A task force composed of faculty, staff and students charged with evaluating the interactions between faculty mentors and their graduate and professional students or postdoctoral fellow mentees at Washington University in St. Louis recently completed its report and issued recommendations.
In February 2023, Provost Beverly Wendland created the Danforth Task Force on Climate and Culture (DTFCC) to identify practices that may lead to negative outcomes; recommend best practices to prevent them; and create an inclusive environment where all can thrive. Working with consultants from WestEd, the task force reviewed insights from focus groups, interviews and listening sessions to determine ways to improve faculty-mentee interactions and relationships.
As a result of the DTFCC report, an implementation task force is taking action on key recommendations, including reviewing ombuds services for graduate and professional students, postdoctoral researchers and staff and hosting a campus community forum on the findings. The task force will work over the next 18 months. For more information about the DTFCC report, visit the Office of the Provost’s website.
