East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has found a seamless way to connect students and prospective students with faculty who share their research interests using a Gallery of Mentors.
ETSU is a large campus of about 15,000 students, including many transfer students who may not have a personal connection with faculty in their major or minor interest areas. When undergraduate students begin the research process, they visit a student portal with a section called “Getting Started.” Now, the student guide includes a link to the large Mentor Gallery, where students can browse previous publications of faculty who have agreed to guide students through the research process.
Ashley Sergiadis, Digital Scholarship Librarian and Assistant Professor, offered the Expert Gallery Suite as an efficient solution to the Director of Undergraduate Research, who was thrilled to hear Ashley say “Yes, we can build that for you!”
Per the Undergraduate Research director’s request, the library’s technology team has also created a private gallery of students looking for mentors, which only faculty can search. Student applications automatically go into this in-house mentee database, which assists faculty to make informed decisions about potential mentees. ETSU anticipates that both galleries will save time for staff, students, and faculty while providing a workflow tailored to everyone’s needs. 
