The Importance of Faculty Counseling and Mentoring: Topics to Discuss Linda M. Boxer, Vice Dean Cheryl Gore-Felton, OAA Associate Dean Jim Brooks, OAA Associate Dean Janice Lowe, OAA Associate Dean

Outline of Topics The purpose of annual counseling Topics to discuss at the counseling meeting Counseling memo with A&P actions Importance of mentoring Transitions between lines

Supporting Early Career Faculty Providing support, guidance, advice and feedback to early career faculty is a high priority The University expects that counseling and mentoring will occur on a regular basis General guidelines outlining the kinds of support, advice, and feedback are provided

Counseling Counseling is the first aspect of guiding early career faculty It entails providing feedback on performance relative to the standards for reappointment and promotion A counseling session should be performed at least annually to review the performance of the early career faculty member in light of the criteria for reappointment or promotion

Topics for Counseling Meeting Appropriate areas to discuss may include: Scholarship quality and productivity to date General expectations with respect to impact Scholarly venues of publications Suggestions for scholarship and funding that may be helpful Development of a reputation beyond Stanford Teaching and mentoring quality, quantity, and type Quality of performance in other academic activities, including clinical work, if applicable

Topics for Counseling Meeting cont’d Additional areas to discuss may include: General expectations as to levels of service appropriate for early career faculty Any professional, behavioral or institutional citizenship issues Allocation of time, current and any possible changes Criteria and timeline for reappointment or promotion Alignment of interests and activities with the expectations of the faculty line Financial issues

Topics for Counseling Meeting cont’d 2 Additional areas to discuss may include: Academic/professional support (availability of mentors, opportunities for learning, resource availability) Professional development Achievement of career goals Personal issues, if any

Role of Early Career Faculty Member in Counseling Meeting Ask the early career faculty member to prepare for the counseling meeting by: Reviewing the expectations for the line Reviewing the timing of the reappointment or promotion review Bringing up-to-date CV and breakdown of effort Bringing a list of activities in the planning stage Preparing specific questions regarding progress toward reappointment or promotion

Documentation of Counseling The annual counseling form should document key points regarding progress toward reappointment or promotion in: Scholarship Teaching Clinical activities (if applicable) Institutional service (if applicable) Professionalism and collegiality Include %FTE for each activity

Counseling Form The counseling form should be signed by both the chair/chief and the early career faculty member A copy of the form should be maintained in the department At the time of reappointment or promotion, the annual counseling forms for the candidate during that term are sent to OAA with the request to initiate the action

Counseling Guidance During the annual counseling session, discussion of promotion should emphasize the comparative and predictive aspects of the promotion decision An early career faculty member cannot be counseled that he/she is “on track” for promotion because promotion judgments generally cannot be made until the referee letters are received as part of the evaluation process

Early Career Faculty Counseling Although the purpose of counseling is to offer practical guidance to the early career faculty member in regard to his/her future efforts (such as by pointing out areas for potential attention or improvement), the faculty member should understand that the strategic advice offered is not a prescription for achieving promotion, but rather the letter writer’s best judgment based on review of accomplishments to date

Counseling Memo with A&P Action The counseling memo at the time of reappointment or promotion provides an opportunity to give candid feedback to an early career faculty member on his/her academic performance and progress to date based on the results of the reappointment or promotion review

Counseling Memo with A&P Action cont’d The feedback should be constructive, realistic, and specifically tailored to the candidate and to the standards and criteria he/she will face in a future review or promotion The counseling memo is submitted with the long form in draft form After completion of the review process, the counseling memo is finalized and then discussed with the faculty member

Mentoring The second aspect of guidance to be offered to early career faculty is mentoring, providing ongoing advice and support regarding scholarship, teaching, and clinical performance (where applicable) It is recommended that early career faculty be assigned mentors who are senior faculty members but not their chairs or division chiefs

Mentoring cont’d The mentor should be available to provide guidance on an ongoing basis and meet regularly with the early career faculty member In situations where the initial mentor assignment is not successful, chairs or chiefs should work with the early career faculty member to identify a suitable mentor Early career faculty should also be encouraged to seek informal mentors from inside or outside the department who may share interests and provide additional perspectives

Information Sessions The University (Provost and Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity) and OAA provide information sessions for early career faculty Topics include criteria for the different faculty lines at each rank and information on promotion actions Guidance is also provided on other topics such as teaching strategies and student advising, management of research budgets and personnel, policies for new parents, etc.

Early Career Faculty Member’s Responsibility The goal of counseling and mentoring is to provide a supportive environment to assist the early career faculty member in succeeding in his/her academic career It should be recognized and communicated to the early career faculty member that the ultimate responsibility for career trajectory and success lies with each faculty member himself or herself

Early Career Faculty Member’s Responsibility cont’d 2 As noted previously, the early career faculty member should understand that a faculty mentor’s strategic advice is not a prescription for achieving promotion, but rather a senior colleague’s best judgment, to be accepted or rejected as the early career faculty member chooses Accordingly, inadequate counseling and mentoring is generally not considered sufficient grounds for appealing a negative promotion decision

Importance of Counseling and Mentoring Although the ultimate responsibility for success lies with the early career faculty member, Stanford University is committed to providing opportunities, resources, and support, including counseling and mentoring, to help each faculty member develop into an outstanding scholar, teacher and clinician

Right-Lining Our goal is to identify the appropriate line in which the faculty member can develop, flourish and succeed Ideally, this is done at the time of recruitment and appointment Faculty interests may change over time such that they no longer align with the expectations of the original appointment line

Right-Lining cont’d The fit for the appointment line should be assessed at each annual counseling meeting Any divergence should be monitored and corrected, if possible If necessary, a transition to a different line can be explored Please consult with OAA and the Vice Dean for guidance

Transitions Between Faculty Lines These occur infrequently and are considered new appointments In most cases a national search is required, although in some rare situations a search waiver may be approved by the Provost The appointment file should contain information that distinguishes the faculty member’s current and future roles and responsibilities In particular, it should explain the necessity for the proposed appointment

Clinician Educator Core Criteria The major criterion for appointment, reappointment or promotion for Clinician Educators is excellence in the overall mix of clinical care and clinical teaching appropriate to the programmatic need the individual is expected to fulfill If a candidate is an active scholarly contributor or performs in an administrative role, these factors may be taken into consideration when evaluating excellence in the overall mix of contributions

Medical Center Line Core Criteria Appointments (and subsequent reappointments and promotions) are based upon a requirement of excellence in the overall mix of contributions in clinical care, teaching, and scholarship that advances clinical medicine  Faculty must have a minimum of 20% protected time for scholarship

University Tenure Line Core Criteria The first criterion for a UTL appointment is that the candidate must have achieved (or, in the case of Assistant Professors, have the promise to achieve) true distinction in scholarship in a broadly defined field The second criterion for a UTL appointment is promise – or a record demonstrating – that the candidate is capable of sustaining a first-rate teaching program during his or her career at Stanford

Non-Tenure Line (Research) Core Criteria A candidate must have achieved (or, in the case of Assistant Professors, have the promise to achieve) true distinction in scholarship  Unlike faculty in the University Tenure Line whose research is conducted in a broadly defined field, faculty appointed in the Research Line generally have special expertise in a relatively narrow field that is of particular benefit to a broader clinical or research program 

Non-Tenure Line (Teaching) Core Criteria The overriding requirement for faculty appointment, reappointment and promotion in the Teaching Line is excellence in teaching, broadly defined Under most circumstances, it is expected that Teaching Line faculty will extend their successes at Stanford to broader regional or national audiences

Line Transitions A request for a transition between faculty lines cannot occur in the last year of a term appointment This cannot be viewed as a method to manage a failed or failing promotion action Assessment of the alignment of a faculty member’s interests and activities with the expectations of the line should occur at every counseling meeting so there will be advanced warning if a line transition may need to be considered

Questions? Questions on counseling and mentoring?