President’s STEM Mentoring Academy: A Model for Engaging Faculty in Culturally Relevant Mentorship

• In Event: Navigating (Con)Tensions in the Academy

Abstract

This paper discussed the exploration of faculty members at an R1 HSI and their desire to explore what makes a good mentor to underrepresented minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. Participants engaged in an academic year long President’s STEM Mentoring Academy as an extension of a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) grant. The participant responses help guide the recommendations for the expansion and holistic nature of mentoring marginalized students in more than just research best practices. We posit that additional faculty mentorship programs should be created, especially focusing on co-training community college and university faculty to better support URM students and students who transfer between institutions.

Authors

• Jessica L. Spott, Texas Tech University

• Raegan Higgins, Texas Tech University

• Jon McNaughtan, Texas Tech University

• Tehia Starker Glass, University of North Carolina - Charlotte