Abstract
This research paper explores the potential efficacy of a new mentoring strategy in which faculty of color in engineering are matched with emeriti faculty on a specific career goal. Through an instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) and a pragmatic lens (Patton, 2015), interviews were conducted with seven Black engineering faculty and seven emeriti faculty on the value of identifying a career goal and then selecting an emeriti mentor who can help the mentee achieve that goal. Interviews grounded by the mutual mentoring model (Yun et al., 2016) conceptual framework offered an in-depth understanding of the potential efficacy of goal-match mentoring. Deductive data analysis strategies established by Stake (1995) were utilized to examine the interview data. Three themes emerged on the potential efficacy of goal-match mentoring: (1) Identifying a career goal prior to the beginning of the mentoring match requires deep reflection on behalf of the mentee and promotes goal accountability; (2) The mentoring relationship quickly blooms as the nature of the mentoring need is identified early in the process; and (3) The expertise of the mentor is swiftly leveraged for the maximum benefit of the mentee. These findings reveal the value of mentoring relationships centered on specific goals that empower mentees to exhibit greater agency over their career trajectory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings |
| State | Published - Jul 26 2021 |
| Event | 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference, ASEE 2021 - Virtual, Online Duration: Jul 26 2021 → Jul 29 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
Funding
This instrumental case study (Stake, 1995) explores the potential efficacy of a new mentoring strategy in which engineering faculty of color are matched with emeriti faculty on a specific career goal. Utilizing this strategy, the mentee must first identify a career goal and then select an emeriti mentor with the background and experience to help in achieving that goal. Emeriti faculty are engaged as mentors rather than senior faculty because they possess a wealth of experience, wisdom, and networks, as well as freedom from the responsibilities of full-time academic life (Mendez et al., 2019). The intention is for emeriti faculty to complement, not supplant, existing mentoring relationships, as a constellation of mentors is critical in academe. The mutual mentoring model (Yun et al., 2016) serves as the conceptual framework, and a pragmatic lens (Patton, 2015) is applied to the interviews with seven Black engineering faculty and seven emeriti faculty to focus on the practical implications of this mentoring strategy. Engineering academia and the academy at large may benefit from possessing a greater appreciation of this strategy, which focuses the mentoring relationship on a specific career goal, empowers the mentee to be active and purposeful in their career and professional development needs, and seeks to leverage the wisdom of emeriti faculty. This study is sponsored by a National Science Foundation INCLUDES Design and Developments Launch Pilot award (17-44500). The research question that guides this study is: What is the value attributed to the goal-match mentoring strategy by the engineering faculty of color mentees and the emeriti faculty mentors? Valerie Martin Conley is dean of the College of Education and professor of Leadership, Research, and Foundations at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She previously served as director of the Center for Higher Education, professor, and department chair at Ohio University. She was the PI for the NSF funded research project: Academic Career Success in Science and Engineering-Related Fields for Female Faculty at Public Two-Year Institutions. She is co-author of The Faculty Factor: Reassessing the American Academy in a Turbulent Era. This research is sponsored by a National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) Design and Development Launch Pilot award (14-44500). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of only the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. Comas Lamar Haynes is a Principal Research Engineer / faculty member of the Georgia Tech Research Institute and Joint Faculty Appointee at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research includes modeling steady state and transient behavior of advanced energy systems, inclusive of their thermal management, and the characterization and optimization of novel cycles. He has advised graduate and undergraduate research assistants and has received multi-agency funding for energy systems analysis and development. Sponsor examples include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and NASA. Dr. Haynes also develops fuel cells and alternative energy systems curricula for public and college courses and experimental laboratories. Additionally, he is the co-developer of the outreach initiative, Educators Leading Energy Conservation and Training Researchers of Diverse Ethnicities (ELECTRoDE). He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University and his graduate degrees (culminating in a Ph.D.) from Georgia Tech; and all of the degrees are in the discipline of Mechanical Engineering.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program | 17-44500, 14-44500 |
| U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR | |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering