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The Professional Development Mentor Program

The Professional Development Mentor Program is set to begin again in 2022/23! The year-long program will run from September 2022 to May 2023. The Professional Development Mentor Program is a unique program designed for employees who are passionate about their professional growth and development at COC. Mentoring acknowledges, encourages, and honors the uniqueness of each individual and brings something new and exciting to the relationship. It is a sharing relationship in which the mentor and mentee share their particular expertise and knowledge, actively listen, encourage creative thinking and the discovery of new ideas, and pathways to professional growth. The open nature and inclusivity of the program means that knowledge-sharing flourishes beyond department boundaries and learning connections can occur across campus.

How To Apply?

Those who are interested in participating are invited to complete a mentor or mentee application by Friday, September 9, 2022.

The applications are available here:

Please be sure to thoroughly complete every section of the application.  Please email your application to Leslie Carr, Director, Professional Development, at leslie.carr@canyons.edu.  Applications are due by Friday, September 9, 2022.

Important Program Dates

Orientation for Mentors & Mentees

  • Friday, September 16, 2022
  • 11:00 - 11:30am
  • Zoom

Progress meeting for Mentors and Mentees

  • Friday, September 15, 2023
  • 11:00am - 12:00pm
  • Zoom

Progress meeting for Mentors and Mentees

  • Friday, November 17, 2023
  • 11:00am - 12:00pm
  • Zoom

  • Friday, March 1, 2023
  • 11:00am - 12:00pm
  • Zoom

Program Graduation/Celebration 

  • Friday, May 3, 2023
  • 11:00am - 12:00pm
  • TBD

Please note that these are the formal program meeting dates. Mentors and mentees will be responsible for arranging to meet outside of these structured meetings, between classes and other meetings to work on priorities that will enhance the mentees ability to fulfill their primary job functions at COC and plan for their future development.

Faculty members will earn 8 hours of FLEX credit for each semester in which they participate (16 hours for the full year).

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Leslie Carr at leslie.carr@canyons.edu or at x 3100.

More About The Professional Development Mentor Program

The purpose of this program is to:

  • Provide learning experiences to expand and enhance participants current skills and abilities;
  • Provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the operational procedures and daily responsibilities of another department on campus, develop a new skill set, or enhance current skills;
  • Enable those who want to further develop their leadership abilities to gain experience from a mentor, who, as an established leader on campus, helps to shape the daily momentum on campus and moves us forward;
  • Give participants an opportunity to develop a big picture appreciation for how the college works and learn how to get things done operationally;
  • Afford mentees a chance to make connections and network with their colleagues who are in various departments on campus.

Throughout the program, participants will:

  • Gain valuable knowledge, skills and experiences from another person (your mentor and others you will connect with in various departments)
  • Build or expand your network on campus
  • Know where to locate the colleges policies and procedures
  • Be exposed to and appreciate the various functions essential to how the college operates
  • Receive support and guidance that will help you achieve your career goals

Program Structure

Learning Contract

Those who are interested in participating as a mentor or mentee are invited to complete an application, available from the Professional Development Office by calling Ext. 3100. Modeled after the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) Mentor Program, participants will be paired with a mentor who is a fulltime member of the staff who will guide, advise, and inspire them to reach their professional development goal. Mentors will work with their mentee to develop a goal to work on during their time together. This goal can be a personal growth goal or it can be a goal you are working on that is part of your departments program plan. This goal will be identified on the Professional Growth Plan form, and mentors will help their mentee identify the steps they will need to take to achieve that goal.

Four Obligations

  1. All mentors and mentees will attend an orientation session at the beginning of the fall semester.
  2. Attend the progress meetings where mentees can share their accomplishments and challenges, and identify the steps they will need to take during the remainder of the year to achieve their stated goal. The mid-semester meeting will provide an opportunity for mentees to share their experiences and network with each other.
  3. The program will conclude with a graduationmeeting where mentees will have an opportunity to reflect on their goal and the progress they've made during the course of the year to achieve that goal. Mentors will assist in identifying any next steps needed for their mentee to achieve their goal.
  4. In addition to these are the formal program meetings, mentoring pairs will be responsible for arranging to meet outside of these structured activities, between classes and other meetings to work on priorities that will enhance the mentees ability to fulfill his/her primary job functions at COC and plan for his/her future development.

Program Requirements

Mentors and Mentees accepted into the program will be expected to fulfill the following program requirements:

  • Mentors and Mentees must attend an orientation session at the beginning of the fall semester, the progress meetings, and the graduationmeeting at the end of the year;
  • Mentors and mentees must meet at least once per month outside of the formal program meetings;
  • Mentees must complete a Professional Growth Plan form, stating the goal they want to work on during the program. Mentors will work with their mentee to identify the steps the mentee needs to take to achieve that goal. The steps will be included on the Professional Growth Plan form;
  • The mentee will complete a written reflection piece that identifies their stated goal, a description of the research and work they've done with their mentor over the course of the program, and a listing of the next steps they plan to take to achieve their goal;
  • Mentors and mentees must maintain confidentiality.

Program Outcomes

By the end of the program, mentees will have had an opportunity to:

  • Explore the roles, responsibilities, and daily duties of the mentor and the mentors department/division in an effort to understand the big picture perspective of how the college operates;
  • Engage in job shadowing to learn the inner workings of a specific campus department or initiative;
  • Develop relationships with other departments on campus as well as community members and organizations as appropriate;
  • Be exposed to opportunities on campus and in the community in which they can develop partnerships, participate on boards, or volunteer their time and services;
  • Develop a career goal and identified position that outlines the education, skills and experience needed to move into the mentees desired position.

Mentor Program for New Canvas Users

The Mentor Program for Faculty Teaching Canvas is designed to provide additional support to instructors during the first semester or two of teaching online using Canvas. The program will pair instructors with instructors who are experienced with Canvas in order to provide feedback on course design and offer ongoing support. The coordinator is Joy Shoemate.  She can be reached at joy.shoemate@canyons.edu .

 

FLEX credit is now available for faculty who participate as a mentor to an Alliance group, International Services Program (ISP), or student club.  Below are the required forms:

Mentoring Proposal Form
Mentoring Completion Form

Faculty Professional Development Guidelines:

  • Faculty may fulfill their 41 hours of professional development obligation with any committee approved activity. (Fall 2020 XI.D)
  • All mentor program proposals should be submitted in advance of beginning the mentorship, or within 21 days after mentorship has begun. (Fall 2020 XII.F)
  • A completed mentorship FLEX package will include goals/outcomes of the mentorship, planned dates and times for meetings, and a report describing the professional growth achieved and whether goals/outcomes were met, along with detailed documentation of dates and times meetings occurred and what was accomplished/discussed at each meeting. (Fall 2020 XII.F)

    Mentoring FLEX Guidelines Document
Being a Mentor

Taken from Professional Development Mentor Program

  • Everyone wants to feel When a person does not feel good about themself, they will never believe they are successful, no matter what they accomplish.
  • Everyone needs and responds to If you desire to raise another person up, then you need to become one of their staunchest supporters. People can tell when you do not believe in them.
  • Make “people development” your top
  • Establish warm, genuine, and open
Alliances
  • Mentors may set individual hours of availability for students to meet with the mentor outside of Alliance meetings.
  • FLEX hours for mentoring may include:
    • Alliance meetings
    • Alliance events
    • Mentor support meetings (i.e., Alliance Leads Check-in)
    • Mentor-student meetings    
  • FLEX hours are also available for faculty who attend alliance meetings.
                                                                                                                                                                                               
ASG
  • Club Advisors must facilitate and lead meetings for which they are documenting mentoring hours.
  • Club meetings may count as mentoring when the club meeting pertains to the mentorship goals and meeting activities are documented.
ISP
  • Mentoring may take the form of serving as a guest lecturer in another country, either as part of study abroad from home or in the host country.
  • Mentors may set individual hours of availability for students to meet with the mentor. What was accomplished/discussed at the meeting must pertain to the mentorship goals and be documented.
  • FLEX hours for mentoring may include:
    • Study abroad planning meetings with ISP
    • Guest lectures at the host country (virtually or in person)
    • Mentor-student meetings
Faculty Professional Development Proposal
  1. Write a proposal outlining the goals and/or outcomes expected for the mentorship activity. The proposal should be submitted at the beginning of the current term or within 21 days of beginning the mentorship. Include the following elements in your initial proposal. Submit the proposal to the Director of Professional Development.
  • Name or names of mentor(s)
  • Why you are participating as a mentor
  • Goals/outcomes expected from the mentorship
  • Planned dates and times for mentoring meetings
  • Anticipated total number of hours for term

    2. At the end of the academic term during which the mentorship is planned, submit the following to the Director of Professional Development.
  • Documentation for each mentoring meeting. (see documentation example)
  • Final report stating progress made toward goals/outcomes, reflect on what was achieved, any changes in goals/outcomes, and your experiences as a mentor.

      Documentation Example:

Meeting Date Meeting Time Faculty Present What was accomplished or discussed?
4/26/21 3pm - 4pm

Teresa Ciardi
Leslie Carr

Discussed Imposter Syndrome
5/10/21 11am - 12:30pm Brandon Hilst
Brittany Applen
Susan LIng
Discussed ways to effectively facilitate student club meetings to ensure that all learning outcomes are met.