Session Abstract

The purpose of this session is to familiarize early career professionals with the breadth of opportunities, expectations, and challenges associated with being a mentor in a variety of institutional contexts.  The panelists will share their collective experiences as teachers and mentors in two-year, four-year, and graduate educational settings.  In particular, this session aims to prepare early career professionals for the transition from being an object of mentorship in a narrow disciplinary field within a large, research-driven university, to becoming the source of mentorship to students whose backgrounds, interests, and career aspirations will most often differ greatly from our own.  Specific topics for discussion will include: how to be a good mentor with no prior training or experience, how to be pro-active in identifying students in need of mentoring, how to mentor first-generation college students, how to advise advanced undergraduate or graduate research projects, and how to incorporate research, writing, and civic engagement in the mentoring process.