Mentoring Program
Faculty mentors play an important role in the academic success of the McNair scholars.
The Council of Graduate Schools defines mentors as:
Advisors, people with career experience willing to share their knowledge;
supporters, people who give emotional and moral encouragement;
tutors, people who give specific feedback on one's performance;
masters, in the sense of employers to whom one is apprenticed;
sponsors, sources of information about, and aid in obtaining opportunities;
models of identity, of the kind of person one should be to be an academic (Zelditch, 1990).
The mentoring experience is a close, individualized relationship that develops between a student and a faculty member that includes nurturing, guidance, personal development, and academic enrichment. Finding a mentor with all these qualities would be ideal; however, the truth is that a scholar may find encouragement, feedback, information, and support from more than one mentor.
Mentoring is a vital component of the McNair Scholars Program and has traditionally focused primarily on the research component of the program. Throughout the year, program participants have the opportunity to conduct high-level, ongoing research under the guidance of their faculty mentors. This acquisition of knowledge and skills is important, but mentoring is also important to scholars because it also provides other aspects of professional socialization and personal support that are needed to facilitate success in graduate school and beyond.
Below: Valerie Toodle and her mentor, Dr. Danny McGuire, discuss their research at a colloquium.
Left: Dr. Carla Guthridge and Lora Repp visit during lunch. The monthly colloquium provide opportunties for faculty and students to meet informally and to enjoy a short academic program.
McNair Faculty mentors include:
Dr. Ralph Alexander, Department of Psychology and Human Ecology
Dr. Suzanne Clinton, Department of Business
Dr. Mary Dzindolet, Department of Psychology and Human Ecology
Dr. Felicia Godwin, Department of English
Dr. Carla Guthridge, Department of Biological Sciences
Dr. Aubree Helvey, Department of Business
Dr. Sarah Eppler Janda, Department of History
Dr. Dragan Jankovic, Department of Mathematics
Dr. Abbas Johari, Department of Multimedia Design
Dr. Margery Kingsley, Department of English
Dr. Thomas Labe, Department of Music
Dr. Danny McGuire, Department of Physical Science
Dr. Sherry Reynolds, Department of Education
Dr. Vivian Thomlinson, Department of English
--, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
Dr. Tony Wohlers, Department of History and Government
McNair Advisory Committee:
Dr. Lance Janda, Associate Professor of History
Dr. Margery Kingsley, Chair and Professor of English and Foreign Languages
Dr. Matt Jenkins, Associate Professor of Communication
Dr. Abbas Johari, Associate Professor of Multimedia Design
Ms. Barbara Pickthorn, Associate Professor of Library Science
