Cohort 1 Fellows Mentors
- Dr. Marcia Pfeiffer, President Emerita, St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley
- Dr. Debra Bragg, President of Bragg and Associates, Inc. and Founder of two Community College Research Centers (University of Washington, Seattle & University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
- Dr. Avis Proctor, President, William Rainey Harper College
- Dr. Mary Ostrye, Systemwide Provost and Senior Academic Vice President Emerita, Ivy Tech Community College
- Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke, Superintendent/President of MiraCosta Community College District
Overarching Goal
The CCPI-STEM Fellows will participate in professional development and mentoring activities to prepare them for future leadership roles in community colleges.
Expectations
CCPI-STEM Fellows will be expected to present their research findings at appropriate events, publish their results, and share their research and its implications with the broader community. In addition, the Fellows will be expected to act as ambassadors and champions of the Advanced Technological Education program and mentor other college professionals.
Mentoring CCPI Fellows vs. Graduate Students
Unlike mentoring programs for graduate students, young faculty at academic institutions, or young staff in an organization, the CCPI-Fellows Mentoring Program is not a formal activity with a prescribed set of training sessions over a period of time on how to succeed in one’s graduate program or how to move from a young faculty to become a more seasoned and senior faculty, or how to manage and advance within the company culture.
PushFar.com (2021) has defined the difference between a Mentor and a Coach as a mentor is someone who shares their knowledge, skills, and experience to help another to develop and grow. A coach is someone who provides guidance to a client on their goals and helps them reach their full potential.
Mentor/Mentee Program for CCPI Fellows
The term Mentor typically means an experienced and trusted adviser, especially one who advises those with less experience. Mentors are those who help us move toward our full potential.
One of the objectives of the CCPI-STEM Fellows Program is to provide mentoring assistance to the Fellows as they navigate and balance the challenging career roles and their societal responsibilities while pursuing advanced degrees. The CCPI-STEM Fellow Mentors can be best defined as experts and role models. The Mentors are advised to help the Fellows in their professional and personal development. The Mentors are expected to share their knowledge, experience, and skills in guiding the Fellows (their mentees) to address and navigate challenging issues they may face at their workplace and in academic progress.
The Fellows have been assigned Mentors to match the identified need of the Fellows best. For example, one Fellow mentioned that she needed help developing survey instruments, data collection, and data analysis skills, so a nationally recognized expert in research and evaluation was assigned as her mentor. Another Fellow expressed her goal to move up to the rank of a provost; therefore, a retired provost from a large statewide community college was matched with her.
Mentor/Fellow Interactions
The primary goal of the Mentor program is to help Fellows develop leadership skills and professional growth. Therefore, it is suggested that Mentors share their experiences and challenges as they advanced in their careers and what skills and tactics they used to manage difficult situations. However, the Fellows may also seek help in some specific workplace challenges, where Mentors may be able to assist.
Although there are no set requirements, it is expected that Fellows and their Mentors will communicate once every month or on a quarterly basis, and more often if the Fellow is in need of some specific guidance from their Mentor. As described above, CCPI Mentors are not Coaches, and therefore they do not necessarily need to follow any specific tasks or monitor their mentee’s progress.
Reference
PushFar.com (2021), Mentoring vs Coaching: The Key Differences and Benefits, pushfar.com/article/mentoring-vs-coaching-the-key-differences-and-benefits/