Back in 2018, NURAP launched the Pilot Mentoring Program. The goal of the program was to support and enhance research administration at Northwestern. One way to achieve this goal was through a structured mentoring program that paired early career research administrators with senior level research administrators. The program provided a confidential space for discussion and inquiry around topics related to career growth, institutional knowledge and the development of soft skills.
NURAP sought out guidance from senior leaders in research administration across the University to find mentors and mentees. The five pairs from both campuses were selected in November 2018 and the program hosted a kickoff meeting in January 2019 to announce the pairs and elaborate on program specifics. NURAP hosted check-ins throughout the course of the program to offer resources, guidance and to share successes. The pilot concluded in June 2019 with a meeting to discuss outcomes and strategies toward a full program.
Throughout the duration of the program, mentors and mentees coordinated on a meeting schedule to build their relationship and then decide on a goal. There were purposefully no strict programmatic requirements other than time investment. Mentees decided on what type of goal they wanted to work toward and/or accomplish during the program. Some mentees decided to work toward a concrete short-term goal such as giving a presentation at a staff meeting. Other mentees had a flexible, long-term goal like focusing on skills valuable to becoming a manager at Northwestern. This was a collaborative pilot to determine what the best full program would look like for Northwestern research administrators.
Although the program is not currently active, we welcome suggestions from the NURAP community as we plan to relaunch the program in the future. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to us at NURAP@northwestern.edu.