$1000 up for grabs!

Call for Nominations

Women’s Faculty Caucus Distinguished Mentor Award

The Montana State University Women’s Faculty Caucus is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the third annual WFC Distinguished Mentor Award. This award is intended to recognize extraordinary efforts in mentoring women faculty in the university, and particularly junior faculty members both prior to and beyond tenure. The award will be presented to an individual who has contributed substantially to the career development of one or more women faculty members.

Purpose

Successful mentoring is a crucial dimension of developing and retaining faculty members. Ongoing mentor relationships contribute to the happiness and success of female faculty members by helping them negotiate the promotion and tenure process and the path to full professor, by encouraging their research and teaching activities, and providing support and role models for healthy work-life integration. This award is a way of formally celebrating the commitment, particularly to mentoring junior women faculty members, that many, more senior women faculty members are already making as part of their informal service to the university.

What is a mentor?

A mentor is a person who creates a supportive environment that fosters a mentee’s realization of long- and short-term professional and life goals. A mentor helps facilitate access to institutional resources, helps a mentee develop a network of relationships that can contribute to her success, and guides successful navigation of the university system. Mentoring plays an important role not only in promoting the success of individual faculty members but also in fostering community among scholars at Montana State University.

Award & Eligibility

This year we are excited to announce that the award will come with a $1000 check and will be presented by the President and Provost the Spring Convocation. Each year the honoree’s name is added to a plaque that is prominently displayed outside the MSU President’s Office. All faculty members who have dedicated time and energy to outstanding mentoring of women faculty members are eligible, and nominations may be made by any member of the Montana State University community.

Nominations

Nomination letters should be no longer than two pages. Letters should include the full name and position of the nominee and the nominator, a detailed and specific description of the nominee’s mentoring activities and skills, and an explanation of the difference this made in the nominator’s life. Submissions can be made by email to the Women’s Faculty Caucus Steering Committee via Sara Rushing at srushing@montana.edu, to be reviewed by the WFC Mentor Award Committee.

Deadline for nominations is November 14, 2011.

Steering Committee -- Call for volunteers

The current Steering Committee of the WFC – Beth Burroughs, Sara Rushing, Meta Newhouse, and me, Graham Austin – are looking for a few good women from our current and future membership to help lead provide leadership to the organization.  As the WFC expands our “role and scope” on campus (while not having to go up for tenure!), we hope to incorporate a diverse mix of ideas and talents from our members into the discussion and decision-making that the Steering Committee engages in. 

In our ideal vision of what the new and improved Steering Committee would be, we imagine having at least one member from each college on board.  We also hope to have representation from at least one research faculty member, and at least one adjunct faculty member; these women faculty comprise the newest participants in the WFC, and we want to make sure that the organization incorporates their (your!) opinions and experiences into our short- and long-term strategic planning.  Finally, we’re hoping to have people nominate or self-nominate Steering Committee members who have particular talents, such as database management, communication & social networking, graphic design, etc.

In its new incarnation, we imagine that members of the Steering Committee would serve at least a one-year term.  Members of the Executive Committee would serve three-year terms (one year as president-elect, one year as president, and one year as – you guessed it – immediate past president), to ensure continuity and institutional memory in the leadership of the group.

If you’re interested in adding another item to the “Service” section of your vitae, and have the time and talent to spare, please consider joining the Steering Committee.  We’d love to have you!