Academic Affairs Mentoring Program

The Academic Affairs Mentoring Program is designed for faculty and staff to network, foster and build community, and welcome and connect new faculty and staff with professional development opportunities within Academic Affairs.

The program kicked off in September 2023 when mentors and mentees met to discuss their goals and what they hope to achieve from participating—the enthusiasm for professional growth was inspiring! If you want to become a mentor or mentee, email Samantha Smith at scalabre@buffalo.edu.

Process for Mentors and Mentees

Mentees are matched to mentors by the EDJI committee.
Mentors and mentees are paired based on their previous and current experience/knowledge, possible cross-training with other units, interests, hobbies, and growth opportunities.
Ideally, mentees will be matched with a mentor outside of their immediate department.
A one-year commitment for both mentor and mentee is required.
Minimum quarterly meetings are required. Please remember that it can be challenging to accommodate schedules, and the quality of the relationship, not the quantity of time spent, determines the success of the relationship and program.
Mentees and mentors are responsible for coordinating their own schedules to meet.
Suggestions for meetups: Meet for coffee or lunch, take a walk on campus or host a Zoom meeting. Please meet in person at least once a semester.

Expectations & Guidelines
Mentor	Mentee
A mentor is an Academic Affairs (AA) employee with one or more years in your AA role who wants to connect, mentor and build community across AA. Commit to at least one year. Ensure a beginning and end date is agreed upon. Maintain regular and frequent contacts with mentee. A minimum of three contacts per semester is recommended, with at least one face-to-face exchange. Suggest meeting during business hours, with supervisor approval. Take the initiative in the relationship. Invite your mentee to meet with you, ask thought-provoking questions or see if you can offer advice. Keep the content of the discussions confidential. All exchanges with your mentee–both personal and professional–are subject to the expectations of professional confidentiality. Although this confidentiality is legally limited, neither you nor the mentee should discuss the contents of your discussions with anyone without written permission of the other. In an effort to build community across AA, share your experiences and describe your role within AA. Provide active listening. A big part of effective mentoring is listening attentively. Avoid distraction when meeting with your mentee. Provide objective feedback and guidance. Avoid making judgments or issuing evaluative statements. Mentors are NOT expected to evaluate a mentee’s work; rather, a mentor helps a mentee locate resources and provides intentional and thoughtful experience. Evaluate the mentoring relationship, particularly if it is desired to extend the relationship beyond one year. Survey forms will be distributed.	A mentee is a new Academic Affairs (AA) employee with less than one year in an AA role, who wants to connect and build community across AA. Commit to at least one year. Ensure a beginning and end date is agreed upon. Maintain regular and frequent contacts with your mentor. A minimum of three contacts per semester is recommended, with at least one face-to-face exchange. Clarify your mentoring needs up front. Mentees are encouraged to share their career plans with the mentor, recount their initiatives for professional development, ask for advice, reflect on the mentor’s observations; and inform the mentor about the results of various efforts. Keep the content of discussions within the mentoring relationship confidential. All of your exchanges with your mentor– both personal and professional– are subject to the expectations of professional confidentiality. Although this confidentiality is legally limited, neither of you should discuss the contents of your conversation with anyone else without the written permission of the other. Refrain from asking mentors for evaluative advice; rather, take advantage of the mentor’s suggestions about resources for feedback and objective evaluation. Evaluate the mentoring relationship, particularly if it is desired to extend the relationship beyond one year. Survey forms will be distributed. Let us know if you wish to become a mentor after your first year!