Establishing equitable graduate mentoring in higher education

Abstract

In higher education, graduate mentoring provides students with a guide through their collegiate experience, helping them to gain research experience, professionalism, and networking opportunities pertinent to professional success. Successful mentorships, especially important for women and minority students, can increase academic satisfaction, perseverance, and retention; keep students on time to graduate; and have positive influences on future career goals. Therefore, it is the purpose of this chapter to explore current literature regarding graduate-level mentoring and to establish mentoring program recommendations with social justice and equity lenses so that the process of mentoring practices becomes one of critical consciousness. This is done within a framework of transformative learning theory to help readers understand the underlying influences and aspects that make up the structure of successful mentoring. Mentoring is discussed through both the student and faculty perspectives, considering aspects of diverse types of students, specifically women and Black minority students at public institutions. Program recommendations are made based on a multilevel mentoring model and future directions are discussed.