Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changing Institutional Culture through Peer Mentoring of Women STEM Faculty

  • Published:
Innovative Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Higher education institutions often use mentoring to socialize faculty members into their academic disciplines and to retain them. Mentoring can also be used to change organizational culture to meet the needs of historically marginalized faculty members. In this article we focus on peer mentoring circles for women STEM faculty at a large, midwestern research university. Participants reported diverse, context-dependent mentoring needs and expressed interest in communicating issues raised in the circles to administrative leaders. A workshop for circle participants and administrators led subsequently to college-wide teams that addressed problems identified in the circles. We conclude that peer mentoring as a means to facilitate institutional change has great potential.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angelique, H., Kyle, K., & Taylor, E. (2002). Mentors and muses: New strategies for academic success. Innovative Higher Education, 26, 195–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, R., DeZure, D., Shaw, A., & Moretto, K. (2008). Mapping the terrain of mid-career faculty at a research university: Implications for faculty and academic leaders. Change (September/October), 47-55.

  • Bass, B. M. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industrial, military, and educational impact. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berk, R. A., Berg, J., Mortimer, R., Walton-Moss, B., & Yeo, T. P. (2005). Measuring the effectiveness of faculty mentoring relationships. Academic Medicine, 80, 66–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown-Glaude, W. R. (Ed.). (2009). Doing diversity in higher education: Faculty leaders share challenges and strategies. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bussey-Jones, J., Bernstein, L., Higgins, S., Malebranche, D., Paranjape, A., Genao, I., Lee, B., & Branch, W. (2006). Repaving the road to academic success: The IMeRGE approach to peer mentoring. Academic Medicine, 81, 674–679.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bystydzienski, J. M., & Bird, S. R. (Eds.). (2006). Removing barriers: Women in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camacho, M. M. (2013). Bearing children on the tenure track: Survival strategies from the trenches. In D. Mack, E.D. Watson, & M. M. Camacho, Mentoring faculty of color: Essays on professional development and advancement in colleges and universities. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

  • Cawyer, C. S., Simonds, C., & Davis, S. (2002). Mentoring to facilitate socialization: The case of the new faculty member. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 15, 225–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandler, C. (1996). Mentoring and women in academia: Reevaluating the traditional model. NWSA Journal, 8(3), 79–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao, G. T., Walz, P. M., & Gardner, P. D. (1992). Formal and informal mentorships: A comparison on mentoring functions and contrast with non-mentored counterparts. Personnel Psychology, 45, 619–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesler, N. C., & Chesler, M. A. (2002). Gender-informed mentoring strategies for women engineering scholars: On establishing a caring community. Journal of Engineering Education, 91, 49–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collay, M. (2002). Balancing work and family. In J. E. Cooper & D. D. Stevens (Eds.), Tenure in the sacred grove (pp. 89–106). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, S. (1999). The nature of workplace mentoring relationships among faculty members in Christian higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 70, 441–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniell, E. (2006). Every other Thursday. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, A., & Palmer, E. (2009). Mentoring circles in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 28, 125–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, A. (2000). Critical reflections on mentoring in work settings. Adult Education Quarterly, 50, 197–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Janasz, S. C., & Sullivan, S. E. (2004). Multiple mentoring in academe: Developing the professional network. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64, 263–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunham, C. C., Weathers, L. H., Hoo, K., & Heintz, C. (2012). “I just need someone who knows the ropes”: Mentoring and female faculty in science and engineering. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 18, 79–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Files, J.A., Blair, J.E., Mayer, A.P., & Ko, M.G. (2008). Facilitated peer mentorship: A pilot program for academic advancement of female medical Faculty. Journal of Women’s Health, 17, 1009--1015

  • Foldy, E., Goldman, L., & Ospina, S. (2008). Sensegiving and the role of cognitive shifts in the work of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 19, 514–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fouad, N.A., & Singh, R. (2011). Stemming the tide: Why women leave engineering. Center for the Study of the Workplace, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Retrieved from http://studyofwork.com/files/2011/03/NSF_Women-Full-Report-0314.pdf

  • Gappa, J.M., & Austin, A.E. (2010) Rethinking academic traditions for twenty-first-century faculty. Journal of Academic Freedom, 1. Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/sites/default/files/files/JAF/2010%20JAF/Gappa.pdf

  • Garrick, J., & Alexander, C. (1994). Using mentors: Critical issues for TAFE. Training Agenda, 2(4), 7–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Girves, J. E., Zepeda, Y., & Gwathmey, J. K. (2005). Mentoring in a post-affirmative action world. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 449–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herbers, J.M., & Desai, A. (2012, June). Women STEM faculty at Ohio State: Resource allocation and department climate. Paper presented at the Annual WEPAN Conference, Columbus, Ohio.

  • Jones, R., & Corner, J. (2012). Seeing the forest and the trees: A complex adaptive systems lens for mentoring. Human Relations, 65, 391–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A. (2009). Unexplored terrain: Is too much change happening in higher education? Change November/December, 35-45.

  • Kezar, A., & Lester, J. (2011). Enhancing campus capacity for leadership: An examination of grassroots leaders. Stanford, CA: Stanford Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kram, K. E. (1983). Phases of the mentor relationship. Academy of Management Journal, 26, 608–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kram, K. E., & Isabella, L. A. (1985). Mentoring alternatives: The role of peer relationships in career development. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 110–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Limbert, C. (1995). Chrysalis, a peer mentoring program for faculty and staff women. National Women’s Studies Association Journal, 7(2), 86–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathews, P. (2003). Academic monitoring: Enhancing the use of scarce resources. Educational Management and Administration, 31, 313–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCarther, S. M., Davis, D. M., & Caruthers, L. (2012). Traveling the tenure track: Mentoring and collaborative research among African American female faculty in a midwestern university. In S. D. Myers & C. W. Anderson (Eds.), Dimensions in mentoring: A continuum of practice from beginning teachers to teacher leaders (pp. 229–242). Boston, MA: Sense Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Morley, L., & Lugg, R. (2009). Mapping meritocracy: Intersecting gender, poverty and higher educational opportunity structures. Higher Education Policy, 22, 37–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Academy of Sciences. (2007). Beyond bias and barriers: Fulfilling the potential of women in academic science and engineering. Washington, DC: The National Academies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noe, R. A. (1988). Women and mentoring: A review and research agenda. The Academy of Management Review, 13, 65–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ospina, S., & Sorenson, G. (2006). A constructionist lens on leadership: Charting new territory. In G. R. Goethals & G. L. J. Sorenson (Eds.), The quest for a general theory of leadership (pp. 188–204). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Philips-Jones, L. (1982). Mentors and protégés. New York, NY: Arbour House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R. (1999). Gender and mentoring relationships: A review and research agenda for the next decade. In G. N. Powell (Ed.), Handbook of gender and work (pp. 347–370). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R., & Cotton, J. L. (1999). Mentor functions and outcomes: A comparison of men and women in formal and informal mentoring relationships. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 529–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockquemore, K.A. (2012). Don’t talk about mentoring. National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. Retrieved from www.insidehighered.com/advice/mentoring/debut_of_new_column_on_mentoring_in_higher_education_careers#sthash.en1yvYTN.dpbs

  • Rosser, S. V. (2012). Breaking into the lab: Engineering progress for women in science. New York, NY: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sambunjak, D., Straus, S. E., & Marusic, A. (2006). Mentoring in academic medicine: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296, 1103–1115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schrodt, P., Cawyer, C. S., & Sanders, R. (2003). An examination of academic mentoring behaviors and new faculty members’ satisfaction with socialization and tenure and promotion processes. Communication Education, 52, 17–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorcinelli, M. D., & Yun, J. Y. (2007). From mentoring to mentoring networks: Mentoring in the new academy. Change, 39, 58–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorcinelli, M. D., & Yun, J. Y. (2011). Mutual mentoring guide. Amherst, MA: Office of Faculty Development. Retrieved from https://www.umass.edu/ctfd/mentoring/downloads/Mutual%20Mentoring%20Guide%20Final%2011_20.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Stalker, J. (1994). Athene in academe: Women mentoring in the academy. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 13, 361–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stockard, J., Greene, J., Lewis, P., & Richmond, G. (2010). Promoting mentoring among and for women in chemistry: The experiences of COACh. In K. K. Karukstis, B. L. Gourley, M. Rossi, & L. Wright (Eds.), Mentoring strategies to facilitate the advancement of women faculty (pp. 153–166). Washington, DC: American Chemical Society.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Uhl-Bien, M., & Ospina, S. (2012). Advancing relational leadership research: A dialogue among perspectives. Leadership Horizon Series. Greenwich, CT: Information Age.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Emmerik, I. J. H. (2004). The more you can get the better: Mentoring constellations and intrinsic career success. Career Development International, 9, 578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yen, J. W., Quinn, K., Carrigan, C., Litzler, E., & Riskin, E. A. (2007). The ADVANCE mentoring-for-leadership lunch series for women faculty in STEM at the University of Washington. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 13, 191–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zellers, D. F., Howard, V. M., & Barcic, M. A. (2008). Faculty mentoring programs: Reenvisioning rather than reinventing the wheel. Review of Educational Research, 78, 552–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We want to thank Anne Massaro, a co-principal investigator on this project, for helping to organize the peer mentoring circles, collecting some of the data, following up with the participants, and helping with data analysis. This research was supported in part by funding from the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Grant 0811123. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors and do not represent the official position of the NSF.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Glenn School of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, 1810 College Road, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Nicole Thomas & Anand Desai

  2. Department of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Jill Bystydzienski

Authors
  1. Nicole Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jill Bystydzienski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anand Desai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole Thomas.

Additional information

A summary of this project was presented at the 6th Annual Mentoring Conference at the University of New Mexico and recorded in the proceedings of the conference distributed to conference participants.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Thomas, N., Bystydzienski, J. & Desai, A. Changing Institutional Culture through Peer Mentoring of Women STEM Faculty. Innov High Educ 40, 143–157 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-014-9300-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-014-9300-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation