Pathways to Mentorship: Connecting Engineering Faculty and Undergraduate Women Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 78
  In Roundtable Session: Mentoring and Advising College Students

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the mentoring narratives of engineering faculty members, undergraduate student mentees, and student affairs practitioners at a large, public research university. Through formal and informal pathways, faculty mentors created opportunities for undergraduate students to establish ongoing reciprocal developmental relationships by providing both instrumental (career) and psychosocial (social and psychological development) functions. In particular, findings suggest in-classroom connections and research interests were critical doorways for students and faculty members to form meaningful mentoring relationships that provided valuable benefits for both the mentee and the mentor. As women remain a relatively small proportion of the STEM faculty and students on college and university campuses, these pathways provide real opportunities for addressing underrepresentation.

Author

• Sarah Kiersten Ferguson, The University of Texas - Austin