When Ariane Balizet launched the New Faculty Mentorship Program in 2022, her vision was simple but ambitious: create a space where new faculty could not only find guidance but also build a lasting network of support across disciplines. Three years later, the program has grown into a defining part of the AddRan College of Liberal Arts’ connection culture, and it’s now been recognized nationally.
This year, Academic Impressions named TCU’s NFMP “Best New Faculty Program,” honoring its innovation and impact in higher education. The award celebrates initiatives that foster leadership, professional development and meaningful growth on college campuses.
For Balizet, assistant provost for faculty success and professor of English, the recognition is an honor, and it reflects the heart of AddRan’s mission.
“This isn’t just about pairing new faculty with one mentor,” said Balizet, who was previously associate dean of faculty and engagement in AddRan. “It’s about building a mentoring network of people that you can connect with. It’s not just those in your immediate vicinity who are going to be mentoring you, but across the college, you have a network.”
Balizet explains that the NFMP is structured around small cohorts of new and recently-hired faculty, each paired with an experienced mentor from outside their department. This design helps faculty members engage with colleagues beyond their immediate academic unit while fostering a supportive, non-hierarchical environment. Large-group sessions add another layer of connection, giving participants the chance to learn from college leadership and share insights across disciplines.
“We have repeat mentors, like Dr. (Ashley) Coles and Dr. (Claire) Sanders, who come back again and again to meet new people,” Balizet said. “And even those who aren't mentoring officially right now, like Dr. (Michael) Strausz, are still part of the team.”
The NFMP is guided by six core principles that guide the program: building a mentoring network, inclusivity, trust, cohort-centered planning, flexibility and feedback and clarity. These principles have not only shaped how the program operates but also contributed to its measurable success.
“If TCU is going to grow that’s because all of our faculty are able to grow, thrive and flourish here.”
- Professor Ariane Balizet
Three years after the launch of the NFMP, over 30% of all permanent faculty in AddRan have participated in the program as mentors or mentees. Several have achieved promotion and tenure, while both mentors and mentees have stepped into leadership roles across the college, Balizet noted.
Sonja Watson, dean of AddRan College of Liberal Arts, underscored the program’s significance at this year’s kickoff event.
“We don’t just want to recruit faculty, we want to retain them,” Watson said. “The theme of TCU is connection culture, and this program embodies that. Our faculty are a huge part of the student experience. No matter how big we get, it is still extremely important that we maintain the student experience and the teacher-scholar model.”
The impact of the NFMP goes beyond professional advancement. For many participants, it has eased the transition into a new institution, a new city or even a new career stage. One faculty member called it “a game changer for my start at TCU,” while a mentor described the experience as “a learning opportunity for myself, too.”
“The NFMP allowed me to see that most of the obstacles I faced as a new professor were not unique to me: other new faculty were facing the same challenges,” said Stepan Gordeev, former mentee and assistant professor of economics. “Discussing these common experiences with my mentor and fellow mentees helped me accept them as normal and find effective ways of dealing with them.”
As AddRan continues to welcome new faculty each year, the NFMP remains a cornerstone of the college’s commitment to fostering community, collaboration and growth. For Balizet, the program’s success and its recent recognition are signs of what makes TCU distinctive.
“If TCU is going to grow,” Balizet said, “that’s because all of our faculty are able to grow, thrive and flourish here.”