Diverse Faculty Mentoring Program

The Diverse Faculty Mentoring Program (DFMP), sponsored by the Division of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, is part of OHIO’s ongoing investment in inclusive academic excellence. Faculty diversity in higher education is known to greatly enrich college environments. Diverse faculty are vital to OHIO’s student-centered educational mission to create learning environments where members of our campus community can grow and thrive. Research shows that faculty members with diverse identities often encounter challenges to their professional success and well-being. Mentorship is a highly effective tool for engaging and empowering diverse faculty as they pursue and secure opportunities for promotion and professional development.

To sign up to be a mentee, complete the interest form below: 

Mentee Interest Form

To sign up to be a mentor, please complete the mentor application form below:

Mentor Application

What Does Diverse Faculty Mean?

The term “diverse faculty” is deliberately broad and encompasses members of traditionally underrepresented and marginalized groups in the academy, including faculty members of color, international, LGBTQ+, Appalachian faculty, women, faculty members with disabilities as well as faculty with other intersecting lived experiences and identities.

Program Structure

The structure of the DFMP includes an emphasis on mutual mentoring and individual mentoring.

The program pairs full-time diverse faculty (including tenure-track, instructional, and clinical faculty) with senior faculty volunteers to collaboratively participate in mentoring initiatives and offer professional guidance to mentees. Mentor-mentee circles are often interdisciplinary but may remain within the same college or school.

Time Commitment

Over the course of the academic year, mentors and mentees will meet and collaborate in a confidential, respectful, and continuous relationship. We ask mentor-mentee circles to engage in three large group programming sessions and participate in small group gatherings three to four times per semester, depending on the preference and availability of participants. 

Program Benefits

The program facilitates a collaborative learning opportunity in which faculty can discover strategies on how to best meet specific goals. Faculty will participate in a community of learners that will enable them to network, support and learn from one another. Individual goals may vary considerably and could relate to involvement in research, teaching, publishing, grant-writing and community engagement. Mentoring partnerships may also extend to strategies for maintaining a functional work-life balance and trajectories in the academy. Additionally, mentoring groups will have the opportunity to access mini-grants to further their scholarship activities. Essentially, a multicultural mentoring relationship can personalize and demystify the academic trajectories that lead to reappointment, promotion, and professional success.

Topics for Collaborative Mentoring

Potential topics addressed during the DFMP include:

• Meeting research requirements and planning publications
• Exploring and exchanging innovative teaching strategies
• Facilitating enriching student mentorship; including managing the emotional work of mentoring traditionally underrepresented students
• Balancing service with teaching and research obligations
• Participating in community-engaged activities and scholarship
• Identifying and applying for grant opportunities
• Strategizing about conference travel and presentations
• Acclimating to life in Athens
• Maintaining work-life balance during an academic career
• Networking in the profession, off and on campus

Outcomes for Mentees

• Greater connection to OHIO's intellectual and campus community and a stronger overall sense of belonging

• Enhanced professional networking opportunities across fields and departments
• Access to expanded professional development opportunities
• Deepened confidence in career path and sense of professional goal

Outcomes for Mentors

• Greater collaboration across disciplines and departments
• Investment in mentee's professional success at OHIO and beyond
• Exposure to new innovations, emerging trends, and ideas

To sign up to be a mentee, complete the interest form below: 

Mentee Interest Form

To sign up to be a mentor, please complete the mentor application form below:

Mentor Application