Overview

The Center for Teaching & Faculty Devlopment (CTFD) encourages pre-tenure faculty to develop robust professional networks that include a variety of mentoring partners within and outside the UMass Amherst campus, and at a wide variety of career stages. This approach, which the CTFD refers to as “Mutual Mentoring,” is based on the premise that the traditional mentoring model (i.e., top-down, one-on-one) does not necessarily fit all, and faculty should have access to funding and resources in order to proactively create the mentoring networks that best address their unique contexts and professional needs. The CTFD supports mentoring through the following:

• Mentoring Grants: Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, these grants are awarded to teams and individuals to support mentoring projects that demonstrate a wide range of mentoring forms – one-on-one; small and large group; peer and near-peer; cross-disciplinary; and intra- and inter-institutional. For more information on the concept of Mutual Mentoring and instructions on how to apply for grants, please visit here.
  

• Mentoring Exemplars: Through its programming, the CTFD has been pleased to identify numerous exemplary mentoring efforts. For more information about successful mentoring models and individuals on campus, please visit Mentoring Exemplars.

• Mentoring Resources: The CTFD has written and compiled a number of resources to help faculty develop successful Mutual Mentoring networks. For more information, please visit Mentoring Resources.

Please note: We encourage the use of our mentoring model and practices; however, adaptation or replication of the Mellon Mutual Mentoring Initiative, in whole or in part, must be attributed to the Center for Teaching & Faculty Development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.