The Pomona College Faculty Development Program consists of three primary elements:
Sage Flocks
Faculty members who are in their first and second year at the College may elect to be partnered with a tenured member of the faculty who has several years of experience at the College. Given that the term “mentoring” historically connotes a power imbalance, we prefer to think of this relationship as a partnership, in which a settled member of our community has the opportunity to make new friends with new ideas and different perspectives and can introduce them to our campus community and help them navigate new terrain: social, professional, and cultural. Tenured faculty members who would like to serve as a helpful resource to new colleagues acclimating to Pomona’s culture and the Claremont area should get in touch with Chief of Staff and Associate Dean Jan Roselle.
In alignment with best practices, we create groups of these faculty partner dyads to create opportunities for small-group mentoring and near-peer mentoring, which we call Sage Flocks (an homage to our Sage Hen mascot). A Sage Flock is composed of one first-year faculty member, one second-year faculty member, and their settled faculty partners so new faculty members can draw from the experiences of their settled colleagues as well as a colleague who is just a bit ahead in their career.
Throughout the year, Sage Flocks have numerous formal and informal opportunities to meet. The Dean’s office hosts two gatherings each semester, in which small groups participate in somewhat structured discussions guided by the needs and interests of the new faculty members. The Dean’s office also provides meal tickets for each Sage Flock to get together in the dining hall twice a semester.
Programming
The Dean’s office, working in collaboration with others on campus, keeps a calendar of events designed to provide information, networking, and guidance to faculty on a variety of topics. The full calendar of events is updated regularly.
Membership in the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD)
NCFDD offers a host of resources at no cost to individual faculty members, including support for writing, connection to others, and free webinars.