The Mentoring Of Graduate Students: A Conceptual Framework For Same-Gender And Cross-Gender Mentor-Protégé Relationships

• DOI: 10.1177/088740349100500402
• Date: 01 December 1991
• Author: Robert J. Mutchnick,Evelyn S. Mutchnick
• Published date: 01 December 1991
• Subject Matter: Articles

292-

The

Mentoring

Of

Graduate

Students:

A

Conceptual

Framework

For

Same-Gender

And

Cross-Gender

Mentor-Protégé

Relationships

Robert

J.

Mutchnick

Indiana

University

of

Pennsylvania

Evelyn

S.

Mutchnick

Indiana

University

of

Pennsylvania

Abstract

The

process

of

mentoring

graduate

students

to

prepare

them

to

assume

roles

as

faculty

members

is

important

to

their

future

performance

and

satis-

faction.

This

article

examines

the

existing

state

of

mentor-protégé

relation-

ships,

posits

a

model

for

a

conceptual

framework

for

the

mentoring

process,

and

identifies

some

of

the

mechanisms

for

incorporating

it

into

graduate

criminological

education.

Particular

attention

is

given

to

the

mechanisms

that

facilitate

and

encourage

cross-gender

mentor-protégé

relationships

for

"professors

in

training."

Introduction

It

is

generally

accepted

by

those

involved

in

academia

in

the

United

States

that

over

the

next

five

to

ten

years

there

will

be

a

dramatic

change

in

the

complexion

of

the

faculty

at

our

colleges

and

universities

due

to

a

substantial

number

of

expected

retirements.

When

this

large

number

of

retirements

ac-

tually

occurs,

with

some

predicting

as

many

as

40.0

percent

of

the

current

faculty

retiring,

there

will

be

a

nationwide

competition

to

replace

them.

Reports

by

the

Chronicle

Of Higher

Education

and

some

of

the

recent

commissions

assessing

the

situation

indicate

that

there

may

not

be

enough

&dquo;new&dquo;

faculty

to

replace

those

who

will

retire.

Some

colleges

and

universities,

those

with

foresight

and

sufficient

resources,

are

employing

additional

young

faculty

now

instead

of

waiting

to

make

replacements

concurrent

with

retirements.

This

will

provide

a

&dquo;cushion&dquo;

against

the

anticipated

unavailability

of

qualified

&dquo;new&dquo;

faculty

in

the

future.

Looking

specifically

at

the

situation

for

criminology/criminal

justice

within

the

context

of

its

historical

development

as

an

academic

endeavor,

the

problem

of

the

replacement

of

retiring

faculty

is

expected

to

be

extremely

acute.