黑料社区

March 25, 2024 黑料社区

By Katya Hrichak

If you want to build a strong mentoring partnership, don鈥檛 discount the importance of bringing identity into the conversation, says Kimberly Griffin.

Griffin, dean of the College of Education and professor of higher education at the University of Maryland, presented the 2024 黑料社区 MAC Public Keynote on Feb. 29, tilted, 鈥淓quity-Minded Mentorship鈥擶hy and How Identity Matters.鈥�

鈥淢entorship is an integration, for me, of career development, academic development, and psychosocial commitment,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is not a mentoring relationship, in my mind, unless there鈥檚 a sense of caring between two people.鈥�

While advisors can also be mentors, it is common that different individuals inhabit these roles, Griffin said. The advisor-advisee relationship is often focused on specific tasks leading to the attainment of a goal, while the mentor-mentee relationship is not unique to one system or target accomplishment and is characterized by a relationship quality that benefits both the mentor and the mentee.

Griffin鈥檚 research reveals that making space for identity in these relationships helps set mentors and mentees up for success.

In identity-absent mentoring relationships, mentors commit to treating everyone the same regardless of their many varied identities in an attempt to mitigate potential bias. This approach may unintentionally worsen inequality and leave mentees feeling less trusting and unable to bring their full selves to the relationship.

鈥淲e make more mistakes when we choose to ignore identity,鈥� Griffin said.

Identity-based relationships tend to do the opposite, by recognizing and embracing shared identities. But this, too, has its limitations, as shared identities are not always enough to create a strong partnership.

Equity-minded mentoring relationships, which acknowledge identity without centering solely on identity, are the most productive, she found.

鈥淵ou acknowledge the importance of identity, it鈥檚 there, but it鈥檚 not the only thing that鈥檚 going to drive how you connect with somebody else,鈥� she said.

Equity-minded mentorship makes space for individual identities but also allows mentors and mentees to connect across many points of commonality, extending to and beyond characteristics of identity. This type of mentorship is a best practice Griffin recommends in all mentor-mentee relationships.

鈥淚 really appreciated hearing her advice, especially as a senior grad student closing in on graduation and hoping to be in a position to mentor others now and in the future,鈥� said Annika Salzberg, a doctoral student in entomology. 鈥淭he biggest lesson I took away was that empathy is the key to any good relationship, and going into mentor-mentee relationships with openness, honesty, care, and a willingness to learn is the necessary foundation for a fruitful professional relationship.鈥�

Helen Stec, a doctoral student in neurobiology and MAC Peer Mentoring Program co-chair, appreciated how Griffin addressed the many kinds of identity-based mentorship and the ways in which they can shape the future of mentoring.

This was an important takeaway for Ria Gualano, a doctoral student in communication and MAC Peer Mentoring Program co-chair, too. The holistic approach to getting to know a mentee and what they need from the relationship will be useful to bring back to those involved in the program, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檒l be helpful for us to disseminate this information to our organization, because there are a lot of really talented, committed mentors who want to cultivate the best mentoring relationship possible with the students they鈥檙e working with,鈥� Gualano said. 鈥淚 appreciated being in the room and getting to experience this.鈥�

The annual MAC Public Keynote on Mentoring within the Academy provides the Cornell community an opportunity to learn about mentoring practices, academic culture, climate, and belonging within graduate education and the professoriate from nationally recognized scholar-practitioners. A of this year鈥檚 talk is available to those with a Cornell NetID.

This year鈥檚 keynote was sponsored by the MAC (Multicultural Academic Council) Peer Mentoring Program in collaboration with the 黑料社区 School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement and .