At the Center for Faculty Development, we are tenacious. We hold together, we are cohesive; not easily pulled asunder and we are tough. We are tenacious because you, the faculty, are the inspiration and the foundation of the CFD.

When we introduced the pilot for the CFD Tenure Track Mentorship Program in 2006, we asked tenured faculty to volunteer to be mentors. We were so gratified at the outpouring of support—43 of our senior colleagues immediately said “sign me up.” Also in that first year, mentees were pleasantly surprised to learn that small stipends were available to further their scholarship. This year we were not able to provide stipends, but that doesn’t seem to have hampered the program in any way as we have 60 percent of eligible tenure track faculty participating.

In these difficult economic times, funding cuts to this and many other critical programs across the university are imminent. And we let you know that. And yet our faculty mentors and mentees have continued to come out en masse, making this important program even bolder and more productive.

Thank you, faculty at the University of Colorado Denver, for being such an inspirational group of people. In its third year, several of our mentors have multiple mentees and all are passionately and completely committed to their success.

The stories in the spring edition of Latitude are just a sampling of the many stories of personal and professional growth attained through the mentorship program. In addition, there are more mentorship opportunities to look forward to. Brad Johnson, associate professor of psychology at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Business and Education at Johns Hopkins University, is joining us May 1 to discuss ethical behaviors, mentoring and counseling. Johnson is the author of “On Being  a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty.”

At the Center for Faculty Development, we’ll continue to be tenacious for and because of you. Your ambition, your caring and support for your fellow faculty and your students are what make this university remarkable, successful and unique.

 ~Ellen Stevens, director

Common ground

No boundaries, no limits. The Center for Faculty Development often pairs mentors and mentees from different schools and colleges. The result: An even greater opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Greg Cronin, right, associate professor and acting chair of the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Department of Biology, might not seem to have much in common with a faculty member from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, but that’s just not the case. Cronin was paired with Jason Ren, left, assistant professor of civil engineering, and together they’re making the Earth a better place.

Ren, who joined the University of Colorado Denver in 2008, uses organisms to purify water and produce energy, which contributes to a more sustainable society. “My research area is mainly in environmental microbiology,” Ren says. “So as the department chair in biology, Greg has offered many valuable suggestions. We discussed several research ideas, such as biosensor development using microbial fuel cells.” Cronin/Ren>>>