Does Mentoring Still Matter? Should the approach used in mentoring differ when the mentees are underrepresented minorities or women in predominately male fields of study? Can a thoughtfully developed mentoring program contribute to the increased participation and career advancement of women of color in STEM disciplines at minority serving institutions? If so, how should this vital mentoring component of faculty development be structured? How would a program such as this impact the overall institutional mentoring culture? These questions were at the forefront of the planning phase of the Jackson State University ADVANCE Project—a National Science Foundation funded project that sought to transform the institutional climate and culture for women of color in STEM at an HBCU.<br/><br/>In this presentation, the lessons learned during five years of implementing, evaluating, and modifying the JSU ADVANCE Mentoring Component will be discussed. These lessons, which mirror recent trends in mentoring and faculty development literature, are also situated within the larger context of institutional conversations on how to effectively employ, mentoring as a tool to recruit, retain, and support the career advancement and professional development of women in STEM disciplines. The presenters will provide valuable lessons and practical strategies for making mentoring most effective and relevant for women of color in STEM. The presentors will also share insights on how the JSU ADVANCE Mentoring Program evolved from a traditional mentor-mentee model into a fluid, group mentoring program that proved to be beneficial for both women and men faculty. The challenges, achievements, and lessons learned during the five year implementation of the mentoring component shine the light of scholarly attention into the often overlooked area of mentoring—women of color in STEM (at minority serving institutions) and their unique needs for strategically designed academic and professional mentoring programs.

Mentoring still matters: Lessons learned from the mentoring component of the Jackson State University ADVANCE Project

256th National Meeting (2018)

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