Abstract
This chapter presents an overview and a conceptual approach of culturally relevant mentoring at an institution of higher learning from the lens of the authors. There are various types of mentoring approaches that demonstrate the opportunity for institutional leaders to align their strategic initiatives with the academic and career success of dissertators, postdoctoral researchers, and early career faculty. This work places a focus on culturally relevant mentoring as a tactical approach for creating strategic dialogue of critical consciousness to produce core values, institutional commitments, and strategic plans that reflect the culture of all stakeholders. Culturally relevant mentoring promotes active acknowledgement of cultural contributions, inclusive social context, and equitable and just strategies for institutional climate change that will differentiate an institution from its peers in higher education.
TopIntroduction
According to the National Academy of Sciences, mentoring is “a professional, working alliance in which individuals work together over time to support the personal and professional growth, development, and success of the relational partners through the provision of career and psychosocial support” (National Academies, 2019). Furthermore, mentoring is an “intentional relationship focused on developing self of relatively unseasoned partner/mentee/protégé through dialogue and reflection; an implicit focus on development of the next generation in the context of interpersonal relationships” (Hall, 2002). In higher education, mentoring is an essential career development phenomenon that has been approached from three dimensions, “mentoring students by faculty, mentoring junior faculty by senior faculty, and mentoring in the career development of administrators.”
Regarding mentoring dissertators, postdoctoral researchers, and early career faculty (DPEs), mentees from underrepresented or underserved groups, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), often require a more cultural and relevant experience (Atkins et al., 2020). As authors from underrepresented groups and with degrees in STEM, social science, and education fields, we lend our academic and career experiences to this work as mentors and mentees. In particular, mentors have been pivotal in the direction that our careers have taken. In essence, our mentors are culturally relevant leaders (CRL) who have moved beyond the institutional barriers to develop intentional relationships with the foresight to challenge the inequities in higher education (Bertrand Jones, Guthrie, & Osteen, 2016).
Studies have shown that early career researchers desire mentorship to achieve their scholarly career goals (Boeren, Lokhtina-Antoniou, Sakurai, Herman & McAlpine, 2015; Thomas, Bystydzienski, & Desai, 2014). Pressures exist throughout their journey that includes making tenure, negotiating salaries, balancing career and personal goals, and collaborating with other professionals to build a network. Faculty women of color (WOC) experience these same pressures. Yet, their career success suggests a different type of mentoring, whether formal or informal (Thomas et al., 2014). A peer mentoring model that focuses on the formation of WOC in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has emerged. For example, after a weeklong intensive research bootcamp, early career faculty WOC in STEM intentionally formed a sister circle and began mentoring one another regarding their scholarship goals. They formed their own counterspace to aid in their success. Counterspaces are spaces and places that facilitate the intersectionality of one’s identity and one’s psychological well-being (Case & Hunter, 2012; Howard-Hamilton, 2003). Their sister circle can be described as culturally relevant mentoring.
The authors present an overview, a conceptual approach, and a case study of culturally relevant mentoring (CRM) at institutions of higher learning. The case study focuses on WOC in STEM and depicts the methodology and implementation across three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs- Florida A&M University, Bethune-Cookman University, and Florida Memorial University), one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI-Florida International University), and one predominantly White institution (PWI-University of South Florida) with a social science construct and evaluation. These institutions formed the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Florida Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (FL-AGEP), Improving Pathways in the Professoriate for Women of Color in STEM. As partners, the Alliance provides professional development and mentoring to doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early career faculty WOC.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Institutional Climate and Culture: Is an important relationship that embodies institutions of higher education and establishes the tone and tenor for future progress, particularly related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Culturally Relevant Mentoring (CRM): An enabling alliance that empowers individuals, mentor and mentee, to utilize, embrace, and acknowledge cultural differences as strengths for growth and development.
Women of Color: Women who are African American or Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.
Culturally Relevant Leaders (CRL): These are leaders who have intentionally brought to power their positionality in spaces and places that often are not available to those with less power. They broke institutional barriers to challenge the status quo in a way that offers individuals (mentees) a pathway to success.
Mentoring: The practice that takes place among a mentor and mentee or a mentor and a group of mentees, whereby the mentor shares their knowledge, skills, and experiences to grow and to further develop the mentee(s).