Dr. Judith Martínez, associate professor of languages, cultures and religions, tells us that when she was working toward tenure, her feelings were a little complicated. She says that, because she wanted to make the most of the opportunity, “it was stressful. I wanted to work and work and work.” Sometimes, she got so focused on building and strengthening her argument for tenure that the high-stakes nature of the process took a toll.

And at times, she felt isolated, particularly as a woman of color living far from her hometown in Mexico. “I wanted my children to grow up in the United States, even though part of me wanted to go back home and be with my family,” she says. “So I didn’t mind, but I sometimes felt very lonely and very, very homesick.” When Martínez served as a reviewer for an anonymous campus climate survey, she realized there were other people — especially those who mentioned being women of color or having come here from other countries — who experienced similar feelings.

A Holistic Approach to Mentorship

Martínez could easily list the names of kind colleagues and informal mentors who were happy to answer her career-related questions. She started wondering: Would other people who experienced feelings of isolation benefit from a support network? Then, she took the idea further: What if the network eased feelings of loneliness and fostered social connections, in addition to offering professional guidance?

She approached Dr. Frank Einhellig, then-provost, and Wes Pratt, then-assistant to the president, about creating a new mentoring program. With their encouragement and the enthusiastic support of then-President Clif Smart, she designed Bear Bridge, a mentoring program to address “the faculty member as a whole human,” she says. “Because they’re more than a researcher — they’re a family member, a friend and a member of the community, too.”

To address the “whole human,” Martínez designed Bear Bridge with three components:

• Professional guidance: Through workshops and one-on-one relationships, mentors advise pre-tenure mentees on building the research, teaching and service components of their dossiers. “You want to learn from someone who’s been here and has been successful,” Martínez says.
• Cultural links: To help people feel at home, Bear Bridge connects new faculty with people who can answer questions about where to purchase favorite ingredients, get your hair done or participate in a specific religious or cultural tradition.
• Social and community connectivity: To help faculty put down roots, Bear Bridge gets them plugged in to local events and activities. Martínez also hosts gatherings at her house; as a bonus, her husband, an accomplished chef, often cooks for attendees.

Cheering Others On

“This model depends on the kind of people who like to cheer others on,” Martínez says. “They’re willing to share their expertise and celebrate others’ wins.” As examples, she cites her own mentors, Dr. John Chuchiak, distinguished professor of history, and Dr. Tonia Tinsley, associate professor of languages, cultures and religions. She also mentions mentors she’s worked with through Bear Bridge, such as Dr. Ismet Anitsal, head of the marketing department; Dr. Kayla Lewis, interim director of the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences; Dr. Sarah Nixon, professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences; Dr. Jorge Rebaza-Vasquez, associate dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences; and Dr. Andrew Homburg, professor of music.

Homburg (who Martínez describes as “a heart with legs, walking around”) says that Bear Bridge helps everyone keep perspective about the tenure-track grind. “We can lose sight of the fact that it’s a people process,” he says. “When you’re preparing for a career as a faculty member, you’re so locked into dissertation and publication. It can feel like you’re on your own, working to produce this perfect artifact.”

But once someone attains a faculty position and moves into a tenure-track role, they’ve got to draw on a slightly different set of skills. “I like to think that in Bear Bridge, we mentor people through that adjustment and help them connect to the campus community,” Homburg says.

Expanding Bear Bridge

The program proved so meaningful that Provost Dr. John Jasinski asked Martínez to offer it for all new faculty, in addition to those from international or historically underrepresented backgrounds. In August, Bear Bridge welcomed new faculty with a workshop led by Homburg. Attendees received a special gift that Martínez personally curated.

“I gave them backpacks because when you’re a researcher, you may need to travel,” she says. Then she loaded the backpacks with coupons from local restaurants and businesses.

It was a thoughtful gesture, Homburg says, because “when you’re new, you need everything from a mechanic to a place to grab coffee.”

And Martínez made sure to include a directory of family-friendly resources and activities. It’s recognition, she says, that for parents, getting settled in a new place depends on finding great opportunities for your kids.

‘A Relay Race’

Dr. Ismet Anitsal considers his service as a Bear Bridge mentor a way to strengthen campus culture, long term. “I see mentoring as a relay race and hope that today’s mentees will be the next to take the baton on,” he says.

And Anitsal finds the relationships fulfilling. “I enjoy spending time with my mentees and showing them available routes and strategies to all the dimensions of scholarship,” he says. “In our meetings, I’m flexible with agenda items, taking the lead from their specific needs and priorities. My goal is to help them develop professionally and attain their fullest potential. Eventually, my hope is that they will choose to serve as mentors and help other faculty and students.”

This is Martínez’s goal as well. In some ways, Bear Bridge simply formalizes the techniques she developed to cope with the complexity of the tenure process and the loneliness she felt because she was far from home. Most importantly, she says, it acknowledges that these feelings often intersect — professional challenges seem bigger if you feel alone, and professional anxiety magnifies feelings of isolation. Bear Bridge helps, she says, because it addresses these issues together; it speaks to the “whole human.”

“You have to build a network of support wherever you are because you’re a human,” she says. “Once you have that network, you go home to visit, but you know you have a home here, too.”

Get Involved

Bear Bridge hosts professional workshops and social events, and it connects mentees with mentors.

Martínez welcomes faculty who want to serve as mentors or who’d like to speak at a Bear Bridge workshop as a mentor-presenter.

Mentees are welcome to participate in all or part of the programming as their needs, interests and schedules permit.

Reach out to Dr. Judith Martínez

Out and About…

On the afternoon of September 8, Dr. Daniel Ketter, associate professor of music, was spotted performing at downtown Springfield’s Christ Episcopal Church. Ketter and Emlyn Johnson, his partner in the American Wild Ensemble, presented “Wild Imagination.”

An all-ages audience enjoyed original music by Ketter, which was written to accompany a story by his Missouri State colleague, Jennifer Murvin, assistant professor of English. The ensemble then welcomed guest artists Tiffany Valvo and John Liberatore to perform an adaptation of “Owl at Home” by Arnold Lobel with original music by Liberatore.