Mentoring

Mission:  The mission of the Mentoring Committee is to assist all incoming Brittain Fellows in making a smooth transition to teaching, engaging in scholarship and research, and being an active participate in service opportunities in the Writing and Communication Program at Georgia Tech.  Further, the Mentoring Committee seeks to develop networks and resources that can nurture Brittain Fellows’ long-term career goals.

Membership: The chair of the Mentoring Committee is invited to serve by the Director in consultation with the Assistant Director of Writing and Communication. Members on the Mentoring Committee are invited by the chair of the committee, in consultation with the Director and Assistant Director of Writing and Communication.

2011-2012 Committee

Chair:         Tom Lolis

Committee Members:  Kathleen Hanggi, Julia Munro.

Goals:        (1) Foster professional relationships between Brittain Fellows and LCC Faculty. (2) Create a searchable database featuring the Brittain Fellows’ diverse research interests. This database will enable interested parties to contact Fellows for guest lectures and invited talks (in both the academic classroom and the public sector).  (3) Arrange events that will create networking opportunities in a collegiate setting. (4) Co-organize workshops relevant to a range of non-traditional opportunities for employment. (5) Increase the public presence of the Brittain Fellows both within and outside of the academic community.

Prior Committee History

2010-11 Chair: Paulette Richards

2009-10 Co-Chairs: Matt Paproth and Paulette Richards

Committee Members:  Rebecca Burnett, Andrew Cooper, Jo Anne Harris, Jennifer Parrott, Candice Welhausen

Accomplishments: For the first time, all incoming Brittain Fellows were matched with both a Brittain Fellow mentor and a researcher or tenure-line faculty mentor. In the Spring of 2010 and 2011, mentors and mentees met individually and also gathered for a potluck dinner. During the year, mentors provided information about life in Atlanta as well as advice on everything from procedures for reserving classrooms and equipment to suggestions for journals and conferences that might showcase mentees’ work.  Some mentors and mentees became collaborators. The mentoring committee has developed and circulated a questionnaire to help mentees define professional goals and communicate with mentors. During the 2010 New Brittain Fellow Orientation, the Mentoring Committee engaged new Brittain Fellows in a story circle: “When you were ten years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?” Participants shared inspiring stories; a common theme of commitment to mentoring students emerged from reflections about mentors who had been important influences. Consequently, the Committee hopes that fostering a mentoring culture within the Writing and Communication program enhances Brittain Fellows’ effectiveness as teachers and colleagues.

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