Abstract
In sharing the experience of establishing the Athena Mentorship Program at the University of Idaho, the authors explain how this program, developed specifically for professional women in higher education, is designed to support staff and faculty through an adaptation of Formation Mentoring (Felten et al., 2013). This program can serve as a template for the establishment of other institutional-wide mentorship programs with experiencebased effective practices transferrable across institutional contexts and populations. Four women launched the Athena Mentorship Program in 2018 and supported cohorts in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Five faculty and five staff pairings (selected from a competitive pool of applications) came together during the academic year for group activities, guest speakers, and social gatherings. Pairs met throughout the year based upon personally predetermined schedules. Mentors and mentees also met separately for informal coffee chats. Consistent with formation mentoring scholarship, the combination of formal and informal gatherings has enhanced the cohesiveness of individual relationships, the identity and sense of community of the whole, and furthered numerous dynamic networking aspects of the program. Cross-campus and cross-curricular pairings are made to encourage high-quality connections and to develop a safe space for confidentiality. Feedback from the two cohorts and the experiences gleaned by the facilitators will be utilized to further refine the program as plans for the third cohort transpire. Mentoring is tremendously valuable for all professionals and is particularly impactful for those in underrepresented and marginalized groups. The University of Idaho Athena Professional Women’s Organization is committed to promoting an inclusive and equitable climate for females. The “interrelated facets of feminism… gender, intersectionality, power, privilege… and collaboration” guide the vision for this program (Gravett & Bernhagen, 2018, p. 4). It is through continued, steady, and visible efforts that the Athena Mentorship Program furthers awareness of these facets.