The STARS Alliance Mentoring Model was developed by member Dr. Nathan Thomas.
The goal of this project is disseminate this model across STARS Alliance university partners. Dr. Thomas is in the process of teaching STARS Alliance members to develop, implement, evaluate, and sustain a peer mentoring program for their IT and CS departments.

Four major themes are addressed in the training:

• Program development & management.
• Program funding & institutionalization.
• The Thomas Principles - Program Implementation & Accountability.
• Program Evaluation, Sustainability, and Technical Assistances.

Training recipients leave with a step by step blueprint on how to implement an Identity-based mentoring program using the Thomas Principles.

The STARS Alliance Mentoring Model, developed by member Dr. Nathan Thomas is an Identity-based mentoring approach using "The Thomas Principles". Dollarhide (1997) defined identity-based mentoring as an individual's or group's culture, values, and practices that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Identity-based mentoring pays attention to: Ethnicity/Race, Gender, Age, Sexual Orientation; Individuals with a Disability; an Academic department's culture; and an University's core values.