Development of a Horizontal Peer Mentoring Network for Senior Women Chemists and Physicists at Liberal Arts Colleges

摘要

Our research project focuses on the distinctive environments of undergraduate liberal arts institutions and the challenges faced by senior women faculty on these campuses to attain leadership roles and professional recognition. The project involves the formation of five-member alliances of senior women faculty members at different institutions for the purpose of "horizontal mentoring." Three of the alliances are comprised of full professors of chemistry, the fourth involves full professors of physics. We have formed these alliances to test a "horizontal mentoring strategy" that aims to enhance the leadership, visibility, and recognition of participating faculty members. Alliance members participate in discussions, workshops, and activities focused on career and leadership development through periodic gatherings of alliance members at various locations across the country and through electronic communication via online collaboration tools. The alliances are networked to augment the peer-support structure with a larger cohort of senior women scientists. Outreach activities on home campuses extend the impact of the career development expertise attained by project participants. This NSF-ADVANCE-PAID project is also working to identify and create resources that address career development issues for senior women at liberal arts institutions and disseminate best practices on horizontal mentoring strategies for academic women. We have explored how our institutional structure and culture can profoundly influence the career challenges of academic women and how our mentoring strategy can operate particularly effectively for women from liberal arts colleges.