Randolph Mentoring Program
Formation of Scholars in the Tradition of the Churches of Christ for Service to Church, Academy and the Greater Good
The theological underpinnings of the Randolph Mentoring Program are built on the central and organic practice of Christian hospitality: the intentional, responsible, and caring act of welcoming, in public or private places, without regard for reciprocation. Mentors have played an important role in our tradition and the most successful have mentored in various contexts—at school, at church, and at home; a mentoring typically combined with hospitality that constitutes a considerable investment of time and energy in the mentee, both personally and professionally. The Randolph Mentoring program is building relationships by drawing people together: sometimes merely being present, doing what you’re asked to do, listening, or creating spaces for communities of conversation for people to grow into.
Mentoring
Mentoring means being able to be with folk in these moments, to be engaged, to listen, to be present, and to celebrate. This is where we start: It’s the relationships that matter.
Vision
To create a mentoring network, with hospitality as its bedrock feature, to form scholars during the life-changing realities of a PhD program. The lives of Robert M. and Jan Randolph were embedded in a tradition of hospitality where scholars encountered formational relationships in multiple contexts—at school, at church, and at home. The Randolph Mentoring Program now stands on the shoulders of people like Bob and Jan as we implement a formalized program that places hospitality at its foundation, helping assure that scholars of the next generations are formed by these principles.
The relationships I've built through this program have been invaluable as I've begun my scholarly journey. — Katrina Gallardo Palma, PhD Student, Azusa Pacific University
Randolph mentors can speak from their experience, practiced in navigating this rocky terrain, understanding the particularities of our tradition and empathizing with our experience. — Laura Locke Estes, University of St. Louis, PhD student
What we’re about is the formation of a particular kind of scholar who stands within a religious tradition with an obligation to our academic guild and the best of our religious tradition. — Gregory E. Sterling, Dean of Yale Divinity School
A valuable vision to create a community that ties together faith and academic endeavors. — Susan Turner Haynes, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Lipscomb University
We’re helping young scholars grow into a network as it is being massively reinvented and then helping them imagine themselves as contributors to that future. We will have impacts for generations around the world. — Mark Hamilton, Abilene Christian University, Graduate School of Theology