program grants to Belmont University in Nashville, TN, for "Mentoring to Strengthen Multicultural Christian Education," to Saint Louis University for "Mentoring Faculty for a New, Interdisciplinary, Mission-Driven Core," and to North Park University for "Vocation of the Christian Scholar."
Belmont University: "Mentoring to Strengthen Multicultural Christian Education"
Director: Bernard Turner
Belmont University created a multicultural Christian academic community that required intentionality at all levels. Our grant provided senior faculty of color to serve as mentors to new, adjunct, and senior faculty by voluntarily being involved in this institutional-wide program. The experience of all would foster deeper and broader conversations about how to make Belmont an even more welcoming community for all students, faculty and staff. To this end, we were able to have seven faculty of color participate in a leadership positions which mentored 17 faculty, at various levels, of different races regardless of color. Activities included: a) An initial meeting for all mentors with the Provost, Vice President for Spiritual Development, Director of the Teaching Center, and the Program Director to discuss the program and thank the mentors for their willingness to lead and serve. b) Matching of the mentors and mentees. c) Four designated group meetings with a speaker. This included two breakfast meetings, a retreat and a post-retreat meeting. d) Mentors attending the 23rd Annual Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) Conference at Biola University. e) At least 34 mentor/mentee meetings.
North Park University for "Vocation of the Christian Scholar"
Director: Liza Ann Acosta
North Park University's mentoring program focused mostly on the New Faculty Seminar. Mentors and last year’s cohort were invited to participate in the program voluntarily. Mentors and new faculty met for six sessions on topics such as: Developing a Professional Development Plan; Understanding the University and its Mission; Tenure and Promotion; and Service. Alternatively, after setting goals, pairs were able to choose how to check in on progress of goals on teaching or research or to discuss challenges encountered as well as discuss additional questions about the book, Vocation of the Christian Scholar.
Saint Louis University: "Mentoring Faculty for a New, Interdisciplinary, Mission-Driven Core"
Director: Mark Ruff
Saint Louis University created two pilot interdisciplinary cohorts from across the entire campus, including the humanities, natural sciences, engineering, nursing, health sciences and medicine. Over the course of two academic semesters, faculty in these cohorts engaged with seminal works in the Catholic intellectual tradition with the goal of incorporating its central themes into new mission-driven courses intended for use in a new university-wide core curriculum. Each cohort began with a two day retreat. Each retreat featured presentations by Mark Edward Ruff on the Catholic intellectual tradition and as well as by Gina Merys on Ignatian pedagogy. Our second retreat featured an overview of SLU’s history led by its now emeritus head archivist, John Wade. The retreats also contained discussions of readings from and about the Catholic intellectual tradition as well as opportunities for all participants to share vocational stories.
At its 2014 fall meeting, the LFP National Network Board awarded funding to the following school to host Mentoring Program on its campuses for the 2015-2016 academic year:
Aquinas College: "Teaching and Research Partnerships"
Director: Kathy S. Kremer
Aquinas College has historically conducted a traditional mentoring program for its non-tenured faculty, with senior and mid-career faculty mentoring new hires. The LFP funding granted to Aquinas College was designed to: (1) support quality teaching and advising with mentoring for twelve first and second-year faculty members; (2) provide continued mentoring and scholarship support for four second to fifth-year faculty members partnered with mid-career faculty on a research project; (3) increase faculty scholarship among mid-career faculty by providing support to four associate professors eligible for promotion to full professor for their partnerships with junior faculty members who have active research initiatives; and (5) support the transition of five to ten recently retired emeriti faculty while utilizing their teaching and advising expertise in mentor partnerships. The format for implementing these program goals consisted of faculty teaching partnerships (where faculty members in their first year are paired with retired faculty emeriti) and faculty research partnerships (where faculty members in their second to fifth year are paired with tenured associate professors).
