Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Service to the Profession: The Forgotten Element of Tenure and the Importance of Faculty Mentoring 327
Fifty-seven professors (82.6%) collectively agreed with the statement that asked them
if they had been made aware of their university’s tenure policy when hired. While they may
have been made aware of the tenure policy, they may not have received detailed information
regarding the quantitative requirements placed on each area. This was evident in the response
rate when professors were asked if there had been a department mentor provided to them to
help them understand how service was related to the tenure process. Thirty-five (50.7%)
disagreed with this statement signifying they did not have a clear understanding of the service
requirement for tenure. These results supported the need for additional mentoring and
guidance for novice assistant professors on the tenure track.
In regards to the opportunities for service at the various levels of the profession, it
appeared that as the levels moved from department to international, the opportunities for the
eight identified areas decreased in involvement. The majority of committee service was
completed at the department (94.0%) and university levels (77.6%). This suggested that there
are several opportunities at these levels for junior faculty for their consideration. The most
common service opportunity at the state level was guest speaking (70.2%) which could also
help to support a professor’s teaching and scholarly efforts by presenting research projects
and teaching effectiveness at conferences and scholarly meetings.
The possibilities for service venues at the national level showed the highest level of
involvement by serving as a reviewer (87.3%), editor (66.7%), an assistant editor (64.3%), a
board member (57.1%), and involvement in organizational activities (49.1%). National level
of service could occur with the help of a tenured mentor who encourages networking and
collaboration with junior faculty. The least involvement regarding service activity was seen at
the international level which may be a result of limited opportunities, travel costs, and the
time that would be taken away from teaching responsibilities. This is clearly an area of
service that requires more discussion regarding possible endeavors.
The tenure process is a journey that no junior faculty member should take alone. A
mentor from the members of the existing faculty would provide a novice assistant professor
with a guide through the formalities of the tenure process, a mentor that could lead them to
service opportunities, and an advisor to help them understand the responsibilities of their new
profession. The results of the qualitative data supported these suggestions on how to assist
novice faculty by recognizing the importance of mentoring, sharing, and modeling. Boreen et
al. (2000) emphasized that having a mentor in any situation that listens and shares experiences
for the growth of another individual will certainly help in resolving “potential difficulties” (p.
21). The potential difficulty that could face junior faculty is the inability to meet the tenure
requirements for scholarship, teaching, and the forgotten area of service.
With the uncertainty of the amount of or the opportunity for service activities, some
junior faculty during their first years in higher education could become overwhelmed with the
requirements of tenure and the expectations of their new position. To prevent this from
happening, the assistance provided by a caring and concerned mentor is suggested. Mentors
should be willing to help guide and nurture junior faculty by opening honest lines of
communication, developing trusting relationships, and involving their charges in the daily
operation procedures of university life. By taking these small efforts, junior faculty may be
more inclined to use their time more effectively in the areas of scholarly and service-oriented
projects.
Supporting this thought, especially in regard to service, one of the professors shared
he/she was able to help new faculty by "[identifying] those service opportunities that
contribute to other parts of the work agendas, as opposed to those that are only time drains
and do not further those agendas.” A mentor, according to another professor, leads junior