Mentoring embodies the core principles of the MMUF program, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recognizes the faculty/student relationship as the driving force beneath the sustainability and success of this program.  Only a consistent commitment to this relationship will enable us to achieve the goals of the program¾to bring greater diversity to the academy.

As mentors, faculty members have the knowledge and responsibility to demystify the formal and informal aspects of earning a doctorate.  Mentors also give fellows insight into the fulfillment and rewards of a career in scholarship and teaching.  In the mentoring relationship, the sharing of personal experience and the transmission of knowledge intersect in a trusting learning environment that provides opportunities for both mentor and student to stretch beyond her or his boundaries.