2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
Climbing the Ivory Tower: Are Faculty Mentoring Programs the Key to the Kingdom?
Dr. Teresa L. Smith
Julian T. Buxton Professor of Business Administration
University of South Carolina Sumter
Sumter, South Carolina, United States
(803) 938-3710
tlsmith0@mailbox.sc.edu
Dr. Jean-Luc Grosso
McDavid Professor of Business Administration
University of South Carolina Sumter
Sumter, South Carolina, United States
(803) 938-3859
jlgrosso@mailbox.sc.edu
June 24-26, 2009
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
1
2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
Climbing the Ivory Tower: Are Faculty Mentoring Programs the Key to the Kingdom?
Teresa L. Smith, University of South Carolina Sumter, Sumter, SC, USA,
tlsmith0@mailbox.sc.edu
Jean-Luc E. Grosso, University of South Carolina Sumter, Sumter, SC, USA,
jlgrosso@mailbox.sc.edu
ABSTRACT
Universities across the United States and around the globe are facing increasing
difficulties hiring and retaining qualified faculty in business disciplines. Many factors are
contributing to this problem, including a decreasing supply of new Ph.D. graduates, an
increasing demand for business faculty due to an increasing demand for business education
worldwide, the aging of the population of current faculty and resulting increases in retirements,
and the fact that more than one-third of graduates with business Ph.D.s are choosing not to work
in academe. The purpose of this paper is to discuss faculty mentoring programs at colleges and
universities in the U. S. and abroad. The paper will review the research on the effectiveness of
existing faculty mentoring programs and discuss the components of successful mentoring
programs.
INTRODUCTION
As mentioned above, higher education institutions across the United States and around
the globe are facing increasing difficulties hiring and retaining qualified faculty in business
disciplines. Factors contributing to the problem include a decreasing supply of new Ph.D.
June 24-26, 2009
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
graduates, an increasing demand for business faculty due to an increasing demand for business
education worldwide, the aging of the population of current faculty and resulting increases in
retirements, and the fact that more than one-third of graduates with business Ph.D.s are choosing
not to work in academe.
According to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB),
nearly 10% of tenure-track faculty positions in business went unfilled in 2002. While more than
30% of business faculty in the United States are age 55 and older, only 62% of newly-minted
Ph.D.s in business planned to work in academe according the report. In fact, the AACSB has
instituted its “bridge” program to encourage those with Ph.D.s in fields related to business (like
Industrial Organization Psychology) to retrain to be hired in business schools as one strategy to
deal with the problem of a shortage of business Ph.D.s in academe.
The 2000 report on the status of the profession by the United States National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) presents statistics that may provide an answer as to why job
candidates are choosing to work in areas other than academe. Some may find more lucrative
careers in the private sector; however, for many, the possibility of not receiving tenure and
promotion and having to find another position after investing six years at an institution and
leaving with a disparaging ‘black mark’ on one’s career is a reality.
The NCES report stated that only 66% of male and 42% of female faculty in U.S.
institutions were tenured. White males were more likely to be tenured than females and black
male and female faculty (only 48% of black male and female faculty were tenured). Male faculty
also receive greater rewards for research productivity, service activities, and administrative
responsibilities. Women and minorities are especially concerned about how to navigate the
June 24-26, 2009
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
treacherous waters to tenure and promotion, and universities are responding by searching for
ways to help them in that process. That help is coming in the form of mentoring programs that
are being created by institutions as a way to attract and retain qualified faculty.
MENTORING PROGRAMS
Formal mentoring programs have been used for some time by companies in the private
sector, but are relatively new for most universities. Well designed and implemented faculty
mentoring programs can be a win-win-win situation for the mentee, mentor, and university if all
of the parties involved are truly committed to the program and willing to invest in its success.
The problem is that many universities have not begun to establish formal mentoring programs to
help new faculty navigate the waters to successful careers. Research is also lacking on the
development of programs and the results of their implementation. Dixon-Reeves (2003) points
out that mentoring is important to increasing opportunities for success, but that little research has
been conducted to confirm that belief.
In one article, Weems (2003) recounted the experience of the University of Missouri’s
attempt to recruit and retain more African American faculty. The faculty hired had felt less than
welcome, so a formal mentoring program was established to help. In the program, mentors
volunteered to participate, and mentees could choose the mentor they wanted to work with. The
mentor received some training in diversity issues to increase sensitivity to issues minority faculty
would face at the university. The article, however, did not give detailed program information or
statistics on the outcome of the program.
June 24-26, 2009
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
Characteristics of Mentoring Programs
In order to be successful, mentoring programs rely on a strong relationship between the
mentor and mentee. Many subjective factors come into play in developing that relationship –
personality differences between the two, trust, honesty, time to spend together and discuss issues,
frequency of contact, and genuine concern on the part of the mentor for the mentee’s success
without jealousy and competition between the two. Practical considerations also doom many
programs, such as the willingness of potential mentors to commit enough time to nurture the
relationship, the fear that mentees feel if they do not ‘mesh’ with the mentor that there would be
backlash for wanting a different mentor, the gender and race of mentors and mentees, whether
they should be from the same department or not, and the development of written guidelines for
mentors to cover all aspects of the mentoring relationship.
There are many ways to establish mentoring programs, and formal programs require a
great deal of time and commitment on the part of faculty and administration to achieve success.
In general, programs should address the following areas: 1) Support from all levels of
administration; 2) Early identification of mentors and mentees; 3) Training sessions for mentors;
4) Written guidelines for mentors; 5) Evaluation of the program.
CONCLUSION
Faculty mentoring programs are still in the initial stages of development at most
universities in the U.S. and abroad. Many feel that once a person has graduated, there is no
further need for mentoring. In response to increasing difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified
faculty however, many schools are beginning to look at mentoring as a way to help faculty
succeed. Time will tell if schools are truly committed to the process, and if faculty will respond
June 24-26, 2009
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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2009 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Program
ISBN : 978-0-9742114-1-1
well to mentoring programs. Faculty involvement from both sides – mentor and mentee will be
critical to programs’ success and a bright future for faculty who choose the world of academe.
REFERENCES
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) (2002).
education
at
risk,
accessed
October
12,
2008,
Management
[available
at
http://aacsb.edu/publications/metf/metfreportfinal-august02.pdf].
Dixon-Reeves, R. (2003). Mentoring as a precursor to incorporation: an assessment of the
mentoring experience of recently minted Ph.D.s. Journal of Black Studies, 34 (1), 12-27.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2000). Salary, promotion, and tenure status of
women and minority faculty in U.S. colleges and universities, accessed October 12, 2008,
[available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000173].
Weems, R. E. Jr. (2003). The incorporation of black faculty at predominately white institutions:
A historical and contemporary perspective. Journal of Black Studies, 34 (1), 101-111.
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