Transcript Slide 1

OFFICE OF THE SENIOR VICE PROVOST FOR
Faculty Development & Diversity
Advancing Diversity and
Excellence in Science and
Engineering
University of Michigan
January 19, 2007
© MENTOR. Printed from http://www.mentoring.org/mentoring_month
National Mentoring Month: Pass it on. Become a Mentor
National Mentoring Month (NMM) highlights mentoring and the positive impact it can have on young lives. Spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring
Project, MENTOR and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the first-ever NMM was held in January 2002. This month-long outreach
campaign focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us – individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith
communities and nonprofits – can work together to increase the number of mentors and assure brighter futures for our young people.
Thank Your Mentor Day™ – January 25, 2007 will mark the fourth annual "Thank Your Mentor Day," which many mentoring programs select as a day
of volunteer recognition. An outreach of the Harvard Mentoring Project, its message is:
Too many young people do not have a caring adult mentor to provide encouragement and support;
Mentoring programs can provide the link to this support; but
Programs need volunteers to close the gap.
How Your Interest Creates Positive Change
We encourage you to think of the mentors in your life—a team coah, your teacher, a concerned neighbor or another caring adult—and take a few minutes to
thank them and then consider becoming a mentor yourself. With MENTOR’s ZIP Code Search Tool, you can find profiles local mentoring programs—ementoring, group, or one-to-one-and choose the program that works best for you.
Being a Corporate Leader in Your Community
Organizations, too, can have a tremendous impact on young lives by sponsoring mentoring programs. For instance, your employer can partner with a local
school and recruit employees to mentor students. A workplace-based mentoring program not only benefits the kids, but your co-workers, as well. As James
S. Turley, Chairman of Ernst & Young LLP, says, "If other companies are considering starting mentoring programs, I would simply say, 'Just do it.' The
benefit to the community is great, and very importantly, the benefit to your own people is just as great." Workplace mentoring programs create employee
loyalty, increase productivity and build stronger ties between your organization and the community where you work.
Your organization can also support mentoring throughout 2007 by:
Donating in-kind gifts (use of space for events, office equipment, highlighting mentoring in employee newsletters);
Using the Double Omega icon (the universal symbol for mentoring), in your corporate communications and Web site;
Sponsoring a mentoring event; or
Providing key leadership for local mentoring programs.
For more information about how your organization can make a positive impact in the lives of young people, contact Tonya Wiley, Senior Vice
President, National Mentoring Institute.
State Activities Planned for NMM 2007
Stay up-to-date on mentoring activities in your state during National Mentoring Month. State Mentoring Partnerships use the month of January to focus
national attention on youth mentoring – how it benefits young people, adults and society, as a whole. Updates will be posted throughout January 2007.
“The right adult at the right time can make
an enormous difference. Many kids have a
history of difficult, disappointing
relationships and one good relationship-one person who is there for them--can
make a huge difference.”
-Jean E. Rhodes Professor, Psychology at the
University of Massachusetts in Boston.
Interview with Jean E. Rhodes
Introduction
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Interview with Jean E. Rhodes
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“Mentors will tell you on any given day that
they get as much out of it, if not more, than
the kids. We know from the research that
mentors say they get a fresh perspective on
their life and they feel better about
themselves for having an impact on a
child.”
-Dr. Susan Weinberger, founder and president of
the Mentor Consulting Group and nationally
recognized expert in mentoring.
Interview with Dr. Susan Weinberger
Interview with Dr. Susan
Weinberger
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Dr. Jay A. Winsten
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“Mentoring is a two-way street. What the
mentee gets is confidence, significance, a
sense of belonging, a hopeful outlook, and
the motivation and skills to succeed. As for
the older person, serving as a mentor gives
one meaning, gives one purpose, and offers
the profound satisfaction of making a
lasting difference in a child's life.”
-Dr. Jay A. Winsten, Head of the Harvard
Mentoring Project and the Frank Stanton
Director, Center for Health Communication,
Harvard School of Public Health.
Interview with Dr. Jay A. Winsten
WHAT IS A MENTOR?
“My mentor makes me feel good about myself” -Shamaine, 18.
When you were growing up, were there adults who encouraged you, offered you encouragement, shared
their experiences and knowledge, or sometimes just listened when you needed to talk? Those people were
mentors to you.
Today, too many children don't get enough of that kind of support. The average teacher will
often face 200 students in a single day and student-counselor ratios exceed 500 to 1 in most
urban districts. According to researchers, "even the most caring find it hard to connect with
more than a few young people." According to the National Mentoring Partnership there are
approximately 35.2 million young people (ages 10-18) in the US. About half of them-17.6
million young people-want or need a caring adult mentor to help them succeed. Of those
17.6 million, only 2.5 million are currently in formal mentoring relationships. That means
that 15.1 million youths are still in need of formal mentoring relationships.
You can "pass it on" to the next generation by volunteering as a mentor to a young person in your community. It
doesn't require any special skills to be a mentor--just an ability to listen and to offer friendship, guidance, and
encouragement.
To learn more about how you can change a child's life please read on.
The first interview is with Dr. Jean E. Rhodes, Professor Psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.
For over a decade, she has conducted research on both natural and assigned mentoring relationships in
adolescence. Rhodes is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research and
Community Action, and a member of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on
Transitions to Adulthood. She has published three books and more than 50 articles and chapters on topics
pertaining to mentoring and adolescent social development.
The second interview is with Dr. Susan Weinberger, AKA Dr. Mentor. Dr. Weinberger is founder and president of
the Mentor Consulting Group. Dr. Weinberger is a nationally recognized expert in establishing, maintaining, and
evaluating school and community-based mentoring programs and school-to-work initiatives. The program she
designed has been replicated in more than 40 states. Dr. Weinberger serves on the board of MENTOR/National
Mentoring Partnership.
The third interview is with Dr. Jay Winsten, Head of the Harvard Mentoring Project and Frank Stanton Director,
Center for Health Communication, Harvard School of Public Health. He was the architect of the acclaimed
"Designated Driver" campaign in the US, having imported the concept from Scandinavia in 1988. Designated
Driver is widely regarded as a benchmark for public service campaigns in the entertainment/media industry. For
the past seven years, the Harvard School of Public Health, under Dr. Jay Winsten's leadership, has spearheaded a
national media campaign to recruit volunteer mentors for at-risk youth. The campaign has won the support of the
President (spanning two administrations), the United States Congress, and numerous governors and mayors
across the country.
The additional pages provide further information on what mentoring is all about, how to find a strong mentoring
program and other resources both for prospective and current mentors. So please, "pass it on."
Website: http://www.cbs.com/cbs_cares/mentoring
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SEARCH EDUTOPIA
The Good Mentor
By James B. Rowley
After nearly a decade of helping school districts design mentor-based entry-year programs, James Rowley knows what it takes to be
an effective mentor to new teachers. By identifying the characteristics of a good mentor, Rowley prescribes necessary components
for building a successful and effective mentoring program in any district.
The good mentor is committed to the role of mentoring.
To increase the odds that mentor teachers possess the commitment fundamental to delivering effective support, good programs can:
1.Require formal mentor training as a prerequisite to mentoring.
2.Provide specific descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of mentor teachers.
3.Require mentors to maintain simple logs or journals of the mentorship.
4.Provide mentors with some form of compensation.
The good mentor is a model of continuous learning.
Quality entry-year programs can ensure that mentors continue their own professional growth and development by:
1.Establishing clear criteria for mentor selection that include a commitment to initial and ongoing mentor training.
2.Giving veteran mentors frequent opportunities to participate in high-quality professional growth experiences that can enhance
their work as mentor teachers.
The good mentor is accepting of the beginning teacher.
Programs can encourage mentor teachers to be more accepting of new teachers by:
1.Engaging prospective mentors in reflecting on the qualities of effective helpers.
2.Helping program mentors understand the problems and concerns of beginning teachers as well as the stage and age theories of
adult development.
The good mentor communicates hope and optimism.
Programs can ensure that beginning teachers are supported by mentors capable of communicating hope and optimism through:
1.Finding good mentors who capitalize on opportunities to affirm the human potential of their mentee.
2.Taking precautions to avoid using veteran teachers who have lost their positive outlook.
Rowley, James, The Good Mentor, Educational Leadership, May 1999, Volume 56, No. 8, pp.20-22. Reprinted with permission of
the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Copyright © by ASCD. All rights reserved.
Published: 9/1/1999
Welcome to The Mentor Directory. Our last update occurred January 17, 2007
MENTORING - A community of wisdom.
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MENTORING - The gift of flight for your soul.
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MENTORING - Balancing heart, mind and spirit.
The Greek origin of mentoring is challenged, but its power is indisputable. We separate myth from fact, list famous mentors,
provide real-life stories, and reveal expert tips.
Virtually anyone can be an effective mentor. Take a brief mentor test and receive feedback about your mentor quotient.
Upcoming workshops and conferences on mentoring. Details about dates, locations, and fees. Also learn about events
you missed-theirs and ours!
We track the best mentor sites on the Internet and continuously update our listings. Find out who is doing what for whom
and why.
Many great books and videos focus on mentoring. We review the best. Use our links to purchase and save considerable
time and money.
Sample evaluation forms and surveys, mentor profile tools, mentor agreements, a list of matching tools and program
management systems (Peer Resouces Network membership required for access.)
Ask our virtual mentor a question. Responses typically take less than 24 hours. Access other experts who also
provide information and support.
Looking for a mentor? Use our tips to attract a mentor. We describe and link to various mentor sources. Complete a
profile; maybe we can help.
We have summarized every research, professional, and popular article published on mentoring. Use the search
feature for a custom print out.
Wondering how organizations design their mentor programs? Find up-to-date examples with a key word, location
or category search
Participate in our Question Period. Answer our current mentor issue question. Win the latest in MentorWear. View expert
opinions on past issues.
Entry printed from Oxford English Dictionary
Online
Copyright © Oxford University Press 2007
mentor, n.
DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2001 Brit. /mnt/, U.S. /mnt()r/, /mn(t)r/ [< French mentor (1735 in
sense 2 in a book title, 1749 in sense ‘guide, adviser’) < Mentor, the name of a character in F.
de S. de la Mothe-Fénelon's Les Aventures de Télémaque (1699), after ancient Greek , the
name of a character in the Odyssey, in whose likeness Athena appears to Telemachus and acts
as his guide and adviser. Cf. German Mentor (1725 in sense ‘court tutor, adviser’ in a book
title), Italian mentore (a1789), Spanish mentor (1785 in a book title).
N.E.D. (1906) notes that the emphasis Fénelon places on the role of Mentor as a counsellor is
key to the currency of this word in English and French. Fénelon's work was one of the most
popular political novels of its time, and had been translated into English by 1699-1700,
German by 1700, and Italian by 1719: The ancient Greek name is recorded as a historical
personal name in the 4th cent. It may be cognate with MIND n.1]
Mentor: (cont.):
I. Simple uses.
1. a. Originally (in form Mentor): a person who acts as guide and adviser to another
person, esp. one who is younger and less experienced. Later, more generally: a person
who offers support and guidance to another; an experienced and trusted counsellor or
friend; a patron, a sponsor.
1750 LD. CHESTERFIELD Let. 8 Mar. (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1513 The friendly care and
assistance of your Mentor. 1784 W. COWPER Task II. 595 The friend Sticks close, a Mentor worthy of his
charge. 1792 C. SMITH Desmond II. x. 113 In order to convince you that I can occasionally play the
Mentor, instead of being always your Telemachus, I am going to give you something very like a lecture.
1814 R. WILSON Private Diary (1861) II. 329 The same Mentor, who really is a most sincere friend,
begged me to [etc.]. 1871 S. SMILES Character (1876) iii. 68 The elder student from that time forward
acted as the Mentor of the younger one. 1945 Sun (Baltimore) 9 Nov. 6/4 Dr. Edward V. Condon..mentor
to the Senate atom group. 1984 A. N. WILSON Hilaire Belloc I. v. 99 Chesterton gained a mentor
who was to sharpen, and largely reshape, his whole outlook on life. 1994 Minnesota Monthly
Sept. 102/2 Each artist has made her name by creating outstanding work and by serving as a mentor for
emerging artists.
b. orig. and chiefly U.S. spec. An experienced person in a company, college, etc., who
trains and counsels new employees or students. Freq. attrib.
1980 Business Week (Nexis) 27 Oct. 178 Jewel's mentor program helps Jewel recruit successfully at
Harvard Business School. 1980 W. SAFIRE in N.Y. Times Mag. 2 Nov. 18 (heading) What does ‘mentor’
mean?.. In fast-track corporate lingo, it means ‘career guide and executive nurturer’. 1989 A. MORTONCOOPER Return to Nursing (1990) 97 The use of assertiveness and relaxation skills heighten the sense of
self-worth, as do peer support groups and reliable and empathetic mentor systems. 1994 Computing 20 Oct.
47/4 Men are often given a mentor and are given guidance through their career which g
ives them the momentum to carry on.
On Language
By William Safire, “Perils of the Fast Track”
New York Times, November 2, 1980
“The saga of Mary Cunningham,” the series was titled-a swiftpaced account by writer Gail
Sheehy of the rapid rise of a 29-year old woman from executive assistant to vice president
for strategic planning, thanks to her own talent, drive, Harvard Business School training and
the aid of a mentor, the Bendix Corporation’s C.E.O., William Agee. The story of Miss
Cunnigham’s temporary downfall-caused by a reaction to rumors of a romantic liaison with
her mentor-was lapped up by newspapers across the country.
…Throughout this story, soon to be a minor motion picture, the term “mentor” is tossed
about. Today, that ancient word means a senior management figure who takes a
younger person under his wing, risking rumor and innuendo if the protégée, or
mentee, is an attractive woman. The name was chosen by the poet Homer for the
man to whom Odysseus entrusted his son, Telemachus, before hitting his own
fast-though long-track. The eponymous word “mentor” came to mean “trusted
friend and counselor” and was recently adopted in business to mean “ career
guide and executive nurturer.”
…But here’s the beauty part: In the Odyssey, the Goddess Athena assumed the
disguise of Mentor to act as adviser to young Telemachus. It was all a trick.
Across the millenia, the poet warns us to watch out for mentors. As Mary
Cunningham learned, at the start of her own odyssey to C.E.O, mentors can be
trouble; even Homer shook his head.
E.R Kandel:
“For Grundfest, the reduction of his research capability
at what proved to be the peak of his scientific career was
devastating. Paradoxically, the circumstances proved
beneficial for me. Grundfest had more time available
than he otherwise would have, and he devoted a
substantial amount of it to teaching me what brain
science was actually about and how it was soon to be
transformed from a descriptive and unstructured field
into a coherent discipline based on cell biology. I knew
next to nothing about modern cell biology, yet the
new direction in brain research, as outlined by
Grundfest, fascinated me and stirred my
imagination. The mysteries of brain function were
beginning to unravel as a result of examining the
brain one cell at a time.”
Eric R. Kandel, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in
Physiology, 2000
Excerpt is from his book: In Search of Memory: The
Emergence of a New Science of Mind (2006)
P. Doherty:
So, science isn’t about achieving high-sounding positions, or prizes, or riches. It’s about
discovery and excitement. Its also about persistence and integrity. Perhaps the best advice
than can be given to any young scientist is: commune with the data. Look at the findings
over and over from different perspectives: if what you have seems odd but interesting, try
lateral thinking: think the impossible or the absurd. Talk with trusted colleagues . The mark of
the creative scientist can often be to see something new in findings that others have dismissed as
uninteresting, or a failure. Sometimes the hardest thing for any of us to see is what is directly in front of
our own faces, particularly if we are locked in conceptually to a particular theory or set of ideas.
On the other hand, first-class scientists know how to avoid going down unproductive paths. I have
met more than one researcher who persistently followed the abnormal result and, just as consistently,
picked the path to the red herring and certain failure. If you do find something unusual, it is
important to see that the result can be repeated before investing too much energy. Finding out
new stuff is a demanding game, and what looks like serendipity can sometimes turn out to be the song of
the sirens from Greek mythology.
The greatest concern for anyone heading a research program is that somebody will cheat and fake
the result—though is hasn’t, as far as I know, happened to me personally. Its rare, but it can occur when
someone young and inexperienced somehow comes to believe that the job of the person doing the
experiment is to support the ideas and interpretations of the leader. Nothing could be further from the
truth. My young colleagues are made very aware that their task is as much to deflate any
grand constructs and pretensions that I might have as to reinforce them. I am delighted
when they are able to convince me my idea is wrong. Part of my task as a senior scientist is
to help then to emerge as the next generation of innovative thinkers and investigators. They
have to grow and to become independent.
Peter Doherty, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1996
Excerpt is from his book: The Beginners Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize (2006)
J. Michael Bishop:
The people who mattered most to me as I grappled with this revelation were several
sophisticated classmates whose prior experience allowed them to teach me the ethos of
research. They became my principal mentors throughout medical school and enduring
friends. So it is that, to this day, I tell my students that they can expect to learn more from
their peers than from their faculty. (p.44)
Elmer Pfefferkorn, at the time an unsung instructor who taught the course, took me into his miniscule
laboratory and put me to work. Elmer soon rose to great distinction in his field and eventually became
chairman of the Department of Microbiology a the Dartmouth School of Medicine. I readily concede that
my work with Elmer contributed nothing to either of those achievement. From the course, I learned that
animal viruses were ripe for study with the tools of molecular biology, yet still accessible to the likes of
me. From Elmer, I learned the exhilaration of research, the practice of rigor, and the art of
disappointment. (p.47)
My mentor at the NIH was Leon Levintow, who has continued as friend and alter ego to this
day—a relationship cemented as much by a common love of music and gossip as by shared
interests in science. (Gossip is a common coin in scientific discourse, as explained by Francis
Crick: “What you are really interested in is what you gossip about.”) Leon helped me in
many ways. But preeminent among these was by being my advocate with administrators and
scientists alike. He developed a confidence in my prospects and he made that confidence
known in many useful ways, while I was at the NIH and in the years to come. Every young
scientist can profit from such an advocate, and every senior scientist should be willing to be
one. There is a remnant of Renaissance patronage in the practice of modern science that is
both admirable and effective. (p.49)
Bishop continued:
Harold’s arrival changed my life and career. Our relationship evolved rapidly to one of equals, and
the result was surely greater than the sum of the two parts—unless I have underestimated Harold. For
nearly fifteen years, we jointly supervised a group of younger scientists that at its peak numbered more
than two dozen. The two of us met regularly with each of them, exchanging ideas, reviewing
data, criticizing conclusions, and helping to write the manuscripts that would convey our
news to the scientific world. We were, in essence, two organists playing on the keys of a
splendid instrument. Except that these keys had spirited minds of their own, so dissonance was not
unheard of, and on many occasions, the keys actually drafted the score and then prevailed over the
organists. The arrangement between Harold and myself was unusual, widely recognized as such, and
much admired. We became a hyphenated self that gave its name to a social organism—the “BishopVarmus” laboratory. Among my generation of biomedical scientists, I know of very few such partnerships
that achieved comparable distinction.( p.54-55)
The paths that Harold and I have followed were not premeditated journeys to a calculated goal. We
followed our noses and they led to an amazing place. The lesson here for me is that those of us who
teach should place less emphasis on recitation and more on inspiration. We should educate
and influence, but we should also let our students follow their own noses.(p.58)
Bishop:
Science thrives on the spirit of community. The popular mind imagines the scientist as a lonely
genius. In reality, few of us are geniuses, and even fewer are lonely. Most scientists do virtually
nothing alone: we exchange ideas with alacrity; we design and perform experiments
together; we rely on one another day in and day out; we usually take pleasure in discoveries,
no matter who has made them; we usually give credit where it is due. The popular press
dramatizes our competitions. But for each of these, there are countless collaborations.
Science spans all boundaries, creating what Freeman Dyson has called a “territory of
freedom and friendship in the midst of tyranny and hatred.” Dyson wrote with great passion
about friendship among scientists. “Scientists are as gregarious as termites. If the lives of scientists
are on the whole joyful, it is because our friendships are deep and lasting. Our friendships are lasting
because we are engaged in a collective enterprise.” (p.61)
Creative science is achieved through courage. Most of the great discoveries in science come from bold
acts of the imagination, intellectual daring of the highest order. In the words of Fats Waller ( speaking of
musical chords): “Dare to be wrong, or you may never be right.” There is no fear in science greater than
that of being wrong. But the scientist who cannot act in the face of that fear stands little chance of
changing textbooks. (p.62)
J. Michael Bishop, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology, 1989
Excepts are from his book: How to Win the Nobel Prize (2003)
Excerpts from:
Dobbs, David
New Scientist; 9/16/2006, Vol. 191 Issue 2569, p.40-43
“How to Be a Genius”
Extraordinary Efforts
…It's complicated explaining how genius or expertise is created and why it's so rare," says
Anders Ericsson, the professor of psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee who
edited the handbook. "But it isn't magic, and it isn't born. It happens because some critical
things line up so that a person of good intelligence can put in the sustained, focused effort it
takes to achieve extraordinary mastery. These people don't necessarily have an especially
high IQ, but they almost always have very supportive environments, and they almost always
have important mentors. And the one thing they always have is this incredible investment of
effort."
Decade of Dedication
…The same is true for Tiger Woods. He seems magical on the golf course, but he was
swinging a golf club before he could walk, got great instruction and practiced constantly
from boyhood, and even today outworks all his rivals. His genius has been laboriously
constructed.
D. Dobbs (cont.):
…Study so intense requires resources — time and space to work, teachers to mentor — and the subjects
of Bloom's study, like most elite performers, almost invariably enjoyed plentiful support in their formative
years. Bloom*, in fact, came to see great talent as less an individual trait than a creation of
environment and encouragement. "We were looking for exceptional kids," he said, "and what we
found were exceptional conditions." He was intrigued to find that few of the study's subjects had shown
special promise when they first took up the fields they later excelled in, and most harboured no early
ambition for stellar achievement. Rather, they were encouraged as children in a general way to explore
and learn, then supported in more focused ways as they began to develop an area they particularly liked.
Another retrospective study, of leading scientists, similarly found that most came from homes where
learning was revered for its own sake
Finally, most retrospective studies, including Bloom's, have found that almost all high
achievers were blessed with at least one crucial mentor as they neared maturity. When
Subotnik looked at music students at New York's elite Juilliard School and winners of the high-schoollevel Westinghouse Science Talent Search, he found that the Juilliard students generally realised their
potential more fully because they had one-on-one relationships with mentors who prepared them for the
challenges they would face after their studies ended. Most of the Westinghouse winners, on the other
hand, went on to colleges where they failed to find mentors to nurture their talent and guide them through
rough spots. Only half ended up pursuing science, and few of them with distinction
So focused study and practice literally build the neural networks of expertise. Genetics may allow one
person to build synapses faster than another, but either way the lesson must still be learned. Genius must
be built.
*Benjamin Bloom, prominent University of Chicago Psychologist; he passed away in 1999.