QUICK SURVEY RE: SLA MENTORING PROGRAM

[Paul Kroskrity]

Background: At the end of our 2013 SLA Business Meeting, several members contacted me about whether or not SLA could provide some mentoring service to members. I mentioned a kind of voluntary program that has been going at UCLA where one of our Administrative offices compiles lists of faculty desiring mentoring and another list of faculty who have volunteered to be extra-departmental mentors.  Obviously this program does not meet all our needs and we need to be realistic about what SLA can do with no budget and no staff support and an established agenda of tasks (such as Annual Meeting Programs, Various Awards, electing/nominating officers and committees, publishing a newsletter and front-line journal).  When I mentioned the idea of  SLA mentoring, my Executive Board wisely advised me to first conduct a survey.   But when I tried to construct that survey, I realized that I did not really know enough to be able to do so.  That is why I am asking you to complete these open-ended questions and send your response to an address that I have created just for this project.

 As a member of SLA, you are encouraged to respond to any of these questions that seem appropriate and email your responses to me, as President of SLA, to paulvkroskrity at gmail.com. The target date to begin serious analysis of your responses is June 1 (so don’t prioritize this over the timely submission of your AAA meeting abstracts and registering for the meetings by April 15).

 1.  Should SLA offer volunteer-based mentoring for its membership?

 2.  Please describe your current job or student status. Would you be interested in receiving or offering mentoring? 

 3.  If you were to seek mentoring, which of the following best addresses your needs (check all that apply)?

         a. For those seeking jobs?

         b. For those with non-tenure track positions?

         c. For those with tenure-track positions seeking advice about making tenure?

         d.  For tenured professors seeking additional career   advancement?

         e.  For minority applicants for jobs and minority faculty at various career stages?

         f.  For women seeking advice regarding jobs and faculty positions at various career stages?

         g.  For those in research positions?

         h.  For those teaching or working outside of Anthropology in either a teaching or research capacity?

            i.  For those covering the entire field of linguistic anthropology in small undergraduate programs?

            j.  For those in other capacities such as: ___________

 4.  Would you be willing to serve as a mentor, and allow SLA to use your membership contact info to pair you with (an) appropriate mentee(s)?

5.  If you have previously had positive experiences participating in an academic mentoring program, please briefly describe the program and your experiences with it.

 6.  Please share any additional comments, suggestions, and feedback.

 THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP SLA WITH THIS INITIATIVE.


All the best,

Paul

Paul V. Kroskrity
President, Society for Linguistic Anthropology
Professor of Anthropology
Chair, American Indian Studies
Department of Anthropology
341 Haines Hall  -   Box 951553
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553
Ph. 310 825-6237
E.    paulvk at ucla.edu