There are many specific ways in which you can provide the kinds of support that fall within the broad scope of your responsibilities as a faculty mentor. Most of them will probably emerge naturally in the context of your relationship.

Here are just a few suggestions that might not be immediately obvious.

  1. Make a point of sitting with your mentees at the Faculty Retreat.
  2. Offer to go together to an LTC event, or to join a book discussion group. Sometimes just knowing someone else makes it easier to walk into a room full of strangers. 
  3. Answer questions about the Northfield or Twin Cities communities that would be helpful to any newcomer: Where should I get my car repaired? What cultural and social groups exist that might be of interest? Which medical clinic do you recommend?
  4. Offer to go to faculty meetings with your mentees.
  5. Invite your mentees to your home for a meal and a chance to meet other colleagues.
  6. Consider getting together with another cohort mentoring group for an informal social gathering. Getting to know a wider selection of colleagues from different departments will help your mentees build a mentoring network beyond their cohort.
  7. If you are going to a social event, consider inviting your mentees to join you.
  8. Offer to look at your mentees’ course evaluation forms.