In celebration of March - Women’s History Month, Chancellor Loren Crabtree and the Commission for Women hosted an exciting and energizing workshop conducted by Dr. Alicia Cook, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Dr. Cook is an expert on the creation and implementation of mentoring circles. Mentoring circles are cohesive, yet diverse cohorts of people who share experiences and mutual support for recognizing and overcoming obstacles in the pursuit of professional growth and personal success. The UT Commission for Women has a long-standing interest in the development and promotion of mentoring for faculty, staff and students. Dr. Cook presented an enlightened view of the dynamics and benefits of mentoring circles, drawing on her personal experiences with mentoring circles at Colorado State. The following information is based on Dr. Cook’s workshop presentation.

Mentoring Circles
Dr. Alicia Cook
Colorado State University

Early mentoring models focused on the one-on-one learning approach to transfer skills and knowledge. This process was a non-dynamic and linear, and focused on coaching (task centered) and counseling (problem oriented). The linear quality was quite limiting, and presented narrowly defined options ill suited for complex and robust communities. Universities are a unique environment composed of diverse groups of people with varied roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Most of the research and documentation on mentoring has been written and designed for the corporate sector, and may not pertain to an academic setting.

The Colorado State Experience

The CSU mentoring program resulted from an accreditation site visit. The visit highlighted the need for a more formal model of support for women faculty, staff, and students, so the CSU Institute for Women and Leadership was established. The director was a well-known and well-respected leader on campus. Her reputation and influence brought the support of other high-ranking CSU citizens who helped her implement two leadership mentoring circles. The circles utilized the mentoring model created by the WOW’m Mentoring Company. [1] The founding circles were so successful that six additional circles were eventually established.

The purpose of the mentoring circles was to promote leadership among women who wanted to effect change and encourage professional development. The circles consisted of a mentor, a facilitator, and nine or ten participants who had been nominated for inclusion (nomination was considered an honor). The mentor provided expertise and experience. The facilitator was an “outsider” who maintained the focus of the group, promoted discussion, and fielded complaints. Mentoring activities were embraced by all circle members.

Two orientation sessions and twelve two-hour meetings were held throughout the year. Ground rules were established in the orientation sessions. Discussions occurred in a safe and secure environment, and absolute confidentiality was a must. Different perspectives and concrete alternative solutions were presented, increasing the problem solving abilities of circle participants. Most importantly, participants received support and encouragement for managing and overcoming obstacles preventing success.

Mentoring at UT

Dr. Cook offered numerous thought-provoking suggestions for UT’s mentors and mentees:

1. Look for a more creative approach to mentoring that focuses on possibility-centered options.
2. Gain new insight as both a mentor and a mentee and learn to view abilities in different ways.
3. Build lasting relationships through mentoring circles. Personal chemistry within circles is important.
4. Learn from the struggles and failures of others. Mentoring circle participants gain hope and understanding.
5. Acquire insight through the experiences of others. Mentoring circles provide options that might not be readily available outside the circles.

In addition, Dr. Cook offered the following suggestions for mentoring program developers:

1. Have a clear purpose and well-defined expectations.
2. Provide a facilitative structure.
3. Respect diverse backgrounds and needs.
4. Build relationships. Mentoring circles are based on connections. Use common experiences to bond.
5. Infuse participants with energy and commitment.
6. Generate wide-spread institutional support for mentoring circles.
7. Engage in ongoing evaluation.

According to Dr. Cook, it is important to constantly assess mentoring programs. Evaluators should concentrate on what is possible to accomplish, and must realize that limitations do exist. Successful mentoring programs do not have to continue indefinitely; in fact, the Colorado State mentoring circles no longer exist. Assessment can be conducted in several ways: assessment tools are available which evaluate individual growth; both personal and institutional growth can be measured by the recruitment and retention of women in male-dominated disciplines; and the retention of women in key leadership positions can be measured.

Dr. Cook suggested several key questions to ask during assessment of mentoring programs:

1. Did the nomination process occur in such a way that it was perceived to be exclusionary?
2. Were the needs of the diverse participants met?
3. Was there a systematic evaluation of the impact of the mentoring circle?
4. What were the long-term effects of the mentoring program?

The following reading list was developed by Dr. Cook: Mentoring in Higher Education: Advancing Individuals and Institutions.

Dr. Alicia Cook’s workshop engendered great enthusiasm among attendees for mentoring and mentoring circles. Her personal charisma, expertise, and vision were infectious, and we on the Commission for Women plan to develop more and better mentoring opportunities in the near future.

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1. http://mentoringcircles.com. May 24, 2004