A DEEPER LOOK...
“In our STEM Mentoring Ecosystems (STEM-ME) framework (Mondisa, Packard, & Montgomery, 2021), we argue that to elevate the impact and outcomes of mentoring, efforts cannot be approached or assessed solely program by program, but instead from an ecosystem-wide cultivation of success”.
An ecosystem-wide approach requires stepping back to take stock of mentoring across the institution. To do this, it is helpful to examine how mentoring is resourced and who has access to mentoring across the multiple disciplines within STEM, both within the institution and externally through disciplinary societies. We also recommend examining the broader organization for mentoring across undergraduate research, graduate schools, offices of diversity and inclusion, faculty success, and more. In doing so, institutions can look toward building synergies and identifying gaps in both service and resourcing.
“The building of synergies between programs is critical to maximize resources, share efficacious practices, and provide networks of support for the stewards of programs. Paths toward building synergies include cultivating communities of learning between program directors and coordinators, maximizing resources and minimizing administrative redundancies through pool-based administrative support, and providing recognized avenues for sharing challenges and successes among programs across disciplines”.
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