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Faculty Mentoring & Success Initiative Mid-Career Program (FMSI-MC)

For information about early career mentoring, visit the Faculty Mentoring & Success Initiative Early Career Program (FMSI-EC) page.

Purpose

The Faculty Mentoring & Success Initiative Mid-Career Program (FMSI-MC) aims to enhance the career success of associate professors who are getting ready for promotion by offering targeted, collegial mentoring opportunities and resources.

Participation

• The FMSI-MC program is open to any associate professors – either tenured or teaching professors – in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS).
• Current CAS full professors, some of whom have served on the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Committee in the past, serve as mentors for FMSI-MC.
• A general call for FMSI-MC mentors will occur on a rolling basis.
• In addition to FMSI-MC mentors, the College of Arts & Sciences provides a list of former members of RPT who serve as promotion dossier peer partners for associate tenured professors preparing to go up for full. The peer partners list will be updated every two years.
• FMSI-MC mentors will convene two group workshops a semester, and individual check-ins should occur at least once a year (format flexible).
• FMSI-MC mentors can serve for a maximum of two consecutive years and may serve again after a 12-month break. FMSI-MC mentors will receive a $1000 annual stipend paid out at the end of the pilot period (Spring 2027).

Guidelines for the FMSI-Mid-Career Program

• The FMSI-MC program is not designed to support mentees with discipline-specific issues (for example, the direction or methodology of research or discipline-specific questions about teaching). Associate professors should reach out to their departmental or program full professor mentor for that kind of advice. The A&S mentoring program is designed to give more general support to mentees (e.g., W&M procedures and policies pertaining to their specific rank).
• All discussions are confidential, and no records are kept.
• The dean’s office provides logistical support for FMSI-MC workshops per semester, and mentors are responsible for arranging for individual support sessions with mentees.
• The mentor is a supportive resource but cannot guarantee the professional success of the mentees.

Training & Assessment

• The College of Arts & Sciences will hold a training meeting for all FMSI-MC mentors to cover expectations for the FMSI-MC program and tips for success.
• There will also be a brief mid-semester check-in with participants (mentees and mentors) to check in on how it’s going.
• A formal program assessment is completed on an annual basis.