Frequently Asked Questions

What is Faculty Connections?

Faculty Connections is an orientation and mentoring program led by and designed for faculty. The program’s aim is to provide ongoing professional development and help to create connections among new and experienced faculty. It is a benefit to all faculty, negotiated by our union. Faculty Connections offers:

Integration into the teaching and learning environment at LCC.
Engagement among faculty who seek to share expertise in college systems and teaching/learning pedagogy.
A professional, collaborative, and supportive community!

Who is eligible? What are the roles?

Mentee - Any faculty member who has joined the college (in a faculty role) within the past 5 years and not yet participated in Faculty Connections with a mentor.
Mentees receive a stipend for attending the seminar and for successful completion of the mentoring program.
Mentor - Any faculty member who meets the following requirements: 1) has a desire to welcome and acclimate new faculty to our workplace; 2) is available to attend the orientation seminar prior to the start of fall term; 3) is able and willing to meet with their paired mentoring partner a minimum of twice per term over the academic year (six times total); and 4) has been teaching at Lane for more than three years OR has demonstrated engagement in professional development and/or other college activities.
Mentors receive a stipend for attending the seminar and for successful completing of the mentoring program.
Participant – Any faculty member who would like to participate for the connection and ongoing professional development. Participants are welcome to join us for the seminar and other events throughout the year.
There is no stipend for participants.

Can I attend more than once?

Yes. New (within 5 years) faculty can attend once as a "mentee" with the stipend. Faculty can continue as a “participant” as many times as you like – without the stipend - or as a Mentor.

Program Details:

Faculty Connections begins with a seminar held prior to college In-service. Participants receive a stipend, as the Faculty Connections seminar is held before the start of our contracted academic work year. Programming at the seminar varies from year to year; however, you can expect:

Examples of engaged teaching techniques and activities you can adapt for your classroom.
The opportunity to connect with Lane Community College's leadership.
An introduction to some of Lane's faculty-focused resources (LCCEA, Faculty Professional Development, Academic Technology Center, Library among others).
The chance to build relationships with faculty across academic disciplines.

The Mentorship program matches new and experienced faculty (often from different departments). Initial meetings take place during lunch at the fall seminar; then you will continue meeting twice per term (or more) providing support to new faculty for a greater understanding of college systems and resources.

Mentor pairs have the freedom to decide what activities they do together, but some possible activities may include: touring campus, attending college events, participating in professional development opportunities, observing each other’s classes, discussing classroom issues, meeting for lunch around town, etc. We strive to recruit mentors who are widely involved in the college and who can provide as much support to new faculty as possible. These meetings continue for the entire academic year. Both the mentor and mentee receive a stipend in the spring after at least 6 meetings since time spent together is expected to fall outside of regularly paid time. (This stipend is in addition to the seminar stipend.)

How do I sign up?

Contact the current Faculty Connections coordinator for more information. A registration form will be sent out via email and included in the Lane Weekly prior to the Faculty Connections seminar before fall term each year.

Questions?

Questions? Please ask me. More specific details will be sent to those who register. We hope to see you in the fall!

Ingrid Nordstrom
Faculty Connections Coordinator
nordstromi@lanecc.edu