| | | The CWD Approach to Mentoring |
Mentoring is broader than advising. Advisers tend to focus more on academic progression and less on personal or professional development of their graduate students. Mentoring consists of advising, teaching, counseling and role modeling. Mentors focus on a mentee's achievements, success in school and preparation for the workforce through a one-on-one relationship that is non-threatening and non-judgmental to both parties. It is a relationship that changes over time as each grows, learns, and gains experiences in the relationship.
Relationships with mentors can be the most formative in student lives. Mentors can provide insight on aspects of academic life that course work does not address, including identifying the key players in the field, understanding the politics in academe, finding and evaluating hot research topics, deciding which conferences to submit work to and to attend, and which journals in which to publish.
Challenges in the mentor/student relationship include cross-gender or cross-racial mentoring, unrealistic expectations or excessive time demands, failure to maintain common and professional courtesies, inappropriate matches, and dependent or romantic relationships. People who are interested in mentoring people from different backgrounds are encouraged to read White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack by Peggy McIntosh (http://www.utoronto.ca/acc/events/peggy1.htm). Mentoring is not always forever; there are situations where a mentoring relationship should be terminated or changed. There can be a no-fault termination to avoid hard feelings.
A big factor in graduate student attrition is confidence level. So methods to encourage students are important. Undergraduate research can break large groups into small groups and provide mentoring. See the Building Science and Engineering Talent website at bestworkforce.org. Encourage multiple mentors.
| | | The CWD Approach to Mentoring |