University of Washington professional development organization introduces 'BIPOC Staff Mentorship Program' for faculty
A professional development organization at the University of Washington will be launching a BIPOC Staff Mentorship program this coming fall.
One of the program objectives asks participants in the program to take part in opportunities to “be vulnerable.”
A professional development organization at the University of Washington will be launching a BIPOC Staff Mentorship program this coming fall.
The program is in its pilot phase, having not been offered at the university prior, and has a goal to achieve “effective allyship” amongst its staff and faculty, and “increase representation and create career opportunities.
The program has 5 direct objectives listed, including that participants in the program will “[d]emonstrate the importance of representation in professional spaces” and will “create a sense of belonging for BIPOC staff.”
The Professional Staff Organization DEI Committee introduced the program and announced that funding for the program will come from the Diversity Seed Grant.
Participants will be paired in “cohorts of 2:1 mentor” and will have the opportunity to participate in the program either in-person or virtually.
Additionally, another listed objective of the program is that individuals will use the mentorship program as a “resource for BIPOC to receive guidance and vetted advice from mentors.”
Participants in the program will be asked to take part in opportunities to “be vulnerable” and share insight on how to improve “professional trajectories.”
Participants were also able to list out their “identity preferences” for matching purposes with their mentors.
The website for the program states that it is intended to “scale beyond the Professional Staff community to serve students, faculty, and classified staff in the future.” A future goal for the program is also to expand the program to other colleges and universities.
The program will specifically provide “BIPOC Staff with the structural support necessary to develop professional skills to advance their careers and build community over several months through individualized mentorship from University of Washington BIPOC leaders.”
Clarification: A University of Washington spokesperson told Campus Reform that the mentorship program is run by the UW Professional Staff Organization, which isn’t overseen directly by the university.
