Mentoring at the intersection of student and faculty retention at Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCUs) masters of public administration programs

ABSTRACT

Mentoring is essential for the retention and success of not only students but early-career junior faculty as well. Yet, mentorship and mentoring become an issue of equity where those with the resources (financial, human, etc.) receive and provide better mentoring. This article is a collaborative autoethnography triangulated with program documents to better understand the role, perceptions, and experiences of mentorship for Women of Color (WOC) faculty in NASPAA-accredited HBCU graduate programs. This research uses a framework where student success depends on faculty success, and investing in faculty is as important as investing in students. We found the way that faculty perceive their role as mentors is strongly influenced by past mentoring experiences, how roles and responsibilities are defined, and how these roles and responsibilities are supported and measured within retention, tenure, and promotion (RTP). We provide recommendations to retain and develop faculty to become highly effective mentors at HBCUs.

KEYWORDS:

• Autoethnography
• HBCUs
• mentorship
• retention
• women of color

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Schnequa N. Diggs

Schnequa N. Diggs is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at North Carolina Central University. Her current research focuses on representation, social, and gender equity, and intersectionality. She is currently an active member of ASPA, serving on the COMPA and DSJ Board of Directors. She also serves on the Affordable Housing Implementation Committee for the City of Durham, NC.

Del M.N. Bharath

Del M.N. Bharath is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Savannah State University. Her research interest lies in teaching public administration, gentrification, and the perceptions of public administration in film.

Kristie Roberts-Lewis

Kristie Roberts-Lewis is the former Chair & Associate Professor in the Departments of Public Administration and Public Policy at Southern University and A & M College. She currently serves as the Senior Program Manager of Transformation Support in the Institute of Capacity Building with the United Negro College Fund. An accomplished Higher Education administrator with an exceptional record of leading transformational change, increasing institutional effectiveness and student success in graduate education. She has served in institutions of higher learning for more than two decades and is currently the Managing Editor for the Journal of Public Management and Social Policy. She is the Immediate Past President of the ASPA Louisiana Chapter and serves on the Fund Development Committee with COMPA. Her research interests are focused on social welfare and social equity issues which has led to the publication of one book, numerous articles, and book chapters while sharing her research findings at national, regional, and local conferences.

Deborah Bailey

Deborah Bailey is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Public Administration Program in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Public Administration at Bowie State University. Her research is in the area of social policy with an emphasis on public HBCUs and state policy. She is currently engaged in research on transitions in Black Church leadership and Public Policy. She is a member of NASPAA, ASPA, and COMPA and the planning team for the Pan African Symposium on the Pan African City, 2024 Conference committee.