ATHENA Faculty Mentoring Program

The ATHENA Faculty Mentoring Program promotes professional growth, collaboration, and community among faculty, providing quality mentoring to help achieve career goals in an inclusive work environment.


Welcome to the ATHENA Faculty Mentoring Program
Our Faculty Mentoring Program is dedicated to fostering professional growth, collaboration, and a strong sense of community among faculty members. By offering quality mentoring, the program aims to support faculty in achieving their career goals while contributing to a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Program Goals

ATHENA Faculty Mentoring Program is designed to:

  • Develop skills in teaching, research, and service.
  • Provide guidance and support for career advancement.
  • Promote a collaborative, well-being-focused work environment.
  • Strengthen the sense of community within the department, college, and university.

Who Can Participate?

The program is open to all faculty members, regardless of rank or track (tenure-track, clinical-track, etc.). While the program places particular emphasis on supporting assistant professors, all faculty are encouraged to seek and provide mentorship opportunities.

Roles and Responsibilities

To ensure the success of the program, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined for each participant:

Department Head

  • Assigns mentors to assistant professors and facilitates additional mentorship connections when necessary.
  • Monitors mentoring relationships through regular meetings with faculty members.
  • Provides guidance on establishing or revising mentoring relationships as needed.
  • Promotes and recognizes outstanding mentoring practices within the department.

Mentees

  • Define career goals and discuss them with their mentor.
  • Communicate specific mentoring needs to their mentor and department head.
  • Actively participate in mentorship activities to achieve agreed-upon goals.
  • Take advantage of available mentoring education opportunities.

Mentors

  • Learn effective mentoring methods and strategies.
  • Meet regularly with mentees to provide constructive feedback and guidance.
  • Offer support on professional development and career advancement.
  • Connect mentees with additional resources relevant to their goals and needs.

Additional Resources

To support mentoring efforts, the department provides a Faculty Mentoring section on its website with resources for both mentors and mentees. Faculty members are also encouraged to explore and benefit from established mentoring programs at other colleges and universities.

Why Mentoring Matters

Our mentoring program reflects a commitment to creating a positive and enriching academic environment. By fostering meaningful mentorship relationships, we empower faculty to achieve their professional aspirations and make significant contributions to their disciplines and the university community.

Join the Faculty Mentoring Program


Take the next step in your professional journey by joining the Faculty Mentoring Program. Whether you are seeking guidance as a mentee or wish to inspire others as a mentor, your participation helps strengthen our community and advance our shared goals.

For More Information

ATHENA Mentoring Toolkit

Contact and  to learn more about how you can get involved.