Variety is the spice of mentoring life: a UK-US partnership highlights opportunities and benefits

Abstract

Peer-to-peer academic mentoring has the potential to contribute to retention and progression goals as programmes benefit mentors, mentees, and staff. Although there are necessarily common elements, programmes that include academic mentoring vary in their focus and structure. Each programme must also be deliberately designed to address the unique character of individual institutions. Programmes at two very different institutions – one in a rural town in the United States and one in a metropolis in the United Kingdom – provide models for applying peer mentoring across a variety of contexts. This discussion also illustrates the opportunities presented by institutional partnerships.

Keywords

• academic mentoring
• institutional collaboration
• peer support
• retention and success