Tenure-track faculty members may have college-supported external mentors any time after the Amherst faculty member’s first year of teaching at Amherst and prior to the academic year in which they are considered for tenure. External mentors should be experts in the field(s) of scholarship that is being pursued by the tenure-track faculty member. Faculty who have taught at Amherst prior to assuming a tenure-track appointment at the college may “count” their time teaching as a visitor at Amherst toward this eligibility requirement. External mentors may not serve as external reviewers for their mentees' tenure cases.
Faculty members seeking an external mentor are responsible for identifying appropriate colleagues to serve in that capacity. The expectation is that the mentor will offer advice and support, with a focus on the Amherst faculty member’s scholarship and professional development. Mentees are encouraged to share with their department chair the name of the individual whom they would like to have as a mentor. In this way, the chair can confirm that the department considers the proposed mentor to be a good fit in regard to its expectations and those of the field surrounding scholarly development and accomplishment and professional engagement.
Once a mentor is selected, mentees are asked to contact Pawan Dhingra, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty, to share the name and contact information of the mentor.
The college will provide a stipend of $1,000 annually to the external mentor for a period of up to three years. At the end of every academic year in which a mentee works with a mentor, mentees submit a brief report on their work to Pawan Dhingra due by June 1. Faculty will also need to be in touch with Lauren Banfield in the provost's office about arranging payments for their mentor.
An additional $1,000 will be made available during the three-year period to support meetings, travel, and/or other activities associated with the mentoring relationship.