Mentoring Circles (MCs) group together faculty members with similar challenges and aspirations to share, guide, and learn from one another. MCs are confidential spaces. Members meet each other as co-equals across disciplines, identity, and experience to build developmental relationships, foster social support, and enable candid counsel among participants. In addition, MCs can also serve as mutual accountability groups supporting members to enhance the quality and productivity of their work in targeted areas meaningful to circle members.
Research indicates that when MCs are well designed and implemented, participants report benefits such as:
- reduced feelings of isolation and increased sense of belonging,
- a demystification of different disciplinary cultures,
- increased self and cultural awareness,
- an enhanced sense of community,
- enhanced clarity, agency, and self-efficacy to guide and pursue one’s career aspirations, and
- higher job satisfaction.
Facilitation of MCs varies depending on the objectives of individual circles. A common model is to have a more experienced peer facilitator coordinate the work of MCs.
The LIFT Mentoring Circles Program offers the benefits of MCs as well as connecting circle participants to a cross-campus network of mentoring and coaching resources.
