What guides faculty mentoring at Ohio State?
Faculty mentoring at Ohio State is guided by a shared set of principles that clarify roles, affirm flexibility and support faculty success across career stages and appointment types. These guiding principles reflect Ohio State’s commitment to building a mentoring culture that is intentional, inclusive and aligned with institutional priorities — while remaining responsive to the diverse needs of faculty and units.
Local catalyst for change
Mentoring is most impactful when it’s embedded in the daily academic life of departments, schools and programs. Tenure-initiating units (TIUs) serve as the primary context in which faculty experience mentoring, develop professional relationships and learn what’s needed to succeed. Tenured professors play a critical role in cultivating, leading and modeling a strong mentoring culture within their units.
Champions and advocates
Colleges and regional campuses champion and support mentoring in TIUs.
Colleges and regional campuses strengthen mentoring by supporting the work of TIUs, sharing effective practices and fostering connections across units. As champions and advocates, they help ensure that mentoring efforts are visible, valued and aligned with broader academic goals.
Vision and purpose
The provost’s office cultivates shared vision and alignment.
The provost’s office provides institutional leadership by articulating a clear vision and purpose for faculty mentoring. This includes setting expectations across career stages and tracks, aligning mentoring strategies with university priorities, and reinforcing mentoring as a core institutional responsibility.
Empowerment
Faculty are empowered to shape their mentoring journeys.
Effective mentoring recognizes faculty as active participants in their own mentoring journeys. Faculty are encouraged to seek out, cultivate and contribute to mentoring relationships that reflect their goals, values and career aspirations — serving as both mentors and mentees throughout their careers.
Consistent Messaging
Mentoring is affirmed through clear and consistent communication.
The value and purpose of faculty mentoring are consistently uplifted across the university and platforms — led by the provost and the Office of Faculty Affairs, and reinforced by colleges, regional campuses and TIUs. Clear messaging helps normalize mentoring as an essential professional contribution and reinforces shared expectations.
Collaboration and mutuality
Mentoring is reciprocal, relational and community‑building.
A strong mentoring culture is positive and affirming, encouraging collaboration, reciprocity and mutual investment in success. Mentoring relationships supported by these values benefit individual faculty members while strengthening TIUs, colleges and regional campuses, and the university as a whole.
Flexibility and freedom
There is no single model for effective mentoring.
Mentoring at Ohio State should be intentionally flexible. There is no single, universal mentoring model. Flexibility, adaptability and autonomy are essential, enabling mentoring programs to remain nimble and responsive to the unique cultures and evolving needs of faculty and their TIUs.
Dual approach
Both formal and informal mentoring are essential.
Formal mentoring plays a key role in clarifying expectations, promotion processes and institutional norms. Informal mentoring — often regarded by faculty as the most valuable — builds trust, collaboration, community and knowledge sharing. Together, both approaches strengthen mentoring outcomes and support faculty in achieving their professional goals and advancing their careers.
Diversity and inclusion
Diverse mentoring styles, needs, and contributions are valued.
Faculty bring varied identities, experiences, strengths and mentoring styles to their work. These differences are acknowledged and affirmed, and contributions to mentoring — in all their forms — are recognized as integral to a thriving academic community.
Celebration
Mentoring contributions are recognized and honored.
Mentoring is meaningful professional labor. Contributions to mentoring are celebrated through innovative and affirming forms of recognition that highlight its value to individuals, units and the institution.
A shared commitment
Together, these guiding principles reflect Ohio State’s shared commitment to cultivating a mentoring culture that supports faculty success, strengthens academic communities and advances institutional excellence. Grounded in evidence and shaped by faculty experience, they serve as a foundation for continued growth, innovation and shared responsibility in faculty mentoring.