Mentoring Pods

The Butler Center is offering an updated mentoring program called “Mentoring Pods”, which groups 3-5 individuals from various units at various ranks. The primary purpose of this mentoring experience is connection and community across campus and across career stages for mutual encouragement and support. The Butler Center has provided similar mentoring community support over the past several years with positive results (see here for testimonials).

This program seeks to enhance individual and relational thriving in academia. Thriving individually often requires strong time management, resilience, clarity of goals, and the ability to set boundaries to prevent burnout. Relational thriving is essential because academia can be isolating, and strong relationships often provide the support needed to persist through challenges and grow professionally. Mentoring pods are intended to provide a supportive network grounded in respect, trust, and confidence that allows open and honest conversations centered around these two dimensions.

Key activities of this program include (a) meeting with those in one’s mentoring pod on a regular basis (pace/format will be set by each group according to everyone’s preferences; we recommend a minimum of once a semester), (b) mentoring community gatherings hosted by the Butler Center (roughly once a semester), and (c) larger-group (campus-wide) events focused on celebrating and/or developing faculty mentorship and leadership.

The Mentoring Pods program is not intended to replicate nor substitute mentoring resources available within each faculty’s own unit (which tend to be focused on P&T, grants, and other indicators of professional advancement that are discipline-specific). Instead, this program offers mentoring support on individual and relational thriving in a broader sense, to develop a greater sense of belonging at Purdue.

Potential topics that are particularly appropriate for the Mentoring Pod conversations:

Work-life balance
Time management and juggling multiple demands
Navigating departmental/college/university politics
Managing interpersonal relationships at work
Teaching and mentoring students
Project team management and supervision
Building a support network for self and others

The program runs on a yearly cycle. Each cohort will be formed in mid- to late October and be concluded by early October the following year. For example:

Cohort 1: Oct 2025 - Oct 2026

Cohort 2: Oct 2026 - Oct 2027

Who is it for?

All Purdue faculty, including tenure-track and non-tenure-track (e.g., clinical/professional professors; research professors) faculty, are eligible.

I have been part of a mentoring group at the Butler Center before. Can I participate in this again?

YES! It is highly recommended that faculty members participate in our mentoring program across multiple years (i.e., joining multiple mentoring groups over the years) to continue building their own support network and to contribute to the vibrant Purdue mentoring community.

How does it work?

Each pod will commit to meeting together on a regular basis (e.g., twice a semester, once a month) as their schedules allow. To facilitate in-person interactions, the Butler Center will host a series of professional development workshops and social gatherings, which the program participants will be particularly encouraged to attend. Pods are assigned (by the Butler Center program team) based on career stages, interests, and availability, to create diverse and mutually supportive groups.

Apply Here

The deadline for applications has passed. Please contact butlercenter@purdue.edu if you are interested in receiving information when the next application opportunity opens.

Mentoring Pod Leads