Jeff Spears Tapped as Next Faculty-to-Student Mentorship Coordinator for Statewide Campuses

Price, Utah — James Taylor, Utah State University vice president for Statewide Campuses, and Vice Provost Pam Dupin-Bryant have selected Jeff Spears from the USU Eastern campus as the next coordinator for the statewide faculty-to-student mentoring program. Spears replaced David Law, who as of Aug. 1 officially took the role of associate vice president at USU Uintah Basin.

“Dr. Spears has been an exceptional campus leader for this mentoring program on the Eastern campus,” Law said. “The number of students participating in the program has increased under his supervision. Jeff has approached his role from an academic perspective to improve and strengthen the program. He has many plans he wants to coordinate with the steering committee to continue to enhance a mentoring culture in the statewide system.”

Spears has been an assistant professor in social work at USU Eastern for six years, initially joining as a mentor in the program for the Price campus in 2020. Spears accepted the role of the campus chair in the spring of 2021, during which student participation in the program increased by 300% over the next three years. Over that same span, USU Eastern has added 20 new mentors at Price in academic and technical education disciplines.

“I was honored and thrilled when I asked to step into the coordinator role,” Spears said. “Dr. Law has been such a visionary for this program and a tremendous leader. I think my background in program development and recruitment success as a staff member at Eastern will be a strength in this new position. I am excited to work with my fellow statewide faculty members and to provide top-notch mentorship to our undergraduate students across the state.”

Spears received his doctorate in social work from the University of Utah. He spent six years as the director of Residence Life and Auxiliary Services at USU Eastern. During that time, Spears and his team doubled the occupancy in the residence halls and supervised six different departments. Spears specializes in macro work in the community, implementing strategies for program development, and advocacy work.

The student-to-faculty mentorship program has been a flagship program throughout the statewide system. In year three (2022-2023) of the program, mentored students had a persistence rate of 97.43%, compared to 82.48% in the statewide control group. Additionally, students reported a better sense of belonging to USU and obtaining their educational goals.

The faculty also reported increased job satisfaction by participating in the mentorship program. The research group for the faculty mentorship program has published two peer-reviewed articles, one book on faculty mentorship, and eight regional/national conferences with one international presentation about the program's success.

Utah State University’s Statewide Campuses create impact by bettering the lives of the people and places they serve. From career and technical certificates to doctorate degrees, USU offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. With multiple locations across 85,000 square miles, USU can be the hometown university to anyone, no matter where they live. Learn more at statewide.usu.edu.