Mentoring & Coaching Academy
The Butler Center’s Mentoring and Coaching Academy (MCA) is a cohort-based program designed to strengthen the mentoring and coaching skills of faculty and to foster a supportive network across Purdue. This program is open to full professors who are motivated to enhance their mentoring effectiveness (especially in the faculty mentoring space) through hands-on coaching skill training and peer mentoring.
For the year of 2026, we are working with an inaugural cohort of 8 professors who meet monthly in person in a series of nine workshops held on Friday afternoons from 12-2pm during the academic year.
The MCA workshops feature presentations, interactive discussions, and hands-on exercises, wherein participants explore key mentoring and coaching practices such as listening, asking powerful questions, navigating emotional challenges, and self-care/self-management strategies. The program also brings in various experts in faculty development and leadership coaching to serve as guest speakers, co-facilitators, and/or mentors.
By the end of the nine-session program, MCA participants will have sharpened essential mentoring/coaching skills, expanded their professional networks at Purdue (and beyond), and gained practical tools to foster growth, connection, and resilience in their own mentoring relationships. Faculty working on mentoring programs in each unit/college would be particularly suited for participating in this program.
Expected Benefits:
- Building expertise in mentoring and coaching methods and best practices
- Practicing and strengthening key mentoring and coaching skills
- Solving interpersonal dilemmas in ongoing workplace relationships
- Engaging a vibrant and impactful community of Purdue faculty mentors and leaders
Structure & Schedule:
- A small (5-8) cohort of full professors from Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis.
- Nine workshops, each around 2 hours (12-2pm)
- In-person only.
- Informal lunch from 11:30am to noon.
Format:
- 15- to 30-min presentation followed by Q&A, group discussions, and hands-on exercises.
- Butler Center Director (Dr. Sang Woo) will run the workshop meetings. The Office of Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (OVPFA) will be invited to co-lead, participate, and/or facilitate as needed.
- Occasional invited speakers and special guests from Purdue and other institutions.
Participant Requirements:
- Attend all in-person meetings (no make-up or remote options guaranteed).
- Complete monthly assignments - applying the skill learning to ongoing mentoring relationships.
- Participate virtually in monthly (small-group or individual) mentoring conversations with one of the mentoring/coaching experts.
- Write a 1-page proposal delineating tangible changes to their individual and/or department-level mentoring practices and share it with the department/college leadership team as well as Butler Center and OVPFA (due Dec 18, 2026).
Applicant Eligibility:
- Full professor at Purdue - West Lafayette and Indianapolis
- Able to meet in person for the nine monthly meetings (2.5 hours each) and participate in monthly virtual mentoring calls (1 hour each)
Call for application for the 2027 cohort will open in Fall 2026.
2026 MCA Cohort:
Jennifer Bay ● Ximena Bernal ● Stephan Biller ● Nathalie Duval-Couetil ● Stephanie Gardner ● Craig Goergen ● Beth McNeil ● Kim Updegraff
Learning Facilitators