All 2008-09 first-year full-time faculty members at Belmont were invited to apply to the 2009-10 Mentoring for Mission (MfM) program. As a result, nine second-year faculty members are paired with mentors selected from current experienced faculty on campus. The Mentoring for Mission program was launched thanks to a grant proposal last summer prepared by Dr. Kim Daus, professor of chemistry and physics and director of the teaching center at that time. This inaugural year for the MfM program will be supported by a Mentoring Program grant from the Lilly Foundation.
Dr. Mike Pinter, professor of math and computer science, is serving as the director of the MfM program at Belmont, with additional support provided by Merrie King and Nanci Alsup from the Teaching Center. More information about the Lilly grant program is available at http://www.lillyfellows.org/mentor_programs.htm .
The MfM program at Belmont is being developed with the belief that an extended mentoring program can help both newer and experienced faculty achieve an integral sense of identity and mission through one-to-one mentoring of second-year faculty by experienced faculty, and through gatherings, readings and discussions for all participants. Group meetings in the fall semester will focus on understanding and living the Belmont mission and in the spring semester will center on teaching and learning. Common readings on the topics will frame the sessions.
Additionally, mentor pairs will participate in teaching- and mission-related events through symposia, on-campus events and service projects. By learning about Belmont’s history and reflecting and dialoguing on Belmont today, participants will be able to gain a stronger sense of identity and mission, and, in turn, contribute to the ongoing campus conversation on mission and vision.
The MfM program was initiated for the 2009-10 faculty cohort with a workshop and retreat on Aug. 20. Kim Daus assisted with the workshop session, and Dr. Robbie Pinter (professor of English) led and facilitated the retreat portion during which MfM participants explored questions about Belmont’s mission with each other. Several long-time and emeritus Belmont faculty members, including Don Ramage, Jerry Warren, Paul Godwin, Betty Wiseman, Stephen Campbell and Norma Baker Gahhart, joined the MfM group for dinner to wrap up the day’s activities by sharing their Belmont experiences and perspectives from the last 30-40 years.
2009-10 Mentoring for Mission Cohort:
Sally Holt (Religion); mentor Joyce Crowell (Computer Science)
Danny Biles (Math); mentor Jon Thorndike (Honors Program)
Julie Hunt (Social Work); mentor Bonnie Smith (English)
Sarah Bowles (English); mentor Sarah Ann Stewart (Math)
Caresse John (English); mentor Lynn Jones (Psychology)
Carrie Harvey (Nursing); mentor Jeanne Sowers (Occupational Therapy)
Chuck Wainwright (Management, Healthcare Administration); mentor Jeff Cornwall (Entrepreneurial Studies)
Peter Lamothe (Music); mentor Jeff Overby (International Business)
Annette Little (Education); mentor Linda Holt (English)
