Date of Award
Spring 1996
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Augenstein, John
Second Advisor
Melko, Michaela
Third Advisor
Riordan, Timothy
Abstract
The topic of mentoring in higher education has been of special interest to this investigator for the past several years. As a new faculty member and new chairperson of a department, I was amazed at the variety of responsibilities involved with the role of faculty member. When I became a member of the Faculty Development Committee and was involved with new faculty orientation and continuing professional development of faculty, I realized the significance and importance of some form of mentoring in higher education. This past year when I was appointed as chairperson of the Faculty Development Committee, I became even more interested in the topic of mentoring as I discussed this important concept with colleagues from other colleges in the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. My desire to pursue research in the area of mentoring in higher education is the result of my conversations with and encouragement from my colleagues. One purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and practices of selected faculty employed in Wisconsin Catholic colleges regarding faculty mentoring. Another purpose of this study was to provide recommendations for establishing a mentoring program or refining an existing program on a college campus based upon faculty perceptions. Ninety-seven faculty were surveyed, and twenty of these f~culty were interviewed by telephone to investig~te their perceptions of mentoring. The subjects were asked to define mentoring, determine the purposes for mentoring, select the style of mentoring they preferred, and explain some of their apprehensions regarding participating as a mentor and protege in a mentoring relationship. Analysis of the data indicated that faculty define mentoring as a process of orienting new faculty to the operations of the college and to their role~ as faculty members. The most common apprehension for participating in a mentoring relationship expressed by faculty was the time commitment involved with participation in such a relationship. Based upon the response rate of faculty and their willingness to talk about this subject during the telephone interviews, the investigator concluded that mentoring in higher education is of interest to many and an important practice for the continued personal and professional development of faculty in higher education.