Event Recap: Mentoring at Your Best: Strategies, Tools, and Resources for Faculty
Workshop held November 4, 2026
Organized by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement
What does effective mentoring look like, and what tools can help faculty strengthen their approach?
During this interactive session, Columbia faculty explored mentoring plans (or compacts) as practical tools for fostering and sustaining effective mentoring relationships. The session was facilitated by Caitlin DeClercq, Director of Faculty Advancement Initiatives in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. Participants discussed mentorship as a reciprocal relationship built on clear expectations, open communication, and shared commitment to development and success.
The session highlighted mentoring plans as useful, evolving documents that help mentors and mentees clarify goals and establish expectations. Faculty also considered a range of additional resources on campus to support their continued development and practice as mentors. One particularly helpful resource we explored was: Fostering Belonging in the Research Lab, part of the Advancing Mentoring Practices initiative through the Center for Teaching and Learning and Office of the Provost.
This session was part of a new series, Becoming Columbia Faculty, which aims to orient new and continuing Columbia faculty to central resources and create ongoing opportunities to connect with peers from across the institution.