First-Year Faculty Experience

An Athens State University faculty mentor is an experienced and trusted faculty member who works with a first-year faculty member (a.k.a., protégé) participating in the First-Year Faculty Experience.  A faculty mentor serves as an available resource, a supportive and friendly guide, a respectful advocate, and an active listener for the protégé.

Vision

The Athens State University First-Year Faculty Experience will become a culture of mentoring faculty members culminating in the long-term success of all faculty members who have participated in the program.

Mission

The program provides a supportive framework for its new faculty members (protégés) to achieve success by strategically assigning mentors to protégés leading to a professionally trusting relationship.  Moreover, the First-Year Faculty Experience offers opportunities for protégés to interact across academic departments, colleges, and other university units through engaging, collaborative, informational sessions, and workshops.

Program Goals

  1. To help new faculty members acclimate to the Athens State academic, administrative, and physical environments.
  2. To understand the meaning and the execution of effective teaching at Athens State University
  3. To foster a relationship with a faculty mentor that should be free from scrutiny, creating a relationship in which a new faculty member has a sense of discretion when sharing concerns regarding general or specific aspects of the academic appointment
  4. To provide a forum through which new faculty members discuss how to promote student success
  5. To assist in the retention of good faculty members
  6. To establish a sense of camaraderie among the new faculty members across colleges and appreciation for members of the staff and administration
  7. To educate new mentors about the mentoring process
  8. To establish a desire among faculty to serve as a mentor or serve multiple times as a mentor.

Contact Information

Ronald Merritt Photo

Ronald Merritt

Professor of Mathematics, Department Chair, and FYFE Director

Members of the 2022-23 FYFE Cohort

Dagan Bond

Dagan Bond-Turner

Assistant Librarian
Tina Camba

Tina Camba

Assistant Professor of Management/HR Management
Alana Daniel Photo

Dr. Alana Daniel

Assistant Professor of Business Analytics and Strategic Management
Patricia Elmore Photo

Dr. Patricia Elmore

Assistant Professor of English Education
Dr. Yahia Fadlalla

Dr. Yahia Fadlalla

Associate Professor of Computer Science
Travis Morgan-Chavers

Travis Morgan-Chavers

Instructor of Early Childhood Education
Ronald Muhammad Photo

Ronald Muhammad

Distinguished Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Dr. C. David Ragsdale Photo

Dr. C. David Ragsdale

Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences
Lawrence Reeves III Photo

Lawrence Reeves, III

Assistant Professor of Logistics/Supply Chain Management
William Richardson Photo

William Richardson

Assistant Professor of Drama & Theatre Arts: Lighting and Scenic Design
Dr. Christopher Roberts

Dr. Christopher Roberts

Instructor of Logistics/Supply Chain Management
Kem Roper Photo

Dr. Kem Roper

Writing Center Director/Assistant Professor of English
Maria Steele Photo

Dr. Maria Steele

Assistant Professor of Nursing
Dr. Janet Willisson Photo

Dr. Janet Willisson

Assistant Professor of Information Systems/Cybersecurity