RCDC Research Roots & Wings Roundtable 1: Holistic Mentoring Practices for Today's Research Careers - Perceptions from Students and Faculty

Mentoring is a significant part of learning for doctoral students and is becoming even more important because of the increased complexity of the educational environment, competitiveness of the job market, and increased expectations on doctoral students to perform. Strategic mentoring includes navigating multiple demands and being confidently prepared as emerging scholars. In the very full lives of early adulthood, this includes “nonacademic” stressors and challenges as well as academic and professional issues. These might include developmental milestones such as parenthood, unique mental health challenges, or just normal stress in going through an intense doctoral educational process. Also, in an increasingly diverse and complex social environment, mentoring pertaining to diversity and inclusion is an important issue needing further exploration.

This roundtable aims to generate a dialogue around mentoring practices that promote self-efficacy, growth, and confidence in doctoral students as emerging scholars in evolving and high-pressure research environments. In particular, this roundtable brings together featured panel participants and audience members to explore findings from a recent GADE survey focused on helpful and unhelpful mentoring practices and challenges —as perceived by doctoral students and faculty—on the following:

• academic/professional-related competencies • non-academic concerns • diversity and inclusion issues • challenges pertaining to mentoring

Featured participants will succinctly present findings of the GADE survey on mentoring to allow a common foundation of perspectives for an active roundtable conversation with the audience. Please bring your own experiences and perspectives to add to this timely conversation!