Promoting Diversity in Psychology Through Effective Mentorship of Early-Career Scholars of Color

Session Type: Professional Development Session

Abstract

Junior faculty of color (FOC) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) often face the unique challenge of needing to mentor up (educating senior White faculty about specific challenges facing FOC) and mentor down (mentoring students from underrepresented and minoritized groups) without receiving adequate training on how to do either. Ultimately, these challenges prevent scholars of color from reaching their full potential and contribute to disparities in the hiring, promotion, and tenure of FOC. To address this issue, junior FOC and senior White faculty in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UMass Amherst developed a year-long mentoring speaker series. The goals of this mentoring series were to: 1) develop the mentoring networks of junior FOC, and build strategies for mentoring up and down, 2) educate senior faculty on the needs of early career scholars of color, and 3) make recommendations to strengthen departmental supports provided to early career scholars of color. Three external faculty of color with expertise in Diversity Science and mentorship were invited to visit UMass Amherst and participate in the speaker series. On this panel, Drs. Galano, Mandalaywala, and Mercado will share the insight and tools they gained for navigating interpersonal and structural barriers within the academy and seeking adequate mentorship around the tenure process. Drs. Deater-Deckard and Perry-Jenkins will share the insight they gained from the speaker series on developing tactics to overcome departmental and institutional barriers to better support early career scientists of color.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development Session

Session Organizers

• Evelyn Mercado, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Maria M. Galano, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Participants

• Tara Mandalaywala, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Kirby Deater-Deckard, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Maureen A Perry-Jenkins, University of Massachusetts Amherst