Equitable and inclusive mentoring programs for women faculty

ABSTRACT

Mentoring relationships designed for women can be beneficial in unique ways from traditional mentoring programs. We survey full-time faculty to identify how mentorships are used and to consider differences between genders to understand unique needs in mentoring relationships. Findings suggest women faculty in public administration and public affairs programs have unique needs and values regarding mentorship relationships compared to men. We also find that, while equitable and inclusive mentoring programs require institutional and human resource investments, clear parameters for expectations, inclusive matching considerations, and mutual trust and respect are needed and require different levels of support. Implications are made for public affairs programs to address culture and leadership issues before creating or fostering mentorship programs. Further, we suggest a need for additional training for mentors and creating mentorship networks to meet diverse needs of mentees and to ease the mentoring burden on individual faculty.

KEYWORDS:

• Equity and inclusiveness
• mentoring
• mentoring networks
• public affairs faculty
• women faculty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Participants were asked only one question on gender identity and one question on being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The researchers do not know if respondents were cisgender or transgender, though we note that transgender faculty may have additional mentorship needs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren Azevedo

Lauren Azevedo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of public administration at University of North Carolina Charlotte. Her research focuses on nonprofit capacity building, nonprofit leadership and governance, and social equity.

Brittany “Brie” Haupt

Brittany “Brie” Haupt is an Assistant Professor in the Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness department at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on crisis communication, cultural competence, and community resilience. Her recent work examines social justice in crisis response and equitable decision-making for crisis funding distribution. She has recently published two textbooks: Crisis Communication Planning and Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders and Cultural Competency for Emergency and Crisis Management: Concepts, Theories, and Case Studies.

Wanzhu Shi

Wanzhu Shi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Florida. Her current research interests focus on nonprofit management, social media usage in public sectors, and community assessment. Her most recent work has been published in the International Journal of Public Administration in the Digital Age and The Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs.