ERIC ED344642: The Venture Program: A Faculty pdf

ERIC ED344642: The Venture Program: A Faculty

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Description of the Book:

Hazard Community College (HCC), located deep within the Appalachian mountains in southeastern Kentucky, created the Venture Program (VP) to acclimate a large influx of new faculty to the college and to Appalachian culture. The following four components were integral to the VP’s holistic approach to faculty orientation: (1) a system that relied heavily on mentoring from faculty partners, meeting formally once each month; (2) a program designed to increase the self-awareness of new faculty members; (3) a process that would lead to a smoother transition to the collegiate atmosphere and to HCC’s procedures and expectations; and (4) a procedure that promoted more extensive knowledge and a growing appreciation of the Appalachian culture. At a mentors’ workshop, veteran faculty participants and the program coordinator discussed the VP in depth, constructing a list of questions upon which to base the formal monthly sessions with new faculty. A workshop for mentors and new faculty paired similar personality types using the Myers-Briggs Inventory, and served as the first opportunity for faculty partners to get acquainted.

A key component of the VP provided access to cultural programs, to the folk culture of the area, and to the natural beauty of the mountains. As a way of assessing the program, both the mentor and new faculty member provided the program coordinator with written comments after each formal mentoring session. At a meeting to plan the second semester’s VP, participants decided to add an informal mentoring meeting every other month, enabling the partners to explore new ground on their own, and to hold informal “coffees,” promoting faculty interaction. A calendar of program activities, and pre- and post-VP comments by faculty on Appalachia are attached. (JMC

• Creator/s: ERIC
• Date: 1992
• Year: 1992
• Book Topics/Themes: ERIC Archive, Beginning Teacher Induction, College Faculty, Community Colleges, Cultural Activities, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Enrichment, Inservice Teacher Education, Mentors, Program Descriptions, Teacher Orientation, Two Year Colleges, Workshops

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