Colby College
PA-7: Support for Future Faculty Diversity

Colby has several programs to help increase the diversity of higher education faculty such as our Alumni of Color Network, our CAPS program, and our POSSE Program. As the College does not offer Master's or Doctoral Degrees, the programs are currently focused on assisting students from underserved communities adapt to College and find opportunities after College. Sometimes, this effort leads to students seeking professorships, but not always. The Alumni of Color Network provides opportunities for student-alumni interaction and one on one support for students in their current and future endeavors. The CAPS program provides incoming students from underrepresented groups hands-on research experiences in biology, chemistry, environmental science, and other natural science disciplines. Our POSSE program identifies, recruits, and selects student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural teams called "Posses." Posses are groups of 10 to 12 students from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds who support each other and ensure that each member succeeds and graduates from college. Posses also work to increase interaction among diverse campus groups. The Posse teams undergo an intensive eight-month training program to prepare for college-level academics, to learn to work as a team, to develop leadership skills, and to help promote cross-cultural communication. POSSE students also have a POSSE mentor once they arrive on campus and are required to meet regularly as a group and individually with that mentor.