This chapter will explore how developing a professional mentoring network can have a positive effect on career development within the field of higher education. A specific focus will be placed on mentoring networks and women community college leaders. The author will provide a brief overview of different types of mentoring relationships and will explore different types of mentoring networks. Potential institutional barriers to developing mentoring relationships at a community college will be discussed. Finally, the author will share some practical strategies for both the institution and the reader, with the goal of helping the reader to develop a meaningful mentoring network.
TopIntroduction
Developing a mentoring relationship can feel like trying to find an elevator. Ascending to a higher floor within the building equates to assuming a leadership role at the institution. Individuals looking to move to a higher floor in the building and advance professionally have two options: the elevator or the stairs. When you are trying to get to a higher floor, which route would you prefer to take? The elevator is certainly the preferable route: it’s more direct and removes some of the possibility of losing your way on a lower floor. As someone new to the building (or in this case, a college or university), the junior colleague will often look for a senior colleague to show them the location of the elevator.
By showing a new colleague where the elevator is, the senior colleague takes on the role of mentor; helping the junior colleague navigate what can be a confusing and unclear process. Without someone to show them the elevator, a junior colleague must take the stairs to get to the higher floor. While the result may be the same, taking the stairs may result in achieving professional goals at a slower pace and without anyone providing clear direction about what exists on the floors above.
There are fewer elevators available for women than men (Hansman, 2016; Killelea, 2016). Like many industries, the field of higher education continues to see primarily men in leadership positions. This is seen in the number of women in positions of senior leadership within our nation's community colleges. In 1988, only 8% of community colleges had a woman president. Over the last thirty years, community colleges have increased the number of women presidents at a rate of less than 2% every two years (Gillett-Karam, 2017), culminating at 36% in 2016 (ACE, 2017).
The inequity of women versus men in a position of leadership in higher education could be due to a lack of mentoring opportunities being available for future women leaders in the field. This lack of mentoring experiences for women may account for their slower rate of professional advancement than men (Brown, 2005; Bynum, 2015; Searby et al., 2015). With fewer elevators available for women, future woman leaders may find themselves taking the stairs as they struggle to connect with a potential mentor (Martin & O’Meara, 2017).
In this chapter, I will explore how developing a professional mentoring network can have a positive effect on your career development. To accomplish this, I will discuss the benefits to develop these relationships. A specific focus will be placed on mentoring networks and women community college leaders. I will also discuss potential barriers to developing mentoring relationships at a community college, as well as ways that both the institution and you can help reduce these barriers to achieve your goal of developing a meaningful mentoring network.
Finding My Elevator
Starting as a young admissions counselor at a four-year institution, I found myself surrounded by men in positions of leadership. As someone who aspired to a leadership role, I was eager to find a mentor that I could learn and develop with as a professional. Seeking out a mentor was challenging; I was hard-pressed to find a woman leader in a role that aligned with my own professional goals and who had both the time and the interest to show me the elevator at my institution. For the first few years of my career, I found myself climbing a lot of stairs.
It wasn't until I began my work at a community college that I was lucky enough to find a mentor. My supervisor was a woman in a leadership role at the college, and, during my tenure at the college, became a true professional mentor: she showed me the location of the elevator. She viewed me as someone with potential and spent time working with me to develop my leadership skills. She encouraged my participation in campus task forces and trusted me to lead several important committees. With her guidance and support, I began a doctoral program. Once I successfully defended my dissertation, she supported my interest in seeking out opportunities to grow as a professional.
I consider myself fortunate to have found such a mentor that had both the time and the inclination to help a newer professional navigate the cultural and professional climate of my institution. Finding a mentor and developing my mentoring network has inspired me to pay it forward to the next generations of leaders. Once you are shown the elevator, it is important to provide the same opportunity to others.