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Mentoring can be an effective strategy in improving retention of college students & faculty from fields where historical underrepresentation has occurred. This article reviews the benefits of mentoring in higher education, & identifies components of effective mentoring strategies that promote educational & career advancement. It illustrates how effective programs can be institutionalized & scaled through consortial & national collaborations. Traditional & alternative mentoring models are described through four successful programs designed to increase the academic & professional success of undergraduates, graduate students, & junior faculty. The article concludes with a set of general recommendations & caveats gleaned from the literature & programs reviewed.--Sociological Abstracts abstract

In this chapter, the author discusses the role of formal and less formal mentoring in the professional development of new faculty members. The department chairs and deans can be especially valuable as mentors under certain circumstances. Consulting available resources and support systems, the published literature, colleagues, and administrators can make a real difference in one's effectiveness as a faculty member.--from chapter via PsycINFO

The authors of this article argue that doctoral level education--an area woefully underrepresented by people of color--is an area in which the cultivation of mentoring relationships may be a critical factor in determining the successful completion of graduate programs. They write of a demographically specific dynamic: White mentors (professors) and prot?g?s of color (graduate students). The article outlines the importance of mentoring in corporations and in education, issues relevant to cross-cultural mentoring relationships, suggestions for becoming a better cross-race mentor, and recommendations for further work in this area.--PsycINFO abstract

The program at Lehigh University has been very successful in producing a high percentage of students (42% of all graduates) who have entered academic careers as trainers of school psychologists. This article presents a conceptual model for the three variables that are considered as critical components of why students select an academic career--mentoring, modeling, and money. Results of a survey of the program alumni at Lehigh University are presented. Outcomes of the survey showed significant and substantial differences in the perceptions of the mentoring and modeling process by students who are in academic versus nonacademic careers. Implications for doctoral training programs interested in training students to enter academic careers are discussed.--journal abstract via PsycINFO

This article discusses how mentoring affects female and minority junior faculty in higher education institutions. The author, focusing on a group of recently graduated African American doctorates in the field of sociology, maintains mentoring creates and enhances the opportunities of minority faculty and facilitates advancement.--Expanded Academic ASAP abstract

Early career geography faculty in colleges and universities in the United States are positioned at the leading edge of a challenging period of change in higher education. Demands brought on by new technologies, new administrative and research pressures, and an increasingly competitive campus climate, may make it difficult to balance teaching, research, and service while also trying to maintain a personal life. This article argues that many geographers could benefit from the support of mentoring. Using ideas generated by participants in the Association of American Geographers' recent project, the Geography Faculty Development Alliance, I provide both pragmatic and personal suggestions for establishing these all-important mentoring relationships to help cope with the pressures facing early career faculty.--author's abstract

An experienced faculty member and a relatively new one spent a semester in a mentoring partnership in which each taught a section of the same course. The two instructors regularly sat in on each other's classes and met for weekly debriefing sessions. In this paper they reflect on what they did, what they learned, and what lessons the experience might hold for other mentor-mentee pairs.--from article

Minorities are underrepresented in the departments of education at institutions of higher learning. This underrepresentation is due to more attractive opportunities in other fields, rigorous promotion and tenure requirements, and isolation of minority professors. This paper asserts that cultivation of mentoring relationships between senior members of faculty and faculty of color can lead to the increased retention of minority professors. After defining mentoring, the paper examines formal and informal mentoring relationships. Formal mentorships are managed and sanctioned by the organization. Informal mentorships are spontaneous relationships that develop without external involvement. Some of the many functions of a mentor include: providing training, stimulating knowledge acquisition, providing emotional support and encouragement, inculcating by example a value system and professional work ethic, providing visibility and exposure, and modeling excellence in teaching. Mentoring may be same- or cross-race. In cross-race relationships, mentors should be aware of their basic beliefs and world views, understand cultural differences surrounding perceptions of one's own power status, and recognize differences in communication and conflict management styles. Though research highlights the benefits of mentoring relationships for proteges, these relationships may also benefit the mentors and organizations in which they work.--ERIC abstract

Mentors face their own set of challenges in taking on this role. "When serving as a cross-race or cross-cultural mentor, you need to be aware of and sensitive to the unique challenges that minority faculty face," [Joann] Moody [author of Faculty Diversity: Problems and Solutions] says. She strongly advocates cultural competency and mentor coaching to help ensure that mentors are "confident, comfortable and proactive supporters of campus diversity." If, however, extensive training is not part of the budget, there are other less costly and time-consuming things that can be done. Moody's book, for example, includes mini case studies with discussion questions that can be used in faculty training and meetings, or even as a conversation starter between a mentor and mentee. Candid conversations between mentor and mentee about the impact that cultural and racial factors play in the academic environment are an absolute must.--from abstract

Article abstract: "In light of the tenure and promotion needs of junior faculty to demonstrate high levels of scholarship, achieve strong publication records, and develop successful proposals for extramural funding, this article explores the impact of providing a structure and a process for mentoring education faculty toward the attainment of tenure and promotion through participation in a Research and Writer's Group. The Research and Writer's group provides participating faculty with a forum for: (1) the presentation of ideas and drafts of developing manuscripts for the purpose of securing feedback; (2) the dissemination of information regarding opportunities for presentations at professional conferences and requests for manuscripts for edited books and thematic journal articles; and (3) the promotion of collaboration of faculty from across departments and disciplines in education. A carefully developed curriculum designed specifically to meet the scholarship needs of junior faculty is presented along with multiple perspectives of the impact of this mentoring model on the host institution. Anticipated as well as unanticipated outcomes of the work of the Research and Writer's Group are highlighted."