Mentoring involves more than simply lecturing. Mentoring is a personal interaction where teacher and students interact, and the faculty member provides wisdom and counsel beyond the content of a lecture. Community college faculty members are expected to fill the role of mentor, mainly with students who are majoring or minoring in their discipline.
True to its label as a community college, faculty members at these institutions of higher learning are expected to become part of the school community by participating in and supporting student organizations and activities. This can be accomplished through several means, including advising a club or other organization, providing production services for a school drama production or by simply attending athletic events. This role enables students to get acquainted with the school's faculty on a personal level outside of the classroom and better facilitates the mentoring process.
Teaching is at the core of a community college faculty member's role in academia. Most full-time faculty teach a minimum of 15 credits per semester, unless administrative responsibilities within the department or elsewhere on campus have been assigned. Often, instructors are expected to teach other topics than their specialization within the department. On occasion, opportunities to write or rewrite course descriptions arise, requiring faculty members to collaborate with each other to achieve the department's goals while staying within the guidelines set forth by the college.
Community college faculty members are expected to do their fair share of serving on a variety of departmental and college committees, including hiring committees, the Academic Senate and the Curriculum Committee. These committees do not require an exorbitant amount of time but do meet on a regular basis, usually monthly or bi-weekly. Committee assignments require more of a time commitment during special instances, including college accreditation and financial or academic audits conducted by state or district officials. On occasion, faculty members are assigned to participate in evaluating fellow faculty members' job performance.