Mentoring in higher education has proven to be a valuable tool in promoting interactions between students and faculty. African American males especially have reaped the benefits of formal mentoring programs at colleges and universities. Students who interact with and become involved in a mentoring relationship find greater satisfaction in their college experiences than those students without mentors. Mentoring is critical in the process of empowering and developing African American male students into role models.
Mentoring program recommendations for enhancing student retention, academic achievement, and leadership development in African American men are as follows:
· Executive leadership within the institution must be genuinely committed to the idea of a formal mentoring program
· Human and financial resources must be allocated
· A university committee should be established to identify African American male students, upon admission, who might be a good fit for the mentoring program
· Mentors should be selected who are energetic, compassionate, and dedicated. In addition, they should be individuals from all field experiences and levels within the university
· Those selected to serve in the program require a solid training program for development.
· Ongoing and unbiased assessment of the program
LaVant, B. D., Anderson, J. L., & Tiggs, J. W. (1997). Retaining African American men through mentoring initiatives. New Directions For Student Services, (80), 43.
No comments:
Post a Comment