Who can participate as a mentee in the MARC program?
- Individuals actively applying to a PhD program
- Doctoral students
- Postdoctoral fellows
- Junior-level faculty with up to 3 years of teaching/research experience and/or below the level of associate professor
- Junior-level faculty with 4-6 or more years of teaching/research experience and/or below the level of associate professor
Who can participate as a mentor in the MARC program?
Faculty who hold the PhD degree are eligible to serve as MARC mentors:
- Associate professor
- Professor
- Director/chair of educational program
- Director/chair of research program
- Director/supervisor of clinical program
- Retired
What is required of mentees and mentors who participate in the MARC program?
Mentees/mentors are required to commit to exchanging regular e-mail messages with their mentor/mentee for an eight-month period (the eight-month period will run from October to May). It is okay to continue communicating beyond this period if both the mentee and mentor are amenable; however, the structured program runs for an eight-month period only.
How do I sign up to be a mentee or mentor?
How will mentees and mentors be matched?
- Mentees will be asked to indicate the type of mentoring they are seeking (e.g., guidance on applying to/selecting a PhD program, guidance on completing a doctoral dissertation, recommendations for finding/selecting a faculty position, advice on postdoctoral positions, etc.). They will be paired with mentors who indicate they are able to provide this type of mentoring.
- Although the basis for matching is not the area of concentration, but rather a category related to professional issues faced in academe, every attempt will be made to match individuals with similar research interests. It is important to note that this will not always be possible.
- The goal of the MARC program is to provide mentoring on professional issues related to serving as a teacher-researcher and careers in academe. It was developed as a recruitment and retention tool for PhD level faculty under the Focused Initiative on the PhD Shortage in Higher Education and now continues under ASHA's Pathways to Excellence.
When will I find out if I am matched with a mentor?
ASHA will provide mentees with the name and e-mail address of their mentor by October 3, 2008. The mentoring relationship can begin immediately. Mentees will be encouraged to initiate the first e-mail exchange. If for some reason a mentor or mentee does not receive communication, s/he should contact marc@asha.org.
How much time will mentoring take?
We estimate that mentors will spend an average of one hour per week mentoring, but this will vary depending on the pairs. It is expected that individuals enrolling in the program will commit to regular e-mail exchanges. Like all other professional relationships, the more one engages, the more benefit one receives.
What about confidentiality?
ASHA assumes that participants in the program will abide the Code of Ethics and appropriate professional codes of conduct. Mentees and mentors will be asked to keep the messages they receive and sensitive information in confidence.
Do mentees and mentors ever meet?
MARC is designed to be an e-mentoring program (i.e., mentees and mentors will communicate via regular e-mail exchanges). Of course, mentees and mentors may make arrangements to meet at the ASHA Convention or other scientific meetings. Face-to-face meetings may have a positive influence on the mentoring relationship.
What if there are problems between a mentee and a mentor?
Please inform Silvia Quevedo, Associate Director, Academic Affairs, at marc@asha.org if you have not heard from your mentor/mentee, or if you have questions or comments about your e-mentoring relationship. You may be reassigned to another mentor or mentee.
How are mentees and mentors recruited to participate?
Announcements on the MARC program are included in The ASHA Leader and in various newsletters. Announcements are also posted on the ASHA Web site and on appropriate listservs. Program flyers are made available at the ASHA Annual Convention and other scientific meetings. Targeted mailings may be sent to students, professors, researchers, administrators, directors/chairs of educational and research programs.
How can I get my peers and/or colleagues involved?
Encouraging eligible peers and colleagues is highly appreciated. Please direct them to the MARC information on the ASHA Web site.