Peer-to-Peer Dean Mentoring Program

Peer-to-Peer Dean Mentoring Program

Geared toward new, early-career, and transitioning deans, matches made each year between experienced deans and early career deans to provide guidance, insight, and experience informed tips and tactics for leading academic nursing.

AACN’s Peer-to-Peer Dean Mentoring Program pairs seasoned deans with early career deans in academic nursing. The program provides Mentee Deans with guidance, insights, and strategies to support effective leadership in the academic nursing environment.

Each Mentor Dean and Mentee Dean is thoughtfully matched for the academic year. Together, they identify objectives based on the Mentee Dean’s needs, including addressing specific challenges, navigating the academic nursing environment, expanding professional networks, building partnerships, and leveraging AACN programs and resources to foster growth and success.

AACN strives to facilitate as many matches as needed based on the expertise identified through participant interest forms. AACN’s Director of Academic Nursing Development confirms all matches.

Participants are surveyed twice during the academic year and have opportunities to connect during AACN membership meetings in Washington, DC.

Learning Deans select their top three topics of interest on the interest form. Topics include:

  • Budgeting
  • Crisis Management
  • Development of New Programs
  • Distance Learning Programs
  • Access, Connection, and Engagement
  • Faculty Incivility
  • Faculty Management
  • Faculty Recruitment
  • Fundraising/Development
  • Interim Dean Issues
  • Negotiating with University or College Leadership
  • Succession Planning
  • Shared Governance
  • Student Recruitment
  • Upcoming Accreditation
  • Vision and Strategy
  • Well-being and Balance

Matching Timeframe

After submitting the online form, you will receive an email confirmation and the matching process will begin. You can expect to hear from AACN staff within two weeks regarding a potential match for consideration.

The program pairs:

  • A Guiding Dean (Mentor) who has served in a chief academic officer role for five or more years.
  • A Learning Dean (Mentee) who is new to a deanship position or facing new challenges in their current role and has zero to five years of experience.

Participants must currently serve as a Dean at an AACN member school.

Learning Deans (Mentees)

If you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to participate, complete the Mentee Form. AACN staff are actively making matches for the current academic year.

Mentee Form

Guiding Deans (Mentors)

If you would like to volunteer as a mentor, complete the Mentor Form. The information you provide will help AACN identify suitable matches.

Mentor Form

Contact

For more information, contact AACN’s Director of Academic Nursing Development, Cynthia Leaver at cleaver@aacnnursing.org.