Faculty of Color Cross-Institutional Mentorship Program
- Fall 2017 Retreat Summary
- Winter 2018 Retreat Summary
- Spring 2018 Retreat Summary
- Fall 2018 Retreat Summary
- Winter 2019 Retreat Summary
- Fall 2019 Retreat Summary
- 2020-2021 Summary Report
- Fall 2021 Retreat Summary
- Winter 2022 Retreat Summary
- Spring 2022 Retreat Summary
- Governor's Proclamation of Faculty of Color Mentorship Program Month
Our Mission
The mentoring program is focused on making explicit connections between faculty success and student success by building relationships and offering professional development targeted toward the unique needs of Black, Indigenous, and faculty of color. Utilizing various mentorship to encourage the kind of relationship building that holistically strengthens both mentor and mentee, faculty strengthen their teaching, student learning, and the cultural climate at their respective institutions.
The Faculty of Color Cross-Institutional Mentorship Program serves full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty who identify as being of color by naming and challenging historical and current institutional barriers through:
- Providing group mentoring sessions, supporting and facilitating faculty development, personally and professionally.
- Increasing collaboration and networking opportunities cross-institution.
- Creating a community that will impact the success and retention of faculty of color at their respective institutions.
- Offering professional learning opportunities targeted towards making explicit the link between student success and faculty development — improving instructional quality.
- Developing individual and collective capacity in effective cross-cultural communication.
- Further identifying and growing professional development programming addressing the needs unique to faculty of color in our Washington State community and technical college system.
While designed to support individual faculty members as they grow in their roles, this program will also indirectly:
- Impact future recruitment, hiring, and retention of diverse faculty, and
- Improve the cultural climate of our institutions.
How to register?
Registration for the Faculty of Color mentoring program consist of a registration form, participation fee, and support from a supervisor. Register for 2024-25 program now and learn more!
Advisory Board Members
Advisory Board members and their school affiliations.
Faculty Participant Testimonials
Faculty share insights about their experiences in the program.
Previous Events
See 2021-2022 Program Participation.
Despite efforts to diversify hiring and recruiting practices, faculty of color experience systemic challenges that remain unaddressed. The number of full-time faculty of color across the Washington state community and technical college system has remained within 20 percent an increase since 2010. Therefore, there is a need for both strong mentorship and more transparent support systems to continue growth and retention of faculty.
All participants are encouraged to attend all three retreats, as this interaction supports both mentoring relationships, as well as the cohesion and relationship-building of the participants. Participants will also be invited to attend continual topical group mentoring sessions for peer-to-peer support.
