About the Book
On Being a Mentor is the definitive guide to the art and science of engaging students and faculty in effective mentoring relationships in all academic disciplines. Written with pithy clarity and rooted in the latest research on developmental relationships in higher educational settings, this essential primer reviews the strategies, guidelines, and best practices for those who want to excel as mentors. Evidence-based advice on the rules of engagement for mentoring, mentor functions, qualities of good mentors, and methods for forming and managing these relationships are provided. Summaries of mentorship relationship phases and guidance for adhering to ethical principles are reviewed along with guidance about mentoring specific populations and those who differ from the mentor in terms of sex and race. Advice about managing problem mentorships, selecting and training mentors, and measuring mentorship outcomes and recommendations for department chairs and deans on how to foster a culture of excellent mentoring in an academic community is provided. Chalk full of illustrative case-vignettes, this book is the ideal training tool for mentoring workshops.
Highlights of the new edition include:
Introduces a new model for conceptualizing mentoring relationships in the context of the various relationships professors typically develop with students and faculty (ch. 2).
Provides guidance for creating a successful mentoring culture and structure within a department or institution (ch. 16).
Now includes questions for reflection and discussion and recommended readings at the end of each chapter for those who wish to delve deeper into the content.
Best Practices sections highlight the key takeaway messages.
The latest research on mentoring in higher education throughout.
Part I introduces mentoring in academia and distinguishes mentoring from other types of relationships. The nuts and bolts of good mentoring from the qualities of those who succeed as mentors to the common behaviors of outstanding mentors are the focus of Part II. Guidance in establishing mentorships with students and faculty, the common phases of mentorship, and the ethical principles governing the mentoring enterprise is also provided. Part III addresses the unique issues and answers to successfully mentoring undergraduates, graduate students, and junior faculty members and considers skills required of faculty who mentor across gender and race. Part IV addresses management of dysfunctional mentorships and the documentation of mentorship outcomes. The book concludes with a chapter designed to encourage academic leaders to make high quality mentorship a salient part of the culture in their institutions.
Ideal for faculty or career development seminars and teaching and learning centers in colleges and universities, this practical primer is appreciated by professors, department chairs, deans, and graduate students in colleges, universities, and professional schools in all academic fields including the social and behavioral sciences, education, natural sciences, humanities, and business, legal, and medical schools.
Table of Contents:
Part I: On Mentoring 1. Why Mentoring Matters 2. The Mentoring Relationship Continuum 3. Exemplary Mentoring in Academe: A Glimpse Inside Part II: On Being a Mentor 4. Foundational Mentoring Competencies: Who Mentors Are 5. Functional Mentoring Competencies: What Mentors Do 6. Beginning a Mentoring Relationship 7. The Seasons of Mentorship: Common Relationship Phases 8. The Ethical Mentor: Doing No Harm Part III: On Mentoring Specific Groups 9. Mentoring Undergraduates 10. Mentoring Graduate Students 11. Mentoring Junior Faculty 12. Mentoring and Gender 13. Mentoring Across Race Part IV: Managing Mentorships 14. Diagnosis and Management of Mentorship Dysfunction 15. Assessing Mentoring Outcomes 16. Recommendations for Academic Leaders: What Deans and Department Chairs Can "Do"
About the Author :
W. Brad Johnson is professor of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy and a Faculty Associate at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Johnson is invited to give mentoring workshops for university faculty around the globe.
Review :
"I wore out Johnson’s first edition of this book after a decade of use in my research and teaching. In this second edition I was glad to discover extensive testing of mentoring ideas in real-world contexts." – Carol A. Mullen, Virginia Tech, USA
"Mentoring young researchers is the key to academic and professional excellence and is increasingly important across European universities - this fine book on mentorship by Professor Brad Johnson will clearly fill a need and should be on every senior academic reading list. The book is highly readable and the many examples and practical guidelines provides a solid foundation for mentorship." – Jarle Eid, University of Bergen, Norway
"For those involved in the collaborative human enterprise of higher education, On Being a Mentor is an attentive and practical guide for faculty and senior leaders mindful of the transformational promise high-quality mentoring offers." – Laura L. Behling, Knox College, USA
"Brad Johnson's book is as essential as the MentorING activity itself and provides scholarship and wisdom for enriching the personal and professional relationship potential for the Mentor and Mentee." – Dana H. Born, Harvard University, USA
"The best comprehensive title available for mentoring in higher education. ... I have recommended ...OBM to many faculty development colleagues nationwide. " – Linda Beane- Katner, St. Norbert College, USA
"The book has had wide appeal and has been a springboard for campus conversations on mentoring around the country. ... The book is of interest to deans, department chairs, and faculty members across academic disciplines." – Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, Elon University, USA
„Institutional leaders, deans and department chairs, should be the first to read this book! ... Undergraduate faculty are the primary audience for the book although other faculty of graduate programs and professional degrees (MD, law) can benefit. ... I have already listed the 1st edition on our online mentoring toolkit and would include the 2nd edition as well." – Lisa Schwartz, The George Washington University, USA
"The text will be used within faculty development programs aimed at faculty, deans and provosts or in courses offered at research institutions. …The Johnson book fits a niche that focuses on the mentoring process which takes a prominent place in the development of a faculty member and a department culture. … Given the proposed changes and the success of this book, I would certainly adopt it." – Rae Jean B. Goodman, U.S. Naval Academy, USA
"I wore out Johnson’s first edition of this book after a decade of use in my research and teaching. In this second edition I was glad to discover extensive testing of mentoring ideas in real-world contexts." – Carol A. Mullen, Virginia Tech, USA
"Mentoring young researchers is the key to academic and professional excellence and is increasingly important across European universities - this fine book on mentorship by Professor Brad Johnson will clearly fill a need and should be on every senior academic reading list. The book is highly readable and the many examples and practical guidelines provides a solid foundation for mentorship." – Jarle Eid, University of Bergen, Norway
"For those involved in the collaborative human enterprise of higher education, On Being a Mentor is an attentive and practical guide for faculty and senior leaders mindful of the transformational promise high-quality mentoring offers." – Laura L. Behling, Knox College, USA
"Brad Johnson's book is as essential as the MentorING activity itself and provides scholarship and wisdom for enriching the personal and professional relationship potential for the Mentor and Mentee." – Dana H. Born, Harvard University, USA
"The best comprehensive title available for mentoring in higher education. ... I have recommended ...OBM to many faculty development colleagues nationwide. " – Linda Beane- Katner, St. Norbert College, USA
"The book has had wide appeal and has been a springboard for campus conversations on mentoring around the country. ... The book is of interest to deans, department chairs, and faculty members across academic disciplines." – Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler, Elon University, USA
„Institutional leaders, deans and department chairs, should be the first to read this book! ... Undergraduate faculty are the primary audience for the book although other faculty of graduate programs and professional degrees (MD, law) can benefit. ... I have already listed the 1st edition on our online mentoring toolkit and would include the 2nd edition as well." – Lisa Schwartz, The George Washington University, USA
"The text will be used within faculty development programs aimed at faculty, deans and provosts or in courses offered at research institutions. …The Johnson book fits a niche that focuses on the mentoring process which takes a prominent place in the development of a faculty member and a department culture. … Given the proposed changes and the success of this book, I would certainly adopt it." – Rae Jean B. Goodman, U.S. Naval Academy, USA
