MENTORING AS A MOVEMENT: THE ROLE OF FACULTY IN SHAPING HBCU GRADUATES BY DR. MARYBETH GASMAN
M entoring at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) does not supplement the educational experience. Instead, it is central to it. I have been doing research related to HBCUs for 25 years and have conducted thousands of interviews with students, faculty, and alumni. Based on my research, I’ve witnessed a common theme: faculty are deeply invested in their students’ personal and academic journeys at HBCUs. Their formal and
informal relationships with students are built on respect, care, and accountability. As a result, they produce profound outcomes in students’ lives. At most HBCUs, mentoring begins the moment students arrive on campus. Faculty members know students’ names, stories, and aspirations early on. One student told me, “I was lost when I got to campus. But my professor saw something in me. She said, ‘You may not believe in yourself yet,
but I already do.’ That stayed with me.” This kind of relational engagement is not isolated; it is part of the institutional fabric of HBCUs. What sets HBCU mentoring apart is its cultural specificity. Faculty do not only see themselves as content experts; they act as advocates and role models. A faculty member described this clearly: “We’re not just helping students pass chemistry. We’re helping them see themselves as
scientists, as leaders. That takes time, conversation, and trust.” At HBCUs, helping students cultivate identity and confidence is just as important as assisting them to understand and master content. These mentoring moments occur in classrooms, laboratories, hallways, dining halls, and during impromptu office visits. Students consistently speak of faculty who “checked in,” “showed up,” and “believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves.” One student
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