For questions, please contact:

The Center for Academic Innovation
2 Madeleva Hall
Room 146
Phone: (575) 284-4584
Fax: (574) 284-4875
e-mail: cfai@saintmarys.edu

The Farrell Mentor program initiates new full-time faculty into the life of Saint Mary's College by pairing them with experienced faculty in one-on-one partnerships to nurture their growth as teachers, scholars, and campus citizens.

Program Goals and Procedures

For all new faculty, regardless of experience, adjusting to a new place can be difficult. Teaching itself may be a new challenge. Teaching at a small student-centered liberal arts college is in sharp contrast to narrowly focused graduate studies. Teaching at a Catholic women’s college may be a completely new environment. This program aims to smooth the transition to Saint Mary’s and highlight the opportunities offered by the College. In this way new faculty can enjoy a successful first year and begin developing a rewarding career at the College.

The Farrell Mentor Program supplements, but does not replace the mentoring within departments. Faculty mentors, who are chosen for their teaching excellence, scholarship, and institutional experience, come from outside the new faculty member’s home department. Thus from the beginning, the new faculty member experiences the interdisciplinary connections possible at a small liberal arts college.

During the summer, the Director of the Center for Academic Innovation paired the novice faculty with their individual mentors. Several group activities attended by the faculty and mentors are planned, but much advice and counsel occurs in one-on-one gatherings. The mentors usually learn as much from the new faculty as the novice from the experienced faculty.

After the first year, the untenured faculty continue to meet, electing their own leadership and setting their own agenda. This group, self-titled "The Young and the Restless" (Y & R) or alternatively the "Almost Tenured Faculty" (ATF), are supported in their activities by the Center for Academic Innovation and the Farrell Mentor Program.

The Farrell Mentor Program is supported through the generosity of Neal F. and Barbara Farrell, whose three daughters graduated from Saint Mary's College.