Category: Mentor Program

The NORDP Mentoring Committee continually updates and refines the resources available to support the membership in their mentoring endeavors. One of the exciting new resources available to NORDP members is the Mentoring Reflection Packet.
An essential element in any mentoring relationship is reflection. This allows both the mentee and the mentor to look back at their time together and see what they’ve learned and how this has informed their personal and professional development moving forward. The reflection packet designed by the NORDP Mentoring Committee was specifically created with NORDP mentoring pairs in mind, but it can be utilized for any mentoring relationship.

The reflection packet features a reflection conversation document with guiding discussion questions to encourage thoughtful dialogue between mentee and mentor. It also includes a self-reflection template for each member of the dyad. The combination of the self-reflection and the relationship reflection conversation support the closure or redefining of the relationship. These documents facilitate a productive and formative look-back at the mentoring relationship from all perspectives within the mentor-mentee pair, and aid in determining what path they take forward. Many members continue their relationships beyond the formal “one-year” of the program.

You can view the Reflection Packet here, and find the full repertoire of mentoring resources in the NORDP Mentoring Toolkit. To see how reflection is a part of the mentoring journey as envisioned by NORDP, check out our newly developed Mentoring Roadmap.

Questions or ideas? Pass them along to the Mentoring Committee at mentorprogram@nordp.org.

Contributed by the Mentoring Committee

The Mentoring Committee MESHH Team has developed a Mentoring Relationship Roadmap as a guide to planning out your mentoring experience throughout the year.

The Roadmap simplifies engagement across the phases of the mentoring relationship, identifies resources to use and suggests timing for the introduction of the tools and the important reflection period as the mentoring year ends and the relationship shifts into a peer-mentoring phase. The Roadmap, OnBoarding Packet and other resources developed by the NORDP Mentoring Committee can be adapted to support a variety of mentoring scenarios.

The Mentoring Relationship Roadmap can be found here and will be posted on the NORDP Mentoring Committee website. Previously, the mentoring year coincided with the timing of the Annual Conference. Going forward, the mentoring program will align with the NORDP program year, July 1 – June 30. The Roadmap has been included in the introductory emails sent to mentor-mentee pairs.

Please contact the Mentoring Committee at MentorProgram@NORDP.org with any questions, suggestions or ideas.

Contributed by the Mentoring Committee

Reposted with permission from Lisa Fain and the Center for Mentoring Excellence Team

Here we are in April, faced with a whole new reality from what any of us could have imagined even 3 weeks ago. There is great uncertainty, and many people are hurting now. Top this with the imperative for physical distancing, and we have a situation where the ramifications of isolation will be felt in the business and personal lives of countless people.

And yet, what the COVID-19 crisis reminds us is how connected we all are, and how vital these connections are to our well-being and growth. Since we can’t have the connection of being together physically, it is critical that we consciously create our connections. We can still be socially connected even though we are apart. This is why I’ve used the term “physical” distancing instead of social distancing, and why I encourage you to do the same.

This is a time for Connection. Mentoring is a great way to connect. Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, reach out with intention and compassion to make your mentoring relationship stronger.

Mentoring in a time of Crisis and Uncertainty

We have received numerous requests for more information about how to navigate mentoring in our current crisis. Throughout the month of April, Lisa will be hosting a series of short (15-30 minute) Facebook Live broadcasts on the Center for Mentoring Excellence Facebook Page called Monday Mentoring Minutes every Monday in April at 10 a.m. pacific/1 p.m. eastern to address some important issues and provide practical guidance. We’re very excited to be joined by several distinguished guests.

Mentoring is a great way to maintain connections and get clarity in this difficult time. Please join us throughout the Month of April on Mondays at 10 a.m. pac/1 pm eastern for Monday Mentoring Minutes over Facebook Live. This series of 15-30 minute conversations focuses on how to leverage mentoring for the issues you may be facing right now.
Tune in at 10 a.m. every Monday in April, here’s the lineup:
Monday, April 6: Mentoring in a Time of Physical Distancing, with Center for Mentoring Excellence founder, Dr. Lois J. Zachary.
Monday, April 13: Introverts and Extroverts in Mentoring: with Jennifer Kahnweiler.
Monday, April 20: In Extremist Mentoring – Mentoring in a Crisis, with Chaveso (Chevy) Cook, CEO of Military Mentors.
Monday, April 27: Forming your Personal Board of Advisors with Kate Sommer.

Wishing you good health, meaningful connections,
and continued mentoring success.

Lisa Fain and the Center for Mentoring Excellence Team

The Mentoring Program is an opportunity to enhance your skills by interacting with other research development professionals. Every year, there is a high need for mentors – and YOU have wisdom to share! Consider becoming a mentor (and, you can be a mentee as well). The Mentoring Committee has developed an OnBoarding Packet, Closure Tools, archived webinars, and a set of FAQs. A facilitator team available to support you, and will be in touch several times throughout the year. Mentors are never alone…. We support each other, as we support the profession.

Mentoring is an investment in yourself, and in the future of NORDP. AND mentoring takes time. Where and how do you add the time into an already busy schedule?

1. Make the commitment: Why are you mentoring? Commit to your reason, rather than your mentee.
2. Recognize that for every hour with your mentee, you might have 30 minutes of pre- or post–meeting work. Mentoring is active. Come prepared for meetings, follow up with anything you’ve committed to do.
3. Set a specific time: Find a day and time that works for you and your mentee. Get it on the calendar, and be respectful of the time. Thirty to 45-minutes might be ideal.
4. Define your goals: Mentors and mentees can have separate goals and there could be a goal for the mentoring relationship. Use SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound.
5. Be honest: If your commitment in the mentoring relationship is beginning to wane, there is a chance that you will push it farther down on your list of priorities. If this happens, reach out to a facilitator. They can help you figure out what changes can be made to ensure that the mentoring relationship remains a priority.
6. Be realistic: Figure out what works. Meeting every other week might feel like too often; meeting once a month might be too long between meetings. Be fluid and flexible until you find a meeting schedule that is just right.

All NORDP members can apply here to be mentors, mentees, or join a Peer Mentoring Group. (or all three!) The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Individual Mentor/Mentee matches and Peer Mentor Groups will be notified prior to the 2020 NORDP Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas (May 17-20).

Need more information? Check out the NORDP Mentoring Committee webpages, or email: MentorProgram@nordp.org.

Posted by The Mentoring Committee

In April 2018, Etta Ward and Jan Abramson received travel awards through the NORDP Strategic Alliances Committee to participate in National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) facilitator training in Madison, Wisconsin. Trainings were based on the Entering Mentoring curriculum, a product of a 5-year, NIH-funded U01, which has now entered its second 5-year cycle. After completing training, Jan and Etta presented a White Paper to the NORDP Board of Directors, began to share the concepts and competencies at NORDP conferences and started implementing the strategies outlined in the White Paper. Simultaneously, the Mentoring Committee began to integrate NRMN concepts into resources for mentoring program participants. By early 2019, the Mentoring Committee had collaborated with the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), a core of the U01, and received permission to adapt the evidence-based mentor training program and curriculum for research development professionals. The work NORDP is doing in this area will have a wide impact: once completed, the curriculum will be publicly available, at no cost, through CIMER and will be the first curriculum developed for research professional staff.

In late January, which was also National Mentoring Month, Jan and Etta reached Level 2: Certified Facilitator status from CIMER. The certification process required completing facilitator training, facilitating multiple Entering Mentoring trainings, demonstrating evidence of mastery through evaluations, applying and being accepted. They received notice of becoming certified on the same day – which was Etta’s birthday. That was fully a happy coincidence, as both submitted applications separately and at different times.

At this year’s NORDP Conference, the Mentoring Committee will present a 4-hour workshop designed to introduce NORDP members to the Entering Mentoring curriculum and competencies. During summer 2020 the Mentoring Committee will collaborate with the NORDP Professional Development Committee to present a series of on-line workshops to complete all of the Entering Mentoring training modules. This will give RD professionals a sense of the materials, so they can integrate the competencies into their work with faculty, staff and other professionals.

The Mentoring Committee includes one other certified facilitator (Paula Carney) and two trained facilitators (Kathy Partlow and Erica Severan-Webb). The Mentoring Committee would like to add trained NRMN or CIMER facilitators to a resource list. If you have gone through NRMN or CIMER facilitator training, please let the committee know by emailing mentorprogram@nordp.org.

By Jan Abramson

The NORDP Mentoring Committee wishes all NORDP members a Happy New Year as we enter January 2020 … and National Mentoring Month. This January is the 19th annual celebration of the power of mentoring. Originally developed as a campaign to expand quality mentoring opportunities for youth, the month-designation can be a catalyst to remember the mentors and mentees that have supported you along your path.

The NORDP Mentoring Program is a benefit available to all NORDP Members. Members supporting members as mentors, as mentees, or as part of a peer mentor group, make our organization, and the profession of Research Development stronger.

Applications for the 2020 mentoring program will open in February. Until that time, be thinking of all the mentors and mentees who have enriched your life over the years. And mark your calendars.

January 8, 2020: I Am a Mentor Day

Recognize yourself for all you do as a mentor. Mentors can have profound impacts on mentees. Take a moment to reflect on your legacy. Share your experience using the national hashtag #MentorIRL.

January 30, 2020: Thank Your Mentor Day

Take a moment to reflect on the mentors who have influenced you. Send them a note, a text or an email. Share your story on social media using #ThankYourMentor.

And, please, consider becoming a mentor in the NORDP Mentoring Program when applications open. The Mentoring Committee has numerous resources to support you. For those of you who have benefited from the mentoring program, remember the strength of the program is #PayItForward.

By Kathy Partlow

Many NORDP members report finding our ‘tribe’ of likeminded individuals when we attend our first NORDP conference. This October, members of the NORDP Mentoring Committee found their second home at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Mentoring Institute’s Annual Conference. With the support of our home institutions, Kathy Partlow, Jan Abramson, and Etta Ward traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 21-25 and joined over 500 attendees that were similarly passionate about mentoring and the role it plays in our professional and personal development.

In a strategic effort to be part of and contribute to the national conversation around effective mentorship in higher education and other industries, several NORDP Mentoring Committee members (Partlow, Abramson, Ward, Scott Balderson, and Paula Carney) authored a peer-reviewed article that was accepted for publication in The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching [1] and presented at UNM’s Annual Mentoring Conference. The aim of the conference is to host a broad constituency, including divisions of higher education, academic researchers, educators, community leaders, administrators, non-profit partners, government agencies, and other professionals around best practices in mentorship and other related topics. The theme of this year’s conference was “towards the science of mentoring.” The conference provided an opportunity not only to showcase NORDP’s work on developing and evaluating Mentoring Program OnBoarding resources, but also to receive critical feedback from evaluation and assessment experts in this space.

From keynote speakers to the hundred plus presentations given by researchers, practitioners, and teachers from across the world, there were a number of trends and common themes throughout the weeklong conference. The Mentoring Committee, through the collective perspectives of over 30 committee members, was already intuitively pursuing these topics on behalf of the NORDP membership.

Overall, the NORDP members in attendance at the Annual Mentoring Conference gained information, resources, and approaches that will be invaluable in strengthening mentoring programs and services for NORDP and at our own institutions. At the same time, it was reaffirming to see how well the NORDP Mentoring Committee activities align with common themes and emerging trends as UNM’s Mentoring Institute works to move the field “towards the science of mentoring.”

Have thoughts or ideas you’d like to share with the Mentoring Committee? Interested in becoming involved? Leave a comment or email us at mentorprogram@nordp.org

1. Partlow, K., Abramson, J., Balderson, C.S., Carney, P. & Ward, E (2019). Evaluating Professional Society Mentoring Resources Designed to MESHH Matched Pairs. In Dominguez, N., Neder, C.M., & Zaman, S. (Eds.). 12th annual mentoring conference proceedings (2nd ed.): Towards the science of mentoring [Special Issue 12]. The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching, 2(2).

NORDP Mentoring Committee Members presented two workshops at the NORDP 2019 Annual Conference. Committee members, including NRMN-trained facilitators, adapted mentor training curriculum materials from the National Mentor Research Network (NRMN) and the University of Wisconsin Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) to create a mentor training program for research development professionals. A workshop was offered at the NORDP meeting to pilot part of the program. A second workshop led by NRMN Professional Development Core Members addressed outcomes of the NRMN Grant Writing Coaching Group. Both workshops were reviewed in the current NRMN newsletter.

Slides from both workshops will soon be available on the NORDP website. To learn more about NRMN visit https://nrmnet.net/; to learn more about CIMER visit https://www.cimerproject.org/.

Posted on behalf of the NORDP Mentoring Committee 

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

By David Widmer and Christina Howard

NORDP Board Member Etta Ward’s commitment to and passion for mentoring extends beyond NORDP, and she has been internationally recognized for her mentoring efforts and ideas. As the assistant vice chancellor for research development in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Etta assisted in developing IUPUI’s first formal staff mentoring program, along with the EMPOWER program for tenure-track faculty, both of which have been successful and well-received. Etta has also helped develop a mentoring toolkit for the NORDP Mentoring Program and serves both on the Mentoring Committee and as Co-Chair for the Committee on Inclusive Excellence.

Etta traveled to France and Belgium in October 2018 as part of the prestigious Fulbright International Education Administrators Program. IUPUI published an article, “IUPUI leader attends Fulbright program, receives invitation to speak to Fulbright staff,” detailing her experiences. Here are a few highlights*:

Ward and 11 other American university administrators met with representatives of several universities, programs, and institutions during their Oct. 5-20, 2018, visits to Montpellier, Paris, and Brussels. One of Etta’s primary goals was to better understand how research is supported in universities abroad.

The Fulbright program also gave her an opportunity to talk with international administrators about one of her biggest passions–mentoring. “I wanted to get a broader and global perspective of what mentoring means for other universities, particularly in France,” Ward explained. “Mentoring is near and dear to my heart, more specifically, mentoring as a strategy to support women and minority faculty in higher education.”

During the program, Ward’s mentoring successes caught the attention of Fulbright staff members, and Etta was invited to the December 5th Fulbright Commission Staff Workshop in Washington, DC, to speak to Fulbright employees from across the globe about how best to use mentoring methods to ensure the success of minority students participating in a Fulbright exchange.

In February, Etta was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Indiana Chapter of the Fulbright Association’s Winter Banquet. At the banquet, several visiting Fulbright scholars asked how they might begin to build a mentoring culture at their home institutions, using some of the strategies Etta presented in her talk.

Since her Fulbright, Etta has also been invited to be one of three reviewers to select the next cohort for the International Education Administrators Program in France and Belgium.

Interested in how you can #PayItForward and bring mentoring-related ideas home to your institution? Check out the recent NORDP blog post about all of the opportunities and resources available for mentors and mentees at the upcoming Annual Conference!

*Article highlights compiled by David Widmer. For the full IUPUI article, click here: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2018/12/iupui/inside/12-iupui-leader-etta-ward-fulbright-global-mentoring.htm

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NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.