A peer-to-peer mentoring program for extension agent success
Early Career Development
Amy Rowe
Environmental and Resource Management Agent
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Roseland
Abstract
New extension agents face several challenges as they navigate the path to promotion and tenure. Many are stationed off-campus and may not be aware of or able to access university resources and support. Being geographically distributed, new agents may feel isolated as they may have few opportunities to interact with peers across the state. There may also be fewer mentors available as long-standing colleagues leave in a wave of retirements. Agents may feel overburdened as they have more responsibilities than ever due to budget cuts and reduced county investment. New agents need as much support as possible to be successfully promoted while facing these increasing demands.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) recently launched a mentoring program designed to support pre-promotion agents by fostering peer-learning, providing professional development, giving guidance on administrative systems, and managing promotion and tenure paperwork. RCE currently has 25 pre-tenure faculty across extension that are part of the first program cohort, and at various stages -- with some about to go up for tenure, several that have been through reappointment, and others that were just hired. The staggered nature of the search and hiring processes allows for the most recent hires to learn from those that have been in extension for several years. It is expected that this peer-to-peer support network will lead to partnerships, shared experiences and camaraderie in addition to the formal mentoring committee provided by each extension department.
Some examples of the types of workshops provided include networking sessions, evaluating the impact of programming, publishing in extension, self-care, and the Institutional Review Board submission process, among others. The planning team for this program is made up of representatives from each extension department, as well as from administration. This allows the leveraging of resources and to ensure that the needs of agents across extension are being met. Participation is voluntary, but more than 85% of pre-promotion extension faculty have attended at least 1 of the 6 events held, thus far. The program's impact will be assessed upon reaching a more advanced stage of implementation.
Authors: Amy Rowe, Sara Elnakib, Jennifer Shukaitis, Kathleen Howell, Matthew Newman, Ruth Carll
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Amy Rowe County Agent/Associate Professor, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 07470
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Sara Elnakib Department Chair/Associate Professor, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08901
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Jennifer Shukaitis Associate Professor, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08901
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Kathleen Howell Associate Director of Administration, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08901
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Matthew Newman County Agent/Associate Professor, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 07728
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Ruth Carll State Leader, Consumer Horticulture and Master Gardener Programs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey, 08901