Mentoring

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Welcome to the Mentoring Scheme at NUI Galway

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is the process by which a mentor empowers a mentee to build their skills and to achieve their career goals. Support is offered at NUI Galway through a partnership of senior staff members and early career colleagues with the aim of developing staff to release their potential.

Upcoming Mentor/Mentee Training

Please refer to CorePortal or the Learning & Development Calendar to view all upcoming workshops. You can also add your name to the waiting list if no dates are available. Search for "Mentor" or "Mentee" on Core Portal.

Principles of Mentoring

Mentoring is the process by which a mentor guides the career and development of a mentee. For an academic mentoring relationship to succeed, it needs to be underpinned by the following principles:

Ownership of the mentoring process rests with the mentee and s/he drives the mentoring agenda. The mentee is responsible for initiating contact with the mentor.
The mentor relationship is confidential. Discussions between the mentor and mentee must not be divulged to a third party without the agreement of both parties.
Mentoring is distinct and separate from the University of Galway Performance Management Development System.
Mentoring is nondirective in its approach.
Mentoring is a relationship built upon trust and mutual respect.
The mentor empowers the mentee to take responsibility for their own learning and career development.
The mentor offers a safe environment to the mentee within which they can discuss work-related issues and explore solutions.
The mentoring relationship places no obligation on either party beyond its developmental intent.

Benefits of Mentoring

Benefits to the Mentee:

Enhancement of induction for new staff and accelerates their learning curve
Increases in clarity and management of career goals
Opportunity to have own thinking and beliefs challenged
Development of a wider network of influence through engagement with their mentor
Provision of time and space to reflect, develop insight, increase self-awareness and confidence
Increase in productivity, effectiveness and contribution to career goals
Support in managing and developing relationships with others
Gain insight into the culture of University of Galway, its formal and informal structure and how it operates

Benefits to the Mentor:

Development of a new set of skills and additional learning acquired from the relationship
Contact with early career academic staff and familiarisation with their career development
Opportunity for reflective space and to gain personal insight
Satisfaction of developing colleagues and helping them succeed

Roles and Responsibilities

Mentor Responsibilities

Generally a Mentor will hold a position that is more senior or has more experience in an area that is of interest to the Mentee. The Mentoring relationship is driven by the Mentee.

The Mentor may at times be a role model or sounding board and at other times challenger, advisor or facilitator. However irrespective of role, the Mentor will demonstrate the highest professional standards and also demonstrate a range of personal attributes in each of those roles which includes:

An interest in developing themselves and others
Excellent listening ability
Being accessible and available
Capable of building trust and maintaining confidentiality
Remaining constructive with the focus on the development of the Mentee

Mentee Responsibilities

The Mentee has a role in ensuring the success of the Mentoring relationship and can add to the success of a Mentoring relationship through;

A willingness to engage in career development opportunities
Being open and honest in discussing with the Mentor what it is they would like to achieve from the relationship
Appreciating and respecting the commitment on the part of the Mentor
Maintaining confidentiality

College or School Responsibilities

Each College/School/Unit will identify a nominated “mentor champion” who will support the Mentoring programme within their unit. The mentor champion will be supported by Human Resources/L&D in:

Facilitating the Mentoring process within their unit by encouraging Mentees and Mentors to engage in the process
Championing and reporting on mentoring as a KPI at school and unit executive level
Meeting with potential Mentors, where appropriate, to discuss suitability for the Mentor role
Gathering mentor/mentee nominations within their area
Facilitating reflective practice to champion Mentoring

Human Resources Responsibilities

HR will work and support the each College/School/Unit by:

Organising briefing sessions on the mentoring policy
Organising and scheduling mentor and mentee workshops
Assisting with review of the process
Assisting with pairing of mentors/mentees
Supporting reflective practice by gathering and providing relevant data without breaching mentor/mentee confidentiality

Mentoring Documents

The University of Galway Mentoring Framework is available to view or download here: University of Galway Mentoring Framework/Creat Meantóireachta Ollscoil na Gaillimhe

How to Register your Interest

Mentees

Read the University of Galway Mentoring Framework to get a full understanding of the process and the roles and responsibilities.
Register your interest with your local Mentor Champion or Head of School/Unit*.
Nominations from each area will be forwarded to Learning & Development for intake twice yearly (January and July).
Mentee to complete Mentee Pairing Form to assist with matching Mentee and Mentor.
If you have a Mentor in mind or you have already connected with one, please advise Learning and Development in advance.
Mentee can then register for upcoming workshops which we will be advertised on the Learning and Development webpage.

*If you would prefer to register your interest discreetly please contact Mark & Rachel at learninganddevelopment@universityofgalway.ie or via MS Teams.

Mentors

Read the University of Galway Mentoring Framework to get a full understanding of the process and the roles and responsibilities.
Register your interest with your local Mentor Champion or Head of School/Unit*.
Nominations from each area will be forwarded to Learning & Development for intake twice yearly (January and July).
Mentor to complete Mentor Pairing Form to assist with matching Mentor and Mentee.
Mentor can then register for upcoming workshops which we will be advertised on this Learning and Development webpage.

*If you would prefer to register your interest discreetly please contact Mark & Rachel at learninganddevelopment@universityofgalway.ie or via MS Teams.

Local Mentor Champions

If you are interested in becoming a Mentor Champion for your area, please contact Mark & Rachel at learninganddevelopment@universityofgalway.ie or via MS Teams.

Mentoring Champions	Area	College/Unit
Prof. Gary Donohoe	Psychology	Arts
Prof. Kevin Leydon	Soc & Pol	Arts
Prof. Enrico Dal Lago	History & Philosophy	Arts
Sharon Glynn	Pathology	Medicine
Dr. Georgina Gethin	Nursing & Midwifery	Medicine
Dee Sheridan	Medicine	Medicine
Mark McGuinness	Learning and Development	Human Resources
Rachel Quinlan	Learning and Development	Human Resources
Rosemary Geoghegan	Paediatrics	Medicine
Stasha Antonijevic-Elliot	Speech and Language Therapy	Medicine
Mary Pat O'Malley-Keighran	Speech and Language Therapy	Medicine
Prof. Colette Kelly	Health Promotion	Medicine
Ruth McMenamin	Speech and Language Therapy	Medicine

Additional Mentoring Options

Interested in supporting University of Sanctuary (UoS) scholars on their academic journey at the University of Galway?

Buildng upon the work of the Inclusive Centenaries and Admissions Office scholarship programmes, the University of Sanctuary (UoS) Scholarship Programme opened for applications in 2019. The programme is designed to increase participation at the University of Galway among International Protection applicants, refugees, vulnerable immigrant groups and Irish Travellers. To date, the scholarship programme has welcomed 60 students from 24 different countries to the University.

The UoS academic mentoring programme is a great way for academics to meet and support students from a variety of different cultures, while providing academic advice pertaining to mentees’ coursework throughout their course of study. Any advice which mentees may require regarding deferrals, illness, etc., would be provided by the UoS Officer. Bespoke mentor training will be provided. Interested mentors can express an interest in becoming an academic mentor by completing the short form here.

1916 Bursary & University of Sanctuary Support Mentoring

To support 1916 Bursary recipients and University of Sanctuary scholars transition into third-level education, the University has teamed up with Foróige’s College Mentoring Programme to provide practical advice which scholars may need in addition to academic mentoring during their first year of study. Support mentors are employees of the University, working in roles such as administration, academic and support. Mentors are selected based on their willingness and capability to support a scholar, their knowledge of the University and its processes, and their interest in the welfare of University students.

If you would like to know more about the programme, you can email Cliodhna Donoghue at cliodhna.donohue@foroige.ie if you have any questions. Alternatively, if you would like to sign up to become a Foróige support mentor, please click HERE.