James Deaville, Carleton University
Guest Contributor

This is an edited version of Dr. Deaville’s recent presentation to the Federation’s General Assembly meeting on March 27, 2010. Listen to the podcast of the panel presentation, or read the liveblog of the event.

My own academic mentoring consisted of a troubling personal relationship under a senior professor, who introduced me to post-secondary academe through paranoid observations and advice provided in a host of settings, from his office to his boat, and on the telephone.  In retrospect, I can recognize that he was using me to consolidate his own power base in the unit, but in the first year, it was the only friendship I had at the university and the only “official” mentoring I was to receive. This unsettling relationship illustrated to me the problems inherent in the traditional model of top-down, one-to-one mentoring.  Fortunately, I was already well situated within an international research community that provided support in an incipient mentoring network, which would develop in the ensuing years to include departmental and faculty colleagues and associates in the Canadian “learned society” for music.  That I had to develop this set of relationships, this network, on my own typified attitudes towards mentoring at that time.

Within five years of initial appointment, I became chair of the Department of Music, which thrust me into a role of responsibility for new hires.  It was then that I discovered to my dismay, not only was I expected to serve as sole mentor to them, but I also had to work against a faction that did not want to see the new colleagues succeed.  Mean-spirited attitudes can deleteriously impact any fresh hire. However, I found a particularly pernicious resentment towards new women colleagues among the old boys of the department, which necessitated both vigilance and strife. (more…)

Marlene Pomrenke, University of Manitoba
Guest Contributor

The following narratives describe the ways in which female graduate students see mentoring as essential to their academic success. As one woman stated, “Having a responsive and engaged advisor has been critical to completing my degree.” Another woman stated, “My mentors know my strengths and more importantly, my weaknesses. Thus they are able to provide useful feedback on how I can improve.” And finally as one other woman succinctly stated, “Mentoring is key! It is the business of who you know and how connected you are.”

These narratives and other similar accounts suggest mentoring is essential for successful navigation of the world of academia. Although those without mentors are usually able to complete their graduate studies, it can be more difficult and time-consuming. It is also easier to move into careers within academia, post-doctoral work or alternatively explore non-traditional employment opportunities with the ‘connections’ or knowledge of the ‘system’ that a mentor can provide.

Women need ongoing support to complete their graduate studies. This comes as no surprise to any of us. Women often have added burdens of caregiving, both of children and elderly parents. They may lack financial assistance and family support. Over an eighteen month period, two research studies were conducted that examined issues pertaining to caregiving, mentoring and other social support needs for female graduate students in the social sciences.

Based on numerous discussions with these students, it was found that in order to complete a graduate degree and/or move forward into employment in academia, substantial personal and institutional social support systems need to be in place. These support systems include mentors, peer support groups, families, financial assistance, and other institutional backing. Social support including both formal and informal systems is significantly related to resiliency. Mentors, family and friends, community, academic support, as well as financial and personal support systems can ameliorate the stress of academic studies.

Why, then, has the idea of mentoring still not taken hold? (more…)