The department's mentoring initiative is a cornerstone of the its VIGRE program. Through this initiative the department wishes to increase the quantity and quality of mentoring throughout the academic program from undergraduate through postdoctoral students. Elements of the initiative include:

• providing formal instruction in effective mentoring,
• paying special attention to mentoring at critical transition points,
• guiding mentees as they develop new skills and cope with new stresses,
• maintaining a hierarchical system in which individuals higher in the system mentor those more junior members, and
• institutionalizing mentoring through a system of rewards and accountability.

increase the quality of statistical education in the Department as a result of greater emphasis on mentoring, early emphasis on research, and the experiences gained from participation in VIGRE activities such as internships and research clusters.

The Department has an ongoing initiative to assure that mentoring is an integral part of departmental culture. The Program Director recently instituted a successful mentoring program for junior faculty, wherein each faculty member is assigned a teaching and a research mentor. There will be two mentoring workshops for faculty and students in the department in 2003-04. VIGRE-II will provide the impetus to formalize the most effective of these existing mentoring activities and complement these with new efforts where needed. Training in mentoring will be provided to graduate and postdoctoral Trainees and faculty. The department has employed Drs. Felder and Brent, well-known experts in mentoring, to assist in the design and implementation of a mentoring training program for the Department.

One focus of this training will be on helping faculty, postdoctoral and graduate Trainees to identify critical points of transition among their .mentees. and develop skills to assist them at these junctures, including how to help retain and guide Trainees during commonly difficult stages as they progress from BS to MS to PhD. Particular critical transition points and strategies we will promote include: identifying students with potential among the large number of MS students in the program and then providing them with appropriate advice to continue for a PhD; identifying Trainees who need a stronger foundation early on and providing appropriate bridge courses; providing appropriate support for the Summer Camps for Qualifiers, which are usually organized by students to improve exam pass rates and are supported by faculty lead sessions; and facilitating the creation of peer support groups for Trainees who have already passed the qualifiers to reduce feelings of isolation during the dissertation stage.

Within the new formalized system, mentoring will be a responsibility that is assigned and assessed. To ensure that a meaningful reward system is linked to mentoring activities, faculty will be asked to report mentoring activities on annual faculty activity reports.

Undergraduate Trainees are assigned an academic advisor who has formal mentoring responsibilities. Newly enrolled undergraduates are assigned to a junior or senior who provides peer mentoring, particularly during the first semester. Some graduate Trainees are assigned mentoring responsibilities for undergraduates, either through the statistics practica, as part of their cluster activities, or as a formal advisor/mentor. Graduate Trainee mentors facilitate Statistics Club activities, meet with groups of undergraduates on course and curriculum issues, and advise undergraduates about applying to graduate school and seeking employment. They keep regular office hours during which undergraduate can drop in as needed.

For graduate Trainees, much faculty-Trainee mentoring takes place within the traditional advisor and advisee relationship. However, partly in response to VIGRE-I goals of increasing student faculty contact, and partly in response to the need for greater breadth in advising, co-advising has been increasing in the Department. In these situations, faculty with expertise in different areas team up to co-direct dissertations that span multiple areas of expertise.

The existence of the student-faculty consulting teams, student-faculty teacher training teams, and the Research Clusters provide opportunities for graduate Trainees to interact with faculty in settings that provide both traditional and non-traditional mentoring opportunities. Trainees will attend workshops that cover first year orientation, give an overview of departmental research activities, and provide professional development. The skills workshop described below is an important source for acquiring soft skills and learning about the profession in general. The Teaching Assistants Workshop provides mentoring in teaching-related activities, including providing information on different learning styles, cooperative learning and incorporating projects and writing in every course. A Professional Development Workshop covers such topics as time and stress management, ethics, interfacing science and the public, managing people, grant writing and expectations of employers. We have in place a buddy system designed to provide peer mentoring, where senior graduate students work with incoming graduate students. VIGRE-I provided the opportunity to hire a minority postdoctoral Trainee, who has provided excellent assistance in mentoring minority students.

Postdoctoral Trainees receive mentoring from assigned teaching and research mentors, who in addition to their focused mentoring role, also offer advice on professional life, time management, and encouragement and moral support in general. Early in their first year, postdoctoral Trainees participate in the week-long, college-sponsored New Faculty Workshop focusing on starting up a research program, grant writing, and teaching effectiveness. Its aim is to foster collegial friendships among newly arrived faculty. During the first year, workshop participants are brought back together for a follow-up meeting. This experience provides postdoctoral Trainees with colleagues outside the department with whom they can touch base.

Mentoring is a key to the success of our VIGRE-I Trainees. Undergraduate Trainees receive mentoring from their advisor, the Director of Undergraduate Programs, and graduate Trainees. Each semester, two graduate Trainees are assigned to the undergraduate program with the specific purpose of mentoring. Typically, these mentors are chosen from the Trainees that have joined our graduate program after graduating from our own undergraduate program. In addition, the undergraduate statistics club has regular meetings where the alumni of our program come to talk about various career paths, and graduate students and the Director of Graduate Programs discuss the graduate programs. Undergraduate trainees are also encouraged to attend Graduate School workshops on funding opportunities, on the graduate program application process, and on presentation skills.

In addition to mentoring by faculty, peer mentoring is common among our graduate students. Each new graduate student is assigned another senior graduate student who serves as a buddy/mentor. The graduate mentor learns about the new student and provides support through the critical first foundation year. In addition, a senior graduate student is assigned each summer to lead the Summer Camp for Qualifiers, where students taking the examinations in August can prepare together. Several faculty as well as the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Director of Student Services and Multicultural Affairs have been serving as mentors to African American students.

Mentoring naturally works in cluster research groups where Trainees from all levels are involved. Mr. Hunt and the VIGRE-I postdoctoral Trainee Dr. Weems have been excellent mentors for the undergraduate and graduate Trainees in the environmental group. Drs. Boos, Weir, and Stefanski have been mentors for the postdoctoral Trainees for research and teaching.

Trainees also benefit from excellent mentoring provided by our industrial partners, who play a key role in career development, communication skills and research.

• Bullard, Lisa G. and Felder, R.M. (2003) Mentoring: A Personal Perspective.
• Brent, R. and Felder, R.M. (1998) The New Faculty Member. Chemical Engineering Education 32, 46-47.
• Felder, R. (1994) Things I Wish They Had Told Me. Chem. Engr. Education 28, 108-109.
• Felder, R.(1993) Teaching Teachers to Teach: The Case for Mentoring.Chem. Engr. Education 27 176-177.
  

Updated ... May 27, 2008