A MENTORING PROGRAM FOR FEMALE AND MINORITY FACULTY MEMBERS IN THE SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING: EFFECTIVENESS AND STATUS AFTER 9 YEARS

摘要

A mentoring program for tenure-track female and minority faculty members was established at Kansas State University (K-State) in 1993 with funds for 4 years from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In 1998, K-State committed itself to continuing the program. Funds are currently provided for five tenure-track faculty members per year at up to $6,000 each. Eligibility is limited to those who have not yet obtained significant extramural research funding. Each recipient works with a tenured mentor who provides advice on establishing oneself in a chosen research discipline. Recipients may use program funds in a variety of ways. The program's effectiveness is shown by several outcomes, including extramural funding success, tenure and retention, and anecdotal evidence from award recipients regarding the positive effects of the program on their professional development. The authors discuss the limitations of the program and problems that remain, together with strategies for dealing with them. They also discuss longer term outcomes that will continue to be monitored.