Faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana had several opportunities for support from the BUILD program:
Mentoring Training
The Preparing Mentors and Advisors at Xavier (P-MAX) program was developed to support Xavier’s BUILD program participants and has been available to all faculty and staff at Xavier and nearby institutions. P-MAX is a mentorship education program designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to mentor and advise undergraduate students, especially those engaged in research.
The program addresses topics such as mentoring philosophy and portfolio; mentor–mentee communication; goal- and expectation-setting; stereotype threat, bias, and identity; inclusive mentoring; and mentor self-care. Participants are also introduced to a variety of mentorship resources and encouraged to use those resources to enhance their mentoring relationships.
P-MAX is now part of the regular programming offered by Xavier’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development (CAT+FD). An online, free version of this training is available through CAT+FD and open to all interested participants.
BUILD Mentor
Faculty in biomedical departments were eligible to become research mentors for undergraduate BUILD Trainees or full-time BUILD Technicians. All faculty mentors received supply funding, and undergraduate Trainee mentors were also eligible for course release time and funding to support travel to conferences with students. All mentors were required to complete P-MAX training.
BUILD Mini-Grants to Support Research
Faculty in biomedical departments were eligible to apply for one-year grants of up to $50,000 to support their research efforts. Applicants were required to involve undergraduate research students in meaningful ways, clearly describing the role of students in the proposal. Twenty-seven individual faculty members received 48 mini-grants over the course of the BUILD program.
BUILD Mini-Grants to Support Course Development
Faculty across campus were eligible to apply for course development mini-grants. Proposals were accepted for new and revised academic courses that broadly supported students pursuing biomedical research careers. The newly developed courses were approved by the University and added to the University Course Catalog. These courses are open to all students across campus.
Twenty-seven courses in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Communications, English, Physics, Philosophy, and Psychology were developed and/or improved through BUILD program funding awarded to 22 faculty members.
BUILD-Funded Grant Writing Workshops
The STAR @Xavier University of Louisiana grant writing program, offered through the Center for Diversity and International Programs of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, was funded by Project PATHWAYS for eight years (2017–2025). The goal of the STAR @Xavier University of Louisiana was to increase the success of diverse populations obtaining NIH research grants in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Thirty-four Xavier faculty members participated in the program.