The past few years have been particularly turbulent for higher education—including post-pandemic return-to-work initiatives, diminished public trust in higher education, the spread of campus protests, and the introduction of generative AI, which challenges so much of the work we do, to name only a few—so it is no wonder that there has been an increased focus on faculty burnout (Pope-Ruark, 2022; Vyletel, et al., 2023) and, subsequently, ways to improve faculty engagement (Kimmel et al., 2024). While initial post-pandemic reports concluded that faculty had become increasingly disengaged (McClure & Fryar, 2022; Musgrave, 2022), more recent reports suggest that working conditions, especially those beyond the classroom, have not improved (Lu, 2025; McClure, 2025; McMurtrie, 2025).
Reciprocity over Hierarchy: Designing and Implementing a Student-Led Reverse Mentoring Program
Many academic leaders, including administrators and faculty members, participate in traditional mentoring programs that prioritize hierarchy. But these programs typically don’t foster engagement and connection between students and faculty or
Marquita Lyons-Smith and Keva Suitte
October 19, 2026
