Dean of Faculties Offers Mentorship Workshop for VTPP

Dr. John August teaching
Dean of Faculties Dr. John August illustrates the steps of being a successful mentor using a Rubik’s cube.

The Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology (VTPP) at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) held a workshop on July 21 to discuss situational mentoring within the workplace.

The workshop was organized by Dr. Jay Ramadoss, assistant professor in VTPP, and Dr. Larry Suva, VTPP department head, and was part of departmental efforts to prompt discussion about best practices in research, teaching, and service.

“The workshop was organized to implement benchmarked world-class practices in faculty development,” Ramadoss said.

VTPP Workshop

Dr. John August, dean of faculties at Texas A&M, was the guest speaker. August illustrated the steps of being a successful mentor in the workplace by referring to a Rubik’s cube. For each axis of the cube, he discussed different considerations when serving as a mentor, including the colleague’s career stage, the subject they want to be mentored in, and which approach the mentor should take in helping the colleague.

To implement these strategies, faculty members were divided into three groups and were given case studies. Each case study consisted of a fictional scenario in which a colleague needed guidance. After 20 minutes of discussion, each group presented their ideas to the faculty members.

“The case studies were part of continuous faculty enhancement initiatives in our department,” Ramadoss said.

Suva added, “The case studies were highly effective and covered different aspects of academic challenges for faculty members.”


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