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Count and Percent of the Mentoring Survey

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The University of Texas at Arlington

Faculty Mentoring and Development Program

Faculty Interest Survey 2004

Executive Summary

Overview

The Committee on the Status of Women and Minorities designed and administered a survey in Spring 2004. The survey was sent to all UTA faculty by email and was composed of 31 questions, some of which contained sub-questions. This report is a summary of the responses to both the quantitative and open-ended questions.

 

While the survey elicited 213 responses, 103 of the responses could be traced to a particular college or school.[1] The number of responses by college or school is given below:

 

College of Liberal Arts                       39

School of Nursing                              17

College of Education                          10

College of Science                             10

College of Engineering                        9

School of Social Work                       9

College of Business Administration      7

Honors College                                  1

School of Urban and Public Affairs     1

 

The respondents were spread across the various levels of the faculty. Most of the respondents are assistant professors (48 respondents or 22%). A substantial portion is associate professors (43 respondents or 20.1%), and full professors (42 or 19.6%). The remainder is lecturers (36 or 17%) or some other category (29 or 14%). Ninety (42%) are tenured, 41 (19%) are tenure track and 74 (35%) are non-tenure track.

 

The respondents are disproportionately female, one hundred and eight (50%) respondents. Thirteen (6%) chose not to answer this question.

 

Respondents were also given an opportunity to provide racial and ethnic data. Most (164 or 77%) are white. Asian Americans made up five percent of the respondents (10 individuals). There were nine African American respondents, seven Hispanic respondents and 2 Native American individuals. Seven responded “other,” and fifteen declined to answer the question.

 

Does UTA need a faculty mentoring program?

In the opinion of the 209 faculty members who responded to the survey, the answer is yes. When asked to respond on a 5 point agree/disagree scale to the statement, “There is a need for a formal faculty mentoring program here at UTA,” only 12% disagreed or disagreed strongly. In fact, 29% strongly agreed that such a program is needed.

 

What do UTA faculty want in a mentoring program?

UTA faculty responding to the survey believe that a faculty mentoring program should include professional development activities. In fact, only 5% disagreed or disagreed strongly that professional development activities should be included. When probed further about the types of professional development activities the mentoring program should incorporate, the responses mirror the expectations for most academic units of tenure and promotion. The three most frequent responses were publication strategies (14.3% of 1130 responses or 161 responses), teaching strategies (13.9% or 157) and strategies for tenure and promotion (155 or 13.9%).

Other aspects of a mentoring program that respondents feel should be included are: new course development (119 or 10.5%); managing committee and service work (113 or 10%); help with statistical analysis techniques (90 or 8.0%). Finally, balancing work and family (85 or 7.5%) and managing stress (79 or 7.0%) were also mentioned.

Most respondents spoke very favorably about mentoring programs in general and their previous experiences with mentoring. When asked about valuable components of a mentoring program, comments included “Establishing a network of scholars for guidance and future collaborative initiatives.” Other responses were “I found that I grew, learned, and benefited very much from my mentoring experiences” and “It allowed faculty who participated to better understand our requirements for promotion and tenure.” On the other hand, when asked about the least valuable components of a mentoring program, responses were “Spending time on things that didn’t interest me” and “Having as a mentor someone the faculty did not respect.” Two responses indicated that lack of program structure was a problem, particularly in terms of what should be expected from the program by both the mentor and mentee. While there are definitely faculty-to-faculty mentoring programs currently in place at the college, school, and/or department levels at UTA, it is not clear if these mentoring programs are structured or not.

 

Many responses stated that a faculty mentoring program should involve voluntary participation on the part of both mentor and mentee rather than required participation. The responses were fairly evenly split on the structure of the program. Some believe strongly that an informal program works best while others definitely think the program should be formal or structured. Incentives that would cause faculty to be more inclined to participate in a mentoring program included release from committee assignments, recognition, free meals or social events, and stipends.

 

How we can learn from participants’ past experiences?

Thirty two people (15%) have had experience with a formal mentoring program. The majority of these 32 indicate that the program was sponsored by a college, school, or department at UTA. Specifically, the College of Business Administration, College of Education, College of Science, School of Nursing, Department of Art and Art History, Department of Biology, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Psychology, and the McNair Scholars Program are sited. However, it is important to point out that later responses to the survey suggest some of these mentoring programs are actually faculty-to-student instead of faculty-to-faculty programs. If this is the case, this misinterpretation may impact some of the survey responses.

 

Informal mentoring

A good deal of informal mentoring goes on at UTA. Respondents were asked about their awareness of a series of informal mentoring activities. The most frequently mentioned activity was discussing with colleagues the expectations for promotion and tenure (171 or 19% of 893 responses). Additionally, respondents were aware that advice on teaching strategies and reading and commenting on drafts of academic work goes on (148 and 147 responses or 17% of responses). Co-authoring takes place (139 or 16% of responses) as does advising on new course development (138 or 15% of responses). Finally, individuals report being aware that advice on service work (128 or 14% of responses) is given.

 

The respondents were also asked which of these activities they had personally experienced. What is striking is that while individuals reported being aware that co-authoring takes place (16% of responses), fewer say they have co-authored (13% responses). On the other items describing informal mentoring, individual participation rates paralleled that of general awareness rates.

 

When asked if they interacted with other UTA faculty members in social situations, only 14% (30 respondents) reported they rarely do. In fact, 53% (113 respondents) report they interact socially with other UTA faculty often or very often. Indeed, these informal interactions seem to be a useful aspect of mentoring. By far, respondents report that these interactions help with teaching strategies (107 of 552 respondents or 20%).

 

Graduate School Experiences

We also inquired about respondents experiences with graduate school mentoring. Only thirty one people reported having a graduate school mentoring program. Of those, most (22 or 71%) were mentees. These individuals reported they had: been advised on teaching strategies (13%); co-authored academic publications (12%); been supported in job searches (11%); and been advising and supported in new course development (9%).

 

Individuals were mentored by a range of individuals from their dissertation chair (13%), to their committee (11%), to other faculty (14%).

 

Will UTA faculty participate in a mentoring program?

Yes. The survey provided an opportunity for respondents to examine an overview of a proposal for a mentoring program. Only 16% of the 207 faculty who responded to this question disagreed, disagreed strongly or didn’t know that they would participate. By contrast, 54.6% agreed or agreed strongly that they would participate in such a program.

 

When asked in what capacity they would participate, 97 said they would participate as a mentor and 73 responded as a mentee.[2] Most believed that participating in such a program would require a time investment of somewhere between 1 to 3 hours per week (91% of 182 respondents).

 

What are the perceived benefits of a mentoring program?

Respondents had the opportunity to indicate their opinions regarding potential benefits of a mentoring program to both mentors and mentees. Of benefit to both were: leadership development (137 or 69%); working with faculty in other units (174 or 89%); opportunities for expanding campus networks (118 or 60%). Most (113 or 57%) respondents felt that mentees would be able to overcome some of the early obstacles in an academic career.

 

When asked to rate the importance of these potential benefits, overcoming the obstacles of an academic career was the most important (94% or 187 individuals rated it important or very important), followed by working with faculty in other campus units (81% or 161), opportunities for expanding campus networks (79% or 158) and leadership development (64% or 128).

 

The following statements are direct quotes from the survey that substantiate the need for a faculty mentoring program at UTA.

  • Many new faculty do not understand university policies and what their role is in the academic setting. They don’t understand the “chain of command” and the difference between academic freedom and following policies and procedures.
  • Graduate school may not always prepare one for the realities of academia outside of research – teaching, service, basic questions that are particular to a specific university. Mentoring would provide a way to overcome these challenges much more quickly and efficiently.
  • I think new faculty feel isolated and need contacts with other faculty to talk about many things regarding an academic career.
  • Incoming faculty need to be socialized in the formal and informal processes and expectations.
  • Beginning a new position is difficult, particularly if it is a first job. A mentor can help assure that the faulty member focuses on the correct things at the correct time.
  • Young, untenured faculty members need someone to assist them through the process making sure they meet expectations and develop successful strategies to achieve tenure and promotion.
  • Some people receive very little guidance early in their careers. This can lead to misunderstandings in the tenure process, problems with initial teaching assignments, and general unhappiness – even resulting in seeking employment elsewhere.
  • I wasn’t mentored and it’s one reason I’m leaving UTA.

Additional comments in support of a faculty mentoring program focused on building a sense of community, increased morale, stress management and relief, and enhanced classroom effectiveness for new faculty.

 

Based on this survey, it is clear there is strong support for a faculty-to-faculty mentoring program at UTA. According to faculty responses, most favor a volunteer program for both mentors and mentees. Faculty believe both the mentee and the mentor stand to benefit from the relationship. They also anticipate that the university and students will profit from a mentoring program if the mentored faculty are retained at a higher rate than previously non-mentored faculty. The end result is a win-win situation for everyone involved with UTA. This can be summarized by a final quote from the survey. “As a brand new instructor, I can assure you a mentoring program would have helped me feel more at ease in this role. Ultimately, the program benefits students in the long run by enhancing the quality of teaching and classroom experience.”


[1] Please see Appendix A for a complete report of the survey instrument and the frequency of responses.

[2] Interestingly, in the open-ended responses, one respondent felt very strongly that the proper terminology was “mentor” and “protégée.” As he or she said, “Please don’t make UTA look ignorant.”

Count and Percent of Mentoring Survey

 

                                                                                                            Count    Percent

 


 

     1. Have you ever participated in a faculty mentoring program?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    1      0.47 %

         Yes. Please go to the next question.                                                       32      14.95 %

         No. Please go to question 6.                                                               181       84.58 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214        100 %

 

     6. Mentoring among faculty often occurs informally. Following

     is a list of possible examples of such informal mentoring that

     may occur here at UTA. Please check ALL items that occur in

     your department, school or unit of which you are

     PERSONALLY AWARE.

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   13      1.43 %

         Co-authoring academic publications.                                                    139      15.34 %

         Discussing departmental or college expectations for                               171       18.87 %

         promotion and tenure.                                                                                                  

         Reading and commenting on drafts of academic work.                            147       16.23 %

         Advising on teaching strategies.                                                           148       16.34 %

         Advising and supporting new course development.                                 138       15.23 %

 

         Advising on appropriate committee and service work.                              128       14.13 %

         Other(s). Please describe.                                                                    22       2.43 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     906        100 %

 

     7. Which of these aspects of informal mentoring have you

     PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   19        2.65 %

         Co-authoring academic publications.                                                     88        12.26 %

         Discussing departmental or college expectations for                               137        19.08 %

         promotion and tenure.                                                                                                  

 

         Reading and commenting on drafts of academic work.                            114         15.88 %

         Advising on teaching strategies.                                                           133        18.52 %

         Advising and supporting new course development.                                 104        14.48 %

         Advising on appropriate committee and service work.                              110         15.32 %

         Other(s). Please describe.                                                                    13         1.81 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     718          100 %

 

     8. How long have you been a faculty member at UTA?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    7          3.27 %

         1 Year or less                                                                                     30         14.02 %

         2 Years                                                                                             26         12.15 %

         3 Years                                                                                             13          6.07 %

         4 Years                                                                                             13          6.07 %

         5 Years                                                                                               7          3.27 %

 

         6 Years                                                                                             10          4.67 %

         7 Years                                                                                               8          3.74 %

         8 Years                                                                                               9          4.21 %

         9 Years                                                                                             11          5.14 %

         10 Years                                                                                             5          2.34 %

         11 Years                                                                                             5          2.34 %

         12 Years                                                                                             5          2.34 %

         13 Years                                                                                             3          1.40 %

         14 Years                                                                                             2          0.93 %

         15 Years                                                                                             9          4.21 %

         16 Years                                                                                             2          0.93 %

         17 Years                                                                                             2          0.93 %

         18 Years                                                                                             3          1.40 %

         19 years                                                                                              3          1.40 %

         20 Years                                                                                             2          0.93 %

         More than 20 Years                                                                             39        18.22 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     9. During that time, how often have you interacted with at

     least one other faculty member (other than your spouse) in

     social or informal settings on or off campus?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    6          2.80 %

         Very often                                                                                           32        14.95 %

 

         Often                                                                                                 81        37.85 %

         Not often                                                                                            65        30.37 %

         Rarely                                                                                               30         14.02 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     10. Have these interactions at UTA helped you with (check

     ALL that apply):

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   16         2.82 %

         Publication strategies                                                                          71        12.50 %

         Teaching strategies                                                                           107        18.84 %

         New course development                                                                     66        11.62 %

         Managing committee and service work                                                   69        12.15 %

         Strategies for tenure and promotion                                                       77        13.56 %

         Managing stress                                                                                 63        11.09 %

 

         Balancing work and life/family                                                               55         9.68 %

         None of the above                                                                               33         5.81 %

         Other(s). Please describe:                                                                    11         1.94 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     568          100 %

 

     11. We are also interested in your graduate school

     experiences.  Did your graduate program have a formal

     mentoring program?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    6         2.80 %

         Yes.  Please go to the next question.                                                      31        14.49 %

         No.  Please go to question 16.                                                             167        78.04 %

         Don't know. Please go to question 16.                                                    10         4.67 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     12. Did you participate in this program?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                 183        85.51 %

         Yes, as a mentor.  Please go to the next question.                                      8         3.74 %

         Yes, as a mentee.  Please go to the next question.                                    22        10.28 %

         No.  Please explain briefly why you did not participate in the                          1         0.47 %

         program and then proceed to question 16.                                                                       

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     15. Following is a list of possible kinds of mentoring that

     occurs in graduate programs.  Please check ALL that apply. I

     have:

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                 186        55.03 %

         Co-authored academic publications.                                                      18        5.33 %

         Been advised on teaching strategies.                                                     20        5.92 %

         Been advised and supported in new course development.                         14         4.14 %

         Been supported in professional job searches.                                         16         4.73 %

         Been mentored by dissertation advisor.                                                  20         5.92 %

         Been mentored by dissertation committee.                                              16         4.73 %

         Been mentored by other faculty at my institution.                                       21         6.21 %

         Been mentored by faculty outside my institution.                                       13         3.85 %

         Been mentored by more senior graduate students.                                   13         3.85 %

         None of the above.                                                                                1         0.30 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     338          100 %

 

     16. There is a need for a formal faculty mentoring program

     here at UTA.

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    5         2.34 %

         Strongly Disagree                                                                               11         5.14 %

         Disagree                                                                                           15         7.01 %

         Neutral                                                                                              49        22.90 %

         Agree                                                                                                74        34.58 %

         Strongly Agree                                                                                    60        28.04 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     18. A faculty mentoring program should include professional

     development activities.

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    8         3.74 %

         Strongly Disagree                                                                                 6         2.80 %

         Disagree                                                                                             4         1.87 %

 

         Neutral                                                                                              39        18.22 %

         Agree                                                                                              100        46.73 %

         Strongly Agree                                                                                    57        26.64 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     19. Which of the following topics would benefit faculty

     participating in a faculty mentoring program?  Please check

     all that apply.

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   18         1.57 %

         Publication strategies                                                                        161        14.02 %

         Teaching strategies                                                                           157        13.68 %

         New course development                                                                   119        10.37 %

 

         Managing committee and service work                                                  113        9.84 %

         Strategies for tenure and promotion                                                      155       13.50 %

         Managing stress                                                                                 79         6.88 %

         Balancing work and life/family                                                               85          7.40 %

         Grant development                                                                            157        13.68 %

         Statistical analysis expertise                                                                 90         7.84 %

         Other(s)                                                                                             14         1.22 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses    1148         100 %

 

     20. If you were interested in participating in this program,

     would it be as a mentor or mentee?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   44       20.56 %

         As a mentor                                                                                       97       45.33 %

         As a mentee                                                                                       73       34.11 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     21. I would participate in this program.

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    7         3.27 %

         Strongly Disagree                                                                                 9         4.21 %

         Disagree                                                                                           13         6.07 %

         Neutral                                                                                              60        28.04 %

         Agree                                                                                                65        30.37 %

         Strongly Agree                                                                                    48        22.43 %

         Don't Know                                                                                        12         5.61 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     22. In your opinion, what is the time commitment for a

     mentoring program to be successful?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   32       14.95 %

         1 hour or less/week                                                                             82       38.32 %

         2 hours/week                                                                                     60       28.04 %

         3 hours/week                                                                                     22        10.28 %

         4 hours/week                                                                                       6         2.80 %

         5 hours/week                                                                                       4         1.87 %

         8 hours/week                                                                                       3         1.40 %

         10 hour/week                                                                                       3         1.40 %

         12 hour/week                                                                                       1         0.47 %

         16 hours/week                                                                                     1         0.47 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     23. Are there any incentives that would make you more likely

     to participate?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   20         9.35 %

         No                                                                                                  116        54.21 %

         Yes                                                                                                   78        36.45 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     24a. Leadership development

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   16         7.48 %

         Mentor                                                                                               24        11.21 %

         Mentee                                                                                              23        10.75 %

         Both                                                                                                137        64.02 %

         Neither                                                                                              14         6.54 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     24b. Working with faculty in other units/ research

     collaboration/ developing long-term positive relationships

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   18        8.41 %

         Mentor                                                                                                1         0.47 %

         Mentee                                                                                              11         5.14 %

         Both                                                                                                174        81.31 %

         Neither                                                                                              10         4.67 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

    24c. Overcoming some of the obstacles associated with early

     careers in academia/ Retention of valuable junior faculty

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   17         7.94 %

         Mentor                                                                                                3         1.40 %

         Mentee                                                                                            113        52.80 %

         Both                                                                                                  78        36.45 %

         Neither                                                                                                3         1.40 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     24d. Opportunities for expanding campus network/ Ease into

     life and work at UTA

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   18         8.41 %

         Mentor                                                                                                1         0.47 %

         Mentee                                                                                              66        30.84 %

         Both                                                                                                118        55.14 %

         Neither                                                                                              11         5.14 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     25a. Leadership development

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   15         7.01 %

         Not at all important                                                                                4         1.87 %

         Not important                                                                                     16         7.48 %

         Neutral                                                                                              51        23.83 %

         Important                                                                                           88        41.12 %

         Very important                                                                                    40        18.69 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     25b. Working with faculty in other campus units/ research

     collaboration/ developing long-term positive relationships

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   15         7.01 %

         Not at all important                                                                                3         1.40 %

         Not important                                                                                       7         3.27 %

         Neutral                                                                                              28        13.08 %

         Important                                                                                         118        55.14 %

         Very important                                                                                    43        20.09 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     25c. Overcoming some of the obstacles associated with early

     careers in academia/ Retention of valuable junior faculty

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   14         6.54 %

         Not important                                                                                       2         0.93 %

         Neutral                                                                                              11         5.14 %

         Important                                                                                           85        39.72 %

         Very important                                                                                   102        47.66 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     25d. Opportunities for expanding campus network/ Ease into

     life and work at UTA

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   15         7.01 %

         Not at all important                                                                                2         0.93 %

         Not important                                                                                       5         2.34 %

         Neutral                                                                                              34        15.89 %

         Important                                                                                         114        53.27 %

         Very important                                                                                    44        20.56 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     26. Are there other benefits that you believe we should

     consider as this program is developed?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   36       16.82 %

         No                                                                                                  132        61.68 %

         Yes                                                                                                   46        21.50 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     28. What is your title?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   16         7.48 %

         Lecturer                                                                                             36        16.82 %

 

         Assistant Professor                                                                             48        22.43 %

         Associate Professor                                                                            43        20.09 %

         Full Professor                                                                                     42        19.63 %

         Other. Please specify:                                                                          29        13.55 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     29. What is your tenure status?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                    9         4.21 %

         Tenured                                                                                            90        42.06 %

         Tenure track                                                                                       41        19.16 %

         Non-tenure track                                                                                 74        34.58 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214         100 %

 

     30. What is your gender?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   13          6.07 %

 

         Male                                                                                                 93        43.46 %

         Female                                                                                            108        50.47 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %

 

     31. What is your race/ethnicity?

 

         (Not Answered)                                                                                   15         7.01 %

         Asian                                                                                                10         4.67 %

         Black                                                                                                  9         4.21 %

         Hispanic                                                                                             7          3.27 %

         Native American                                                                                   2          0.93 %

         White                                                                                              164        76.64 %

         Other. Please specify:                                                                            7         3.27 %

 

                                                                                  Total Responses     214          100 %