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PurposeThe purpose of this interdisciplinary study is to identify the aspects that faculty, student affairs educators and students indicate as salient for effective mentoring relationships that enhance ethical leadership development.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory qualitative inquiry used the Relational-Ethical-Affective-Dialogic (READ) mentoring model as a framework to examine the experiences of 13 undergraduate mentees and faculty/staff mentors in a formal mentoring program. Each study participant engaged in one semi-structured interview. Researchers coded and analyzed data using the sort and sift, think and shift process identifying power quotes to guide the thematic analysis.FindingsThe data collected in this study revealed insights into the aspects of mentor relationships that both undergraduate mentees and their mentors perceived as contributing to students' ethical leadership development. Salient elements included: (1) relational features of the mentee-mentor dynamic including trust and reciprocity; (2) structural features of the mentoring program including its focus on ethics; and (3) mentoring approaches that were attentive to power and positionality within the mentoring relationship and involved professional judgment about self-disclosure.Originality/valueThis study adds to the literature by exploring effective mentoring for ethical leadership development across disciplines. With colleges and universities serving a vital role in preparing the next generation of leaders for ethical engagement in their democratic and professional roles after graduation, it is imperative to broaden our understanding of how faculty and staff can support students' ethical leadership development.

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Openness to diversity and challenge (ODC) has been identified as an important educational aim in higher education research, educational philosophy, and popular discourse. Yet, the relationship between college students’ activism orientation, their unique social positions, and their development of ODC in contexts of political polarization remains underexplored. This study explores these relationships using a mixed method (quantitatively driven + qual) approach guided by an ecological framework. Analyzing survey data collected between 2017 and 2019, we found that students’ activism orientation scores are significantly positively associated with their ODC. Our qualitative analysis revealed several factors that students perceive as supporting their development of perspective taking—(a) campus diversity, including political diversity; (b) academic course environments; (c) student organizations and campus events; and (d) informal interactions with peers—as well as several barriers to perspective taking—(a) political climate on campus; (b) politicized racism, anti-immigrant, antitrans, and other forms of unjust bias; and (c) resistance to politically conservative viewpoints. Overall, our study suggests several factors may support college students’ development of ODC, including microsystem-level exposure to diverse campus environments and informal interactions with peers within those environments, notably engagement in activism and exposure to other students’ activism. When encouraging educational aims like ODC, college and university personnel designing microsystem-level interventions should be aware of and responsive to the unique ways that students may experience these efforts depending on their social positions—and in particular their experiences of marginalization—within and beyond the campus environment.

To my Iowa City family (the Miller, Ibrahim-Olin, Broffitt, Walker, Anaman, and Gugsa families), thank you. The best cohort ever-DaVida, Josh, Steve, Ryan & Jeremy. There are no words to express my gratitude. You encouraged me in the most beautiful and loving ways and we will be family forever. To the Breugger's crew. To my HESA and CRUE family. Thank you for opening your hearts to Nasir and me; it has made this journey so much sweeter.