Initial Publication Date: September 21, 2026
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WG 6 Community Conversation: Introduction to Building and Sustaining a Faculty Mentor Constellation

Date: October 21, 2026 Register »
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific | 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern
Facilitator: Pat Marsteller, Emory University

Registration Deadline: Monday, October 19th, 2026

Working Group 6 explores the intersection of equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice with systemic change in higher education. We identify common ground, promote opportunities for collaboration, and lived perspectives from diverse stakeholders to inform this aim. We aim to support administrators, faculty, students, and staff; and promote access, participation, and success for all parties. As part of this mission, we support faculty mentoring initiatives.

Are you relying on a single mentor to guide your entire academic career?

In today's complex university landscape, no single person can successfully guide your research pipeline, perfect your teaching pedagogy, decipher department politics, and preserve your work-life balance. To thrive, you need a dynamic board of directors geared to your career stage and 5-year plan. This fast-paced 75-minute interactive workshop helps faculty members map, identify, and secure the multi-layered network of mentors needed for career advancement, research support, and work-life balance.

Workshop Learning Objectives

By the end of this 75-minute workshop, participating faculty will be able to:

Deconstruct the traditional "single-mentor" model and articulate the strategic advantages of a diversified, multi-layered mentoring network.
Map their current professional support systems to identify critical gaps in research, teaching, tenure navigation, and psychosocial well-being.
Formulate bounded, highly specific professional needs rather than broad, open-ended requests for mentorship.
Draft concise, low-friction cold outreach messages tailored to internal leaders, external scholars, and lateral peer mentors.
Develop a concrete 30-day action plan to initiate contact with at least two new prospective network members.

Workshop Program

1:30 PM (ET) Welcome and Introduction Pat Marsteller

1:35 PM (ET) Work on a Mentor Map

1:50 PM (ET) Defining Needs and Target Profiles

Distinguish between a single traditional mentor and a diverse mentoring network (covisors, sponsors, peer mentors).
Pinpoint exact skill gaps or career milestones needing immediate guidance.

2:05 PM (ET) Sourcing and Outreach Strategies

Locate prospective mentors across departments, interdisciplinary centers, and external professional associations.
Draft and refine low-pressure, high-impact email invitation scripts.

2:30 PM (ET) Action Planning and Peer Feedback (20 mins)

Pair up to review draft outreach messages and address potential barriers (e.g., fear of rejection, time constraints).
Establish a concrete 30-day timeline to contact at least two prospective network members.

2:50 PM (ET) Wrapup and Evaluation

3:00 PM (ET) Adjourn