Office of the Provost

Women's Mentoring Network

The UToledo Women's Mentoring Network (WMN) seeks to retain and support junior women faculty and staff across campus.

Vision and Mission Statement

The UToledo Women’s Mentoring Network seeks to support and empower women toward academic, professional, and personal success.  Through a variety of programs, workshops and networking events, our female faculty and staff are offered opportunities to develop themselves, as well as meet and interact with one another across our campuses.  We aim to help build a greater sense of community life at UToledo.  Our core beliefs are collaboration, inclusion, integrity, broad-mindedness, respect, and personal development.

Goals and Objectives

• Cultivate a sense of belonging to a community at UToledo that could lead to the greater engagement and retention of women-identified faculty and staff
• Create and sustain mentoring opportunities through one-to-one mentoring and group mentoring
• Expand the capacity for mentoring through training and development for mentors
• Support the professional development of women-identified faculty and staff through programs and networking opportunities

Each participant is paired with a senior faculty or staff member who shares similar interests and has volunteered to serve as a mentor. This mentee/mentor match does not replace the department’s own mentoring programming but rather, it builds upon the work of departmental mentoring relationships. Senior faculty or staff members interested in serving as a mentor should fill out a brief online form to express their interests and willingness to serve. 

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Women’s Mentoring Network Committee Structure

Women’s Mentoring Network Steering Committee

• Serves as the organizational and advisory body that determines the scope and shepherds the activities of the Women’s Mentoring Network.
• Functions include supporting subcommittees, evaluating programs, and serving as liaison to senior leaders.
• The steering committee meets at least once a month and committee members will be assigned tasks to carry out between meetings which may require additional meetings.
• Works intricately with subcommittees in completion of their functions.

Mentorship Subcommittee

• Coordinates mentorship opportunities through one-to-one mentoring and peer mentor circles.
• Responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting mentors, mentees, and mentor circle facilitators.
• Functions include creating an application system, developing training, coordinating mentorship opportunities, and evaluating program effectiveness in collaboration with Steering Committee.
• The subcommittee meets at least once a month and committee members will be assigned tasks to carry out between meetings which may require additional meetings.
• The Mentorship Subcommittee Chair will be a member of the WMN Steering Committee.

Outreach and Planning Subcommittee

• Supports community building for all women-identified faculty and staff and professional development through programming and networking opportunities across our campuses.
• Coordinates the creation of programs, workshops and networking events for woman-identified faculty and staff.
• Functions include coordinating events, creating opportunities for connection, recruiting WMN participants, evaluating programs and marketing in collaboration with Steering Committee.
• The committee meets at least once a month and committee members will be assigned tasks to carry out between meetings which may require additional meetings.
• The Outreach and Planning Subcommittee Chair will be a member of the WMN Steering Committee.

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Join the Women’s Mentoring Network

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a relational process that supports learning, development and well-being. The Women’s Mentoring Network takes a holistic approach to mentoring by focusing on the personal and professional development of our colleagues. Effective mentoring can occur in one-to-one mentor pairs or in structured peer mentor circles.

Mentor Pairs

A mentor pair is a relationship between two people with different levels of experience working together on mutually agreed goals and objectives. At its best, mentorship provides growth opportunities for both parties.

The Women’s Mentoring Network matches university employees seeking mentorship with employees who have volunteered to mentor. Mentor pairs will meet regularly throughout the academic year to work toward goals set by the mentee, with the support of the Mentorship Subcommittee. At the end of the academic year, the pair may continue to meet on their own or sign up to participate in the Women’s Mentoring Network again. For priority matching this academic year, register by October 28, 2022.

Be a mentor

Be mentored

Mentor Circles

Mentor circles hold space for individuals with shared experiences to build community and support one another’s growth and development. The Women’s Mentoring Network will launch mentor circles for faculty and staff in the spring semester.

To join a mentor circle,  submit an Mentoring CIrcle Interest Form.

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Resources

Microsoft LinkedIn Learning

University Women's Commission

Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women 

For additional information, please contact Dr. La Fleur Small, Vice Provost for Academic Administration and Faculty Affairs, at lafleur.small@utoledo.edu.

Past Events

Women who Rise & Lift:  Leaders at The University of Toledo Breakfast 
Thursday, April 7, 2022 | 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. | Joe Grogan Room, Savage Arena, Main Campus  

       

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