The Dean of the Faculty’s Office offers several programs for faculty members to help them thrive personally and professionally at Trinity. We encourage faculty at all stages of their careers to engage with these programs, collectively known as Faculty Mentoring, Advocacy & Support at Trinity, or MAST.
Mentoring is especially important for early-stage faculty as they navigate the complexities and pressures of their profession. Experienced faculty can provide support and insights on topics such as strategies for student engagement, teaching a diverse population, learning the promotion and tenure process, managing time, and maintaining a work-life balance.
Mentoring and advocacy can be general or for a specific issue, and can be face-to-face or virtual. A peer mentor can offer support and an objective perspective to faculty of all experience levels. Mentees can ask for mentors from inside or outside their department or division, and can specify mentors of specific backgrounds.
Affinity groups bring people together around common identities, interests, and experiences, and are supported by MAST, Human Resources, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Some groups are professional in nature, some issue focused, and others social. All groups meet with a frequency and agenda determined by its members.
Faculty and staff are invited to suggest affinity groups, which can be designated for faculty only or for faculty and staff. An affinity group must have a designated coordinator/contact person.
Each semester, a facilitated conversation will be led either by a Trinity faculty, staff member, or someone from the community on topics of interest to the faculty. These may include pedagogical and professional development presentations by Trinity organizations such as the Center for Teaching & Learning, the Center for Academic & Experiential Advising, and the Trinity Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies.
For more information about Trinity’s Faculty Development programs, contact Professor Sarah Raskin, Associate Dean for Faculty Development.
Fourteen tenure-track faculty members began new appointments at Trinity College on July 1, 2022. Eight of these new faculty members were hired through the college’s Special Opportunity Hiring (SOH) initiative, which was launched last year to help increase faculty diversity.
