Here is the form to submit a request for mentoring: https://sws.memberclicks.net/SWS-Southmentorrequest
In an effort to support the needs of our members and to be mindful of time commitments, the SWS-S Southern Hand Mentoring Program is following the lead of SWS and shifting to a model that focuses on meeting very specific needs in well-defined and time-limited mentoring relationships. In addition to facilitating one-to-one mentoring pairs at the Spring Southern Sociological Society meetings, the program can also support small paired mentoring and mutual mentoring teams to engage in mutual mentoring throughout the year, based on the needs of the membership.
The SWS-S Southern Hand Mentoring Program assumes that ALL members have skills, experience, and insights to offer and that peer, and junior as mentor matches have much to offer. PLEASE consider what YOU have to offer to a paired or Mutual Mentoring Team.
Paired Mentoring is well-suited for concerns that are time-limited, especially individual (e.g. substantive feedback on a paper), or are quite personal/require significant confidentiality. Mutual Mentoring Teams may provide regular and long-term support and diverse perspectives. It may be important for you to have a mentor or mentoring team with whom you share an identity (e.g., BIPOC, trans*, parent, LGBTQ, first generation, etc.). The program will work to assist you.
Examples of Needs Appropriate for Paired Mentoring may include substantive feedback on scholarly work, promotion and tenure materials, job market materials, or creating a Resume from a CV. They may also include specific needs related to navigating graduate school or tenure and promotion (including to full professor), specific advice on choosing service commitments, individualized help with time management and prioritizing, specific concerns related to navigating toxic departments, committees, colleagues, etc.
Mutual Mentoring Teams may be comprised of peers or a mix of experienced and less experienced members. Depending on the number of requests, teams may be formed based on institution type, career stage, identity, or other characteristics. Examples of needs appropriate for Mutual Mentoring Teams may include general support for navigating graduate school, contingent faculty status, significant professional transitions, and toxic workplaces or colleagues. They may include discussions around managing work-life strain, teaching strategies, collegiality, and advice on scholarly activity, grants, and publications or accountability committing time to achieving professional and personal goals.
The above are not exhaustive lists, but provide examples and inspire reflection. What do you need? How can you help?
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SWS-S Southern Hand Mentoring Program – Paired Mentoring and Mutual Mentoring Teams
The SWS-S Southern Hand Mentor Program is following the lead of the SWS Professional Needs Mentoring Program by shifting to a model that focuses on meeting very specific needs in well-defined and time-limited mentoring relationships. The program will develop small group teams to engage in mutual mentoring and will continue to offer one-to-one mentoring pairs.
When submitting a request, please think carefully about whether your need is best met in a one-to-one pairing, or if you may be well-served by (and contribute to) a small mutual mentoring team. Paired mentoring is well-suited for concerns that are time-limited, very individual (e.g., substantive feedback on a paper), or are quite personal/require significant confidentiality. Mutual Mentoring Teams may provide regular and long-term support, diverse perspectives, and the opportunity to support others. Examples of each are below. These are not exhaustive lists, but they provide examples and inspire reflection. Is it important for you to have a mentor or mentoring team with whom you share an identity? The program will work to assist you.
Examples of Needs appropriate for Paired Mentoring may include:
- Substantive feedback on scholarly work, promotion and tenure materials, job market materials (at any level)
- Substantive feedback on creating a Resume from a CV
- Specific needs related to navigating graduate school
- Specific concerns/needs related to tenure and promotion (including to full professor)
- Specific needs/advice on choosing service commitments
- Specific needs/advice regarding planning for retirement
- Specific needs/advice regarding applied vs. academic career route
- Specific individualized help with time management and prioritizing
- Specific concerns/needs related to navigating toxic departments, committees, colleagues, professors
- Confidential assistance and support with specific issues
- Other (please specify)
Examples of Needs appropriate for Mutual Mentoring Teams may include those listed below. Teams may be comprised of peers or a mix of experienced and less experienced members. Depending on the number of requests, teams may be formed based on institution type, career stage, identity, or various other characteristics.
- General support for navigating graduate school
- General support for managing work-life strains
- General support for navigating contingent faculty status
- General support for navigating the academy as an (identity) scholar
- General support for working in an applied context
- General support for serving as department chair or program director
- General support for significant professional transitions
- graduate student to faculty or post-grad employment
- assistant to associate professor with tenure and associate to full professor
- into a Chair or Director position
- retirement
- into an Upper Administration position
- to a non-academic position
- to take on a significant leadership role within a professional association
- General support related to teaching strategies, pedagogy, challenges
- Discussions that focus on becoming a colleague, issues of collegiality
- General help and support navigating toxic departments, committees, colleagues
- General advice on scholarly activity, grants, publication (strategic plan, timeline, collaboration, etc.)
- Accountability for research/writing, work/life boundaries, containing teaching and service.