Mentoring Program FAQ

Not necessarily. Both men and women can be mentors, however only women are able to be mentees at this time. Because of the continued subtle forms of discrimination against women in the academic and professional world, such as outdated maternity leave policies, hiring practices, salary gaps, tenure polices, child care issues, and dual career concerns, the mentoring program focuses on providing support and encouragement to young women to succeed in the academic, and ultimately, professional world.

Not necessarily. Both men and women can be mentors, however only women are able to be mentees at this time. Because of the continued subtle forms of discrimination against women in the academic and professional world, such as outdated maternity leave policies, hiring practices, salary gaps, tenure polices, child care issues, and dual career concerns, the mentoring program focuses on providing support and encouragement to young women to succeed in the academic, and ultimately, professional world.

Benefits as a mentee include:

• Individual recognition and encouragement;
• Honest criticism and informal feedback;
• Advice on how to balance classes, social life and other responsibilities, and set professional priorities;
• Knowledge of the informal rules for advancement;
• Information on how to interact in a variety of professional settings;
• Appropriate ways of making contact with authorities in an
• academic discipline;
• Skills for showcasing one’s own work;
• An understanding of how to build a circle of friends and contacts both within and outside one’s institution; and
• A perspective on long-term career planning.

Benefits as a mentor include:

• The satisfaction of helping in the development of another person; 
• Ideas for and feedback about your own initiatives from someone who may have new and fresh ideas;
• Becoming part of an expanded network of colleagues, especially if the mentor takes part in a formal mentoring program (this can be particularly important for women faculty, who are often isolated from senior women in other departments on their own campus).
• Positive recognition from your department, which will hopefully notice your efforts to help cultivate the talents and identity of a student.
• Undergraduate student mentors will receive a $100 scholarship and academic credit for INTR 404.

Discuss your concerns with your mentor/mentee or contact the Women’s Mentoring Program Coordinator. There may be opportunities to be paired up with another mentor/mentee.

A mentor is a coach, listener, advisor, friend, role model, and advocate.

A mentor is not a counselor, parent, judge, rescuer, social worker, therapist, lending institution, or romantic partner.

Yes! Having multiple mentors is a great way to expand social and professional networks. It creates a community of support and additional resources in your pursuit of academic and professional success. The more connections you make with individuals willing to provide you with encouragement, the more confident and self-assured you will become and continue to be. In fact, most of us do have more than one mentor.

Yes, you may be assigned as many mentees as you request, although for manageability's sake, we recommend taking on a maximum of three. It can be extremely rewarding to help a number of individuals grow academically, personally, and professionally.