Mentoring Approach

Mentor External to Dissertation Thrust

Mentoring is a nurturing process that fosters the growth and development of the mentee. It is a relationship in which a more experience person (mentor) provides support, encouragement and shares professional knowledge with a less experienced person (the mentee). 

鈥淭he fundamental task of the mentor is a liberatory task. It is not to encourage the mentor's goals and aspirations and dreams to be reproduced in the mentees, the students, but to give rise to the possibility that the students become the owners of their own history.鈥� - Paulo Freire

Overview

Maya Angelou on Mentoring:  
鈥淚n order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don鈥檛 have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don鈥檛 need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know, and care about the person you鈥檙e sharing with.鈥�

The aim of the UCEM Mentor External to the Dissertation (MED) thrust is to provide each scholar with an additional faculty advocate or champion to support their professional/personal well-being.  Mentors may be selected by the Mentee based on racial/cultural/gender or other factors (i.e., research interests). He/she may or may not be on a member of the scholar鈥檚 dissertation committee.

Program Goals

The UCEM Mentor External to Dissertation (MED) thrust is intended to meet the following goals:

  1. Provide an inclusive and welcoming climate to mitigate feelings of 鈥渋mposter syndrome鈥�
  2. Identify resources to enhance the scholar鈥檚 academic socialization and personal growth
  3. Serve as a 鈥渟ound board鈥� to help scholars navigate the university environment.  
  4. Broaden awareness of academic or non-traditional career paths available to PhD graduates
  5. Foster increased professional networks and allyships that may be sustained throughout each scholar鈥檚 professional career.

Mentee Responsibilities

As a UCEM Scholar you are responsible for the following:

  1. Complete the online Multi-Dimensional Mentoring Model Qualtrics Reporting Form
  2. Submit the required Multi-Dimensional Mentoring Model (MD) Scholar Agreement to mbhenderson@usf.edu.
  3. Select your USF Faculty External to the Discipline/Role Model with approval of the UCEM Leadership team.
  4. Engage your selected mentor either in-person or virtually (email, MS Teams/Zoom/Go To Meeting) at least twice each semester (Fall, Spring, Summer). *Please note that in-person contacts should not begin until Fall 2021. 
  5. Participate in the Annual UCEM Student/Faculty Mentoring Retreat in May/June

Mentor Responsibilities

As an UCEM External Mentor to the Discipline, your service will involve the following:

  1. Commit to at least 2 contacts either in-person or virtually (email, MS Teams/Zoom/Go To Meeting) with your mentee each semester (Fall, Spring, Summer). *Please note that in-person contacts should not begin until Fall 2021. 
  2. Provide at one UCEM 鈥淐hat N鈥� Chew鈥� talk for Sloan scholars or faculty panel session the calendar year (Fall, Spring, Summer)
  3. Attend the Annual UCEM Student/Faculty Mentoring Retreat in May/June, based upon your availability
  4. Agree to be featured as an 鈥淓xemplary Mentor鈥� within the UCEM website/social medial.


Time Commitment

A minimum of two (2) contacts per semester initiated by the mentee. Additional interactions will depend upon the dynamics of the mentee-mentorship relationship.

How Will Does It Works?

Step 1: Mentee will identify at least one potential MED mentor.

Step 2: Mentors will submit the name of their selected MED mentor via the online MDM reporting form.

Step 3: The Sloan UCEM Leadership will email both Mentor and Mentee to confirm the matching.