Multiple Mentors Matter: New Findings Show Peers, Staff, and Faculty Each Shape Whether BIPOC Students Stay in College

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Delgado-Guerrero, M., & Gloria, A. M. (2026). Multiple mentors matter: The transformative role of peer, staff, and faculty mentors on Black, Indigenous, and people of color undergraduates’ commitment to persist. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 19(3), 401–412. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000667

Introduction

Black, Indigenous, and other students of color at predominantly White universities earn degrees at lower rates than their White peers and often face discrimination and isolation on campus. Mentoring is a common response. Yet most research examines one type of mentor at a time and rarely compares mentors who were assigned with those students found on their own. Delgado-Guerrero and Gloria (2026), both of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, examined how peer, staff, and faculty mentors relate to students’ commitment to finishing college. Their framework looks at three dimensions: psychological (self-efficacy and self-esteem), social (support from the mentor), and cultural (perceptions of the campus environment and cultural fit).

Methods

The researchers surveyed 250 BIPOC undergraduates at a large Midwestern public university. Nearly half identified as Latina/o, and 60% were first-generation college students. Of the 250, 135 named a staff member as their mentor, 59 named a peer, and 56 named a faculty member. Most had found their mentors informally. Using validated scales, the researchers compared groups and then ran regressions by mentor type, controlling for whether the pairing was formal or informal. Students decided for themselves who counted as a mentor.

Results

Ultimately, different mentors do different work. Students with staff mentors reported the most emotional and academic support. Across the full sample, students’ self-beliefs and their view of the campus environment predicted commitment to persist, while mentor support added nothing on its own. Splitting the sample by mentor type changed that picture:

  • Peer mentors: Emotional support predicted persistence, and the model explained 35% of the variance.
  • Staff mentors: Only self-esteem mattered, and the model explained 16%.
  • Faculty mentors: The model explained 53%. A positive view of the campus environment was the strongest predictor, while emotional support and cultural fit were negative predictors.

More than nine in ten students said they valued their mentor.

Discussion

The authors link the peer findings to shared experience, and the staff findings to staff mentors’ knowledge of how to work the system. They interpret the negative faculty results this way: students may want care within a professional relationship rather than emotional closeness, and faculty mentors may make the campus feel more welcoming while also making cultural mismatch more visible.

Implications for mentoring programs

Programs should build networks of mentors rather than single pairings. The authors recommend three steps: assign every incoming BIPOC student a peer mentor, train academic advisors in mentoring every year, encourage faculty to open doors to research and graduate study. Universities can also reward faculty and staff who mentor outside formal programs, through course releases, stipends, or awards.

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