Chart a course for faculty success! Dive into coaching and mentorship strategies that bridge disciplines, foster collaboration, and elevate teaching and research. Discover how to empower faculty and enhance institutional impact.

In this session, we will dive into the ideas of coaching and mentoring among faculty to bridge disciplines, foster collaboration, and elevate teaching and research. Effective interdisciplinary coaching and mentoring not only enhance faculty productivity and build a vibrant academic community that values diverse perspectives, but they also support innovation. By attended this session, participants will discover the treasure of empowering faculty through these strategies with a range of approaches from single, easily implemented opportunities to a full-scale coaching and mentoring initiative. During the session, participants will engage in a coaching and mentoring community in real time. Participants will leave the session with a few tools to establish this practice in their own institutional contexts and plan for future institutional impacts. In the details that follow, we provide the background and rationale to support the need for offering this session to higher education leaders and faculty, and we outline our practice of building, leading, and sustaining a coaching and mentoring program in a large, all-online higher education institution. Selected resources we have consulted in our work are also listed to provide some theoretical grounding of our practice and this presentation. Background and Rationale: In the dynamic landscape of higher education, administrators increasingly need to develop and implement strategies that bolster faculty productivity and satisfaction. The need for more focused and effective strategies to engage and support faculty stem from several key considerations: --Collaborative Innovation: The symbiotic relationship between faculty and administrators is the cornerstone of educational innovation. Faculty involvement from the outset is crucial for meaningful curriculum reform and pedagogical advancements, and innovation sets programs and institutions apart from competitors in attracting both students and faculty. Faculty Development: Integral to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, faculty development programs serve as a catalyst for institutional transformation and support the unique needs of racially minoritized faculty and individuals with special needs of all kinds. --Mentoring Impact: Evidence suggests that mentoring significantly boosts research output, teaching efficacy, and faculty retention, thereby enhancing overall productivity and job satisfaction. Additionally, the social connection of working with colleagues and peers in positive goals boosts morale and overall wellbeing to enhance both work and life areas. --Engagement and Mission Alignment: Faculty engagement is essential for realizing mission-critical objectives such as equity, enrollment, retention, and completion rates. Promoting engagement through collaboration and recognition structures cultivates a culture that brings out the unique value provided by each faculty member and specifically prioritizes learning. Strategic Contributions: Faculty and staff play a pivotal role in achieving institutional strategic goals, ranging from student outcomes improvement to fostering an inclusive culture and expanding research influence. Attending to faculty needs and enhancing their productivity, connection, and overall satisfaction promotes the institution’s strategic priorities in humane ways. --Effective Practice: Implementing interdisciplinary faculty coaching and mentoring is essential for promoting productivity, fostering social connections, and valuing diversity. Here are some strategies we will discuss and demonstrate during this session: Create a Formal Mentoring Program: Establish a formal peer coaching and mentoring program where coaches/mentors are assigned to peers/mentees. This program ensures structured support for faculty members and considers the culture, perspectives, and experience of each faculty member.. Coaches and Mentors guide faculty in interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and teaching, check in regularly, and develop a pattern of inquiry and collaboration. Pairing Coaches/Mentors and Peers/Mentees: Thoughtfully pair mentors and mentees based on their preferences, expertise, interests, and interdisciplinary goals. Consider diverse backgrounds and disciplines to encourage cross-pollination of ideas and develop a full, rich social and intellectual network among peers. Regular Coaching/Mentoring Meetings: Encourage regular meetings between coaches/mentors and peers/mentees. These can be bi-weekly or monthly. Use these sessions to discuss teaching practices, research, strategies, interdisciplinary projects, and/or goal areas determined at the outset. Faculty Group Coaching/Mentoring: Facilitate faculty group coaching/mentoring sessions. Bring together faculty from different disciplines to share experiences, challenges, and best practices. Interdisciplinary/Team Coaching/Mentoring: Promote interdisciplinary team coaching/mentoring monthly or quarterly. Encourage collaboration across disciplines by having multiple coaches/mentors with diverse expertise. Inclusive Mentoring Practices: Sensitize mentors to diversity and inclusion, and regularly support diverse cultures, preferences, insights, and strategies. Address the unique needs of faculty from different backgrounds, cultures, and identities. Seek feedback on the effectiveness of the coaching/mentoring partnerships and groups. Use this feedback to adjust over time. Resource Allocation: Allocate resources (time, funding, and personnel) to support interdisciplinary initiatives. When funding is not available, consider creative ways to support coaching/mentoring, such as by providing PDUs or certifications and credits to faculty. Ensure equitable distribution to foster collaboration. Evaluation and Sustainability: Establish mechanisms for evaluation of coaching/mentoring programs. Review data relevant to the coaching/mentoring and any observed outcomes that may be related. Sustain efforts by institutionalizing best practices and securing administrative support. Each of these areas will be briefly discussed and an example provided from our own experience and study of coaching and mentoring. Participants will engage in discussion with us throughout the session, as well as with each other. Highlighting the point that effective interdisciplinary coaching and mentoring not only enhance faculty productivity but also contribute to a vibrant academic community that values diverse perspectives and fosters innovation, participants will experience such community in real time and leave the session with a few tools to establish this practice in their own institutional contexts. References: Castillo-Montoya, M., Bolitzer, L. A., & Sotto-Santiago, S. (2023). Reimagining Faculty Development: Activating Faculty Learning for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-94844-3_11-1 Columbia University Office of the Provost. (2016). Guide to Best Practices in Faculty Mentoring. https://provost.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/MentoringBestPractices.pdf Flaherty, C. (2023, February 7). Scaling Up Faculty Development for Student Success. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/02/08/seven-ways-leverage-faculty-development-student-success Givens, T. (2018, July 11). The Collaboration Imperative. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/07/12/importance-collaboration-between-faculty-and-administrators-and-roadblocks-it Hancock, B., Laboissiere, M., Moore, D., & Rounsaville, T. (2022, December 14). Transforming HR to better support higher education institutions. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/transforming-hr-to-better-support-higher-education-institutions Watermark Insights. (2023, April 26). How to Improve Faculty Engagement for Student Success [Blog]. https://www.watermarkinsights.com/resources/blog/improve-faculty-engagement-for-student-success