Summary Notes on "Mentoring Engineering Students: Turning Pebbles into Diamonds," by P. A. Vesilind, Journal of Engineering Education, ASEE, pp. 407-411.

Summarized by J. T. P. Yao, 11/14/01

"Engineering faculty have many types of interactions with students. They appear in class as the purveyors of information and the facilitators of learning, and they act as advisors, guiding the students through their years of education. In some cases, the relationship between student and professor evolves into one of mentoring - which is the topic of this paper."

"… The name 'mentor' comes to us from Homer's epic the Odysey. The goddess Athena, worried about the state of Odysseus' household, disguises herself as his trusted friend Mentor in order to advise his son Telemachus. … If we search for analogies, the coach/player relationship might be a model. … Or, perhaps the mentor/protégé relationship is more like a master craftsman/apprentice relationship, where the craftsman… has helped to produce another craftsman…"

"Mentoring… has rewards. If a student goes on to have a successful professional career… then the mentor shares the joy of that success. Some mentors… may not have had brilliant careers themselves but know how to get the very best out of their students. … Perhaps we can list the attributes of good mentors…

·        Listen patiently.

·        Build relationship.

·        Don't abuse your authority.

·        Nurture self-sufficiency.

·        Establish 'protected time' together.

·        Share yourself.

·        Provide introductions.

·        Be constructive.

·        Don't be overbearing.

·        Find your own mentors.

… These are all good instructions… Learning to be a good mentor also requires effort, although knowing some the rules… are useful and helpful."

"… One way of encouraging students to higher levels of achievement is to offer friendship as a part of the professorial role. … But there is a difference between 'friend' and 'pal.' ... An advisor or mentor cannot be a pal, shooting hoops with students and drinking beer afterwards, or joining them in dancing the night away at a sorority ball. A professor trying to be a pal will destroy the fragile relationship between student and professor that is such an integral part of education."

"The mentor's relationship with the protégé must be student-specific because different student need different kinds of mentoring. … Female students, on the average, expect the advisor to get to know them as a person and to establish a working relationship. Male students, on the average, depend on the advisor to be right about the facts. … All students should be treated as individuals by allowing them go to set the tone for what the relationship will be like. It is usually best to allow the student to lead the way."

"The university can enhance the quality of advising available to students and increase the potential of having an adviser/advisee relationship turn into a much more rewarding and lasting mentor/protégé relationship. …

1.      Universities should establish policies that would allow students to have the option of selecting advisors, even if not all students want this option. …

2.      The university must be the organizer for improving advising. …

3.      The university should provide rewards and appropriately recognize faculty participation in an advisor-training program.

4.      Members of the dean's office must develop regular feedback sessions with students. …

5.      The university should create awards for exemplary mentoring. …

6.      Quality advising should become part of the tenure and promotion process. … Letters should be solicited from former students asking their opinions on mentoring and these letters should be included as part of the dossier.

7.      All students should be asked to complete exit surveys, asking them to assess the experience they have had with their advisor and other faculty in their department.

… Mentoring does not come from a guidebook, a set of rules, or even incentives. Mentoring comes from the heart. …"

"When does mentoring cease? … A mentor is like a tattoo. A mentor is with you forever. Whatever becomes of you professionally, you will always be known as 'so-and-so's student.' … Our job as professors is to encourage our students to fill their saddlebags with pebbles, and we hope they all turn into diamonds."

[Readers who are interested in this article are encouraged to read the original paper in its entirety. Other summary notes on faculty reward systems are available on the Internet at http://lohman.tamu.edu under the heading "Summaries of Papers ..."]