Thank you for your interest in the Faculty and Staff of Color Mentorship Pilot Program!
The Faculty and Staff of Color Mentorship Program* aims to build and foster connections across campus, facilitate a network of resources, and support the professional and personal development needs unique to POC faculty and staff. Participants will be paired with a colleague in another campus department to exchange ideas, resources, advice, and reflections, regarding navigating the College and community. For the second-round pilot, the program will be limited to 50 participants on a first-come-first-serve basis.
We are hopeful this program will create a community in which self-identified POC faculty and staff build meaningful connections and benefit from a support system that aids in their personal and professional development. Additionally, this program is designed to positively impact the ways the College works towards a culture that is able to attract, retain, and engage a highly diverse staff and faculty, in line with the College’s Anti-Racism Plan. This program is just one of many opportunities for faculty and staff to increase interpersonal connections and relationships across campus, enhance an inclusive and equitable community, and support each other in navigating the Amherst experience. We hope you will be on the lookout for additional opportunities to engage with the community. If you have any questions, please email facstaffprogram@amherst.edu
*Although this program centers staff and faculty of color in support of the College’s anti-racism plan, all faculty and staff who wish to participate are welcome to join.
2nd round pilot dates coming Fall 2023!
This pilot program serves five distinct purposes:
- Support the professional and personal development of self-identified faculty and staff of color by building and fostering connections across campus.
- Impact and enhance recruitment and retention strategies of faculty and staff of color. This holistic approach to mentorship aligns with the mission of the College’s Anti-Racism Plan. The College has a recalibrated commitment to not only hire a more diverse workforce but also to retain it.
- Strengthen community and collaboration among faculty and staff by providing networking opportunities that increase connections to one another, enhance cross-campus collaborations, promote an inclusive and equitable community, and support each other, including students, in navigating the Amherst experience.
- Uplift and honor the work that goes into supporting and mentoring one another.
- Provide a ten-month trial period in which we will determine the impact and efficacy of the program, and whether to potentially build out a more formal program.
Stipends
Each participant will receive a $300 stipend for active involvement in the program. This amount is not only an incentive to participate but also a way for the College to honor the work that goes into supporting and mentoring one another. To receive the stipend at the end of the fiscal year, participants will need to attend a mandatory orientation, meet as a pair at least 5 additional times throughout the year, check in with either of the program directors each month, and attend a year-end meeting at the end of the spring semester.
Pairs as Partnerships
This program reimagines what a mentorship program can be. Whether someone has been at the College for thirty years or thirty days, there is room for everyone to learn from each other and support one another in navigating Amherst as a workplace, institution, and community. Furthermore, this new and holistic approach to mentorship aligns with the mission of the College’s Anti-Racism Plan. The College has a recalibrated commitment to not only hire a more diverse workforce but also to retain it and develop a sustained inclusive campus. The Faculty and Staff of Color Mentorship Program serves as one way to help actualize this goal.
Participants will be paired with a colleague in another campus department to exchange ideas, advice, reflections, and challenges. Since there is room for everyone to learn from and support one another, regardless of their position or length of time at the College, these pairs will not have designated “mentors” or “mentees.
If you have any questions, please email facstaffprogram@amherst.edu.