Started from the Change Starts Here strategic plan, the offices of the Executive Vice President and Provost and Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors developed the Provost’s Mentored Faculty Scholars (PMFS) program. This is a one-year, scholarship-focused one-on-one mentoring program specifically for tenured and tenure-track faculty, from any rank and discipline at The University of Texas at Austin.
The program aims to augment traditional, department-provided mentoring with additional opportunities for faculty development by allowing mentees to choose a mentor either from outside their College or School or from the same discipline. As a pair, the two will engage in a yearlong mentorship tailored to their individual needs and goals. Special workshops and sessions are also held throughout the academic year to supplement the development of critical soft skills, such as building or expanding scholarship, navigating University culture and climate, and how to design larger-scale initiatives or scholarly endeavors.
With the second cohort wrapping up this year, one mentor-mentee pair from the humanities, Curran Nault, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film and his mentor, Samantha Pinto, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of English, shared their experience in the program. Nault joined PMFS in search of a mentor who could answer questions about his unique tenure-track case and to increase his connection to colleagues. Having joined UT Austin during the year COVID-19 pandemic began, his experience underscores the sense of isolation the pandemic created along with the vital role mentorship can play in bridging this gap. Through the PMFS program, Nault found not only the guidance he sought but also a mentor who far exceeded his expectations.
Nault credits Pinto with significantly advancing his academic scholarship. Her encouragement and practical advice helped him stay on track with his writing goals, leading to his second book, Radical Remains, which is currently under contract Duke University Press. Their bi-monthly walking meetings provided a unique setting for open, honest, and productive conversations about both academic and personal topics. These interactions fostered a sense of camaraderie and friendship, transforming the mentorship experience into a holistic and supportive journey. He really valued having a mentor outside of his academic discipline, saying how this allowed Nault to see “things in a much more holistic outside way” instead of getting “caught up in some of the minutia that was less important.”
From a mentor’s perspective, Pinto’s participation in the program was driven by a desire to pay forward the exceptional mentorship she received early in her career from Professors Ricardo Ortiz and Pamela Fox at Georgetown University. Recognizing the value of cross-departmental mentorship, Pinto was eager to engage with faculty across different disciplines at UT Austin. Her diverse professional experiences, particularly in gender and sexuality studies, equipped her with the tools to navigate and bridge the distinct fields of media studies and literary studies, fostering a collaborative and enriching environment for her mentee.
Pinto emphasized the far-reaching benefits of cross-departmental mentorship, highlighting how it presents opportunities for discovering new resources and potential research collaborators. This structure, devoid of direct influence over tenure and promotion decisions, provides a liberating space for open dialogue and mutual support. Reflecting on her experience, Pinto praised Nault’s intelligence, ethical approach, and remarkable ability to balance large-scale projects with excellent teaching and scholarship. Their partnership, which led to co-editing a special issue of the flagship queer studies journal GLQ, stands as a testament to the fruitful collaborations that can emerge from such mentorship programs. While she came into the program expecting it to be another regular mentorship, she found it to be much more. Pinto spoke very highly of her experience overall.
…I learned a lot about how to be both practical and idealistic at the same time, [as well as being] practical and ethical at the same time.
As noted by Nault and Pinto, the cross-disciplinary approach can be a highly effective part of mentorship. For them, it not only provided diverse perspectives but also facilitated the sharing of different methodologies and problem-solving strategies, enriching their academic pursuits and careers overall.
Overall, the mentorship journeys of these two mentor-mentee pairs illustrate the profound impact that structured, cross-disciplinary mentorship can have on academic careers. Their experiences underscore the value of mentorship that extends beyond advice by fostering transformative growth and a deeper understanding of one’s role within academia and society. The PMFS program, with its emphasis on flexibility, accountability, and diverse perspectives, offers a robust model for supporting faculty at critical stages of their careers, ultimately enhancing the academic community’s collective strength and innovation.