Faculty & Staff

Mentors are committed to the success of their mentees. Mentors act as advocate, coach, and career guide, and provide active feedback, encouragement, support, and constructive (yet supportive) criticism and facilitation. We recognize that many faculty members will engage in a number of mentoring relationships over the course of their careers, both in and outside the Mailman School. 

Mentoring relationships take many forms, and faculty members will likely maintain multiple concurrent relationships.  The junior faculty mentoring program is not intended to provide to junior faculty a single mentor who will meet all of their research and career needs.  Rather, we aim to ensure that every junior faculty has the benefit of a structured mentoring relationship with at least one senior person in the School.  Every relationship will be different, but mentors in this program should, at minimum, provide career guidance and support in understanding the academic world in general, and the world of the Mailman School in particular.

Qualities of Good Mentors

• Well-established in their careers, and clear models of career attainment
• Committed to their mentee’s growth and development
• Knowledgeable about Columbia University and the Mailman School
• Intellectually generous, and committed to preserving a mentee’s academic independence
• Ready to provide time and attention to their mentees, and act on their behalf
• Empathic, conscious of the employment pressures faced by young faculty
• Willingness to provide honest feedback, recognizing that at times this will include constructive negative feedback