Mentoring Program for Senior Women
What are the assumptions that inform the design of the program?
There are a number of assumptions that underpin the objectives and design of this program. In particular it is assumed that:
- women experience universities differently to their male colleagues and that, as a minority in most institutions, women as leaders face particular challenges
- the program, operating outside the institutional context, is designed to complement other supportive relationships and institutional programs, and is one component of a range of support and learning opportunities
- a mentoring relationship is thus neither exclusive nor necessarily enduring, it is time and need specific
- a mentor in this context is a wise and trusted counsellor and confidant
- the relationship between the mentor and the mentee is premised on mutual trust and respect
- whilst each party brings to the relationship different levels of experience, knowledge and status this should not result in an inherent imbalance of power or a hierarchical relationship
- women leaders do not have particular deficits that have to be addressed, it is their identified challenges that are the focus of the relationship
- mentoring does not necessarily involve identifying with a mentor, thus a mentor is not necessarily a ‘role model’
- mentoring offers an opportunity to learn through association, insight and reflection
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Whilst the program is focused on indentified challenges it is not intended to be narrowly instrumentalist in terms of career progression. Our intent is to assist mentees to look through new windows rather than expecting mentors to open doors.
- Mentors and mentees will be given the opportunity to share their experiences through annual workshops, which will in turn inform the design of the program.
- Evaluation will be an integral component of the program.