The faculty-to-faculty mentorship experience: a survey on challenges and recommendations for improvements

Abstract

Faculty at research institutions play a central role in advancing knowledge and careers, as well as promoting the well-being of students and colleagues in research environments. Faculty members must balance a host of activities - such as performing research, teaching, sourcing funds, administrative and service duties - with their roles as educators and mentors. Mentorship from experienced peers has been touted as critical for enabling these myriad roles to allow faculty development, career progression, and satisfaction. However, there is little information available on who supports faculty and best ways to structure a faculty mentorship program for early- and mid-career academics. Furthermore, the extent to which mentorship and mentoring programs have been offered to faculty members has not been widely characterized. It is also unclear what challenges faculty receiving mentorship may face and which aspects could be further improved. In the interest of advocating for increased and enhanced faculty mentoring and mentoring programs, we surveyed faculty (i.e., group leaders) around the world to gather data on whether and how they receive mentoring from peers, senior researchers, informal mentoring programs, or formal mentoring programs at their institutions. We received responses from 457 early- and mid-career faculty and found that a substantial portion of respondents either reported having no mentor or a lack of a formal mentoring scheme. Qualitative responses on the quality of mentorship revealed that the most common complaints regarding mentorship included lack of mentor availability, unsatisfactory commitment to mentorship, and non-specific or non-actionable advice. Our findings further identified key mentorship elements desired by faculty mentees. Based on these suggestions, we identify a need for training for faculty mentors as well as strategies for individual mentors, departments, and institutions for funding and design of more intentional and supportive mentorship programs for early- and mid-career faculty.

Mentoring practices predictive of doctoral student outcomes in a biological sciences cohort

“…Our study found that minority students who did not work with an advisor of the same demographic, but nevertheless rated their advisor highly on empathy, felt as supported and productive as students whose advisors were a closer demographic match. Beyond simply 'empathy', this may encompass allocating time and funding equitably within their labs, tailoring their mentoring strategy to each student's needs, modeling ethical behavior, welcoming honest feedback without fear of repercussions, and advocating for institutional change that supports the needs of underrepresented students (13,14,16,30,31).…”

“…In science education, doctoral advising is a major component of the so-called "leaky pipeline" by which students from minority backgrounds leave science. Graduate students from minority backgrounds frequently report less support from their advisors and departments (9)(10)(11)(12)(13). These differences in mentoring experiences likely exacerbate existing disparities in the composition of students aspiring to and attaining scientific careers (10,12).…”

Effect of Employee Mentoring on Performance of Universities in Tanzania

“…Mentoring, defined as a professional relationship between two people where the mentor provides advice and guidance to their mentee to help them grow, learn, and develop professionally, has been strongly attributed and recognized for its role in organizational performance (Reeves, 2023;Hill et al, 2022;Xu et al, 2021). In the context of universities, mentoring not only aids in the personal and professional development of faculty members but also significantly impacts the overall performance of the institution (Sarabipour et al, 2023).…”