Staff Mentor Pilot Program

Our Vision

Mentoring is an important element of employee support programs at Bard, and is complemented by other formal and informal programs. The mentor serves as a helpful (but not the only) resource to assist new employees with the transition to life at Bard. The one-on-one personal relationship between mentor and mentee is important for fostering mutual trust; the program team will make every effort to match current employees with new employees based on the responses on the program’s mentor/mentee application forms.

Like our student body, the employees at Bard are diverse and so are their specific needs. The program will be supportive of all new hires and aims to focus on the distinct challenges underrepresented groups may encounter in navigating their professional life. For groups historically and persistently underrepresented in higher education environments (such as people of color, women and LGBTQ identifying people) mentoring has been shown to have a significant and positive impact on retention, advancement and professional growth. The pilot program will aim to match those interested in receiving support based on identity characteristics as well as professional development interests. As Bard gains ground in attracting staff from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences, our aim is to insure that a commitment to equity and inclusion are an integral component of new staff development and retention. The Council for Inclusive Excellence, a primary driver of institutional diversity, equity and inclusion work, joins with Bard Human Resources to ensure that our institutional approach to supporting and developing new staff is intersectional, inclusive and equitable.

Our Goals

The College’s goals for the Bard Mentoring Pilot Program are focused on organizational development, support, and training:

• Communicate the college’s mission/vision/values
• Encourage mutual respect
• Encourage cross campus connections and collaborations
• Increase knowledge of Bard’s formal and informal institutional structures
• Facilitate problem resolution
• Provide opportunities for identity based support and community
• Acclimate new employees to the campus culture
• Foster professional development
• Provide employees with the opportunity to practice leadership skills
• Develop leadership talent in historically underrepresented populations
• Support an innovative work environment
• Create an internal support network 
• Foster meaningful, inclusive relationships across the college