2015 MATC Scholars Program: Dr. Edgar Blevins

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11/14/2017 Added

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Choosing Faculty Mentors & Finding "Mentoring Communities" for Academic Success

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[00:00:03.341]Alright, guys, I'm Dr. Edgar Blevins,
[00:00:06.207]from Southern University.
[00:00:07.277]I see at least two of my students are here,
[00:00:10.360]and today's session that I host is on mentoring,
[00:00:17.521]basically, and what we've seen and others have seen,
[00:00:21.634]that it takes to get through a graduate program.
[00:00:24.652]Some of these things also, relate to undergrad students,
[00:00:28.702]so you'll see some of the things we're talking about
[00:00:30.831]as you apply some of these techniques.
[00:00:34.333]We think it will help you, and you may be already
[00:00:36.315]be doing some of these.
[00:00:38.611]Feel free to stop me and add any comments you want
[00:00:42.817]and someone else may be thinking the same along the way
[00:00:47.308](faint speaking), okay.
[00:00:52.157]I'm gonna give a general introduction.
[00:00:53.853]You know, what we hope for you to get out
[00:00:56.274]of this presentation, and (faint speaking) outcomes,
[00:00:59.915]and you know, in general the session we're going
[00:01:04.288]to talk about, and we're gonna try to get you
[00:01:06.370]to do a little bit of work, not much.
[00:01:08.908]Then we will conclude.
[00:01:11.780]Okay, what has been the benefits of it?
[00:01:15.649]Identifying and selecting mentors.
[00:01:17.692]You know, these are some of the things that Dr. Perkins
[00:01:19.631]and others, that we've experienced
[00:01:21.785]while going through graduate school.
[00:01:23.291]My background is I did my undergrad studies
[00:01:26.912]at Southern University.
[00:01:28.817]I went to Georgia Tech for my Masters,
[00:01:31.448]and then I went back to work for Southern
[00:01:33.628]for a bit and then I ended up going back
[00:01:35.079]to the University of Alabama at Huntsville, to get my PhD.
[00:01:39.283]And there were different approaches
[00:01:41.522]at those different schools, that I attended.
[00:01:45.993]What can you expect from mentees?
[00:01:49.343]The understanding of the environments
[00:01:51.255]that you may be associated with,
[00:01:53.765]and the components of that community along the way.
[00:02:00.439]I want you to cultivate a understanding
[00:02:02.791]of how to select that mentor.
[00:02:04.698]You can't just assume (faint speaking)
[00:02:06.718]and just find someone, will you mentor me?
[00:02:11.021]That may not be the best way,
[00:02:13.693]so, we need to talk a little about that,
[00:02:15.615]and just get a good understanding of what
[00:02:17.743]that mentor has to offer, and what you can learn from them.
[00:02:22.693]In some cases they're expecting somethings,
[00:02:25.033]and I'm kind of jumping ahead.
[00:02:27.637]One of my coworkers always talks about her mentor
[00:02:33.038]always saying, "You know, you expect them to do like you.",
[00:02:36.975]and I'm gonna highlight Dr. Adams,
[00:02:39.749]at the end of the presentation.
[00:02:40.986]He always talks about that so,
[00:02:42.662]in many cases, you may not be the same student that I was.
[00:02:47.331]You may have a slightly different approach,
[00:02:49.691]and that becomes a problem at times
[00:02:52.693]with some mentors.
[00:02:53.544]They want you to do what they did.
[00:02:57.352]And if you're gonna their, they did,
[00:03:00.215]they're gonna be disappointed.
[00:03:01.645]You should be able to do this.
[00:03:02.861]This is what I did, when I was in school.
[00:03:05.585]So those are the kind of things and responsibilities
[00:03:08.258]within that community, I've highlighted (faint speaking).
[00:03:13.813]So first off, the word mentor,
[00:03:18.637]some words that I got.
[00:03:19.555]And some of these things I borrowed from Dr. Howard Adams,
[00:03:22.326]and we'll talk about him a little more.
[00:03:24.393]So let's retake a quick glance at this slide,
[00:03:27.167]and see where the word comes from, mentor.
[00:03:50.825]Right here.
[00:03:52.073]This is key for our business.
[00:03:53.506]10 years, had to roam the countryside
[00:03:56.569]before going home.
[00:03:58.013]Then went off to war and just hired somebody
[00:04:00.447]and entrusted him with the education of his son.
[00:04:03.027]So you know, that's kind of where the word comes from,
[00:04:05.843]and the word has been here since Greek mythology.
[00:04:08.956]So that's someone that will actually be a teacher,
[00:04:11.424]a counselor, and a guide,
[00:04:13.356]and we're gonna talk a little about advisors
[00:04:15.264]and mentors through the presentation.
[00:04:18.992]So if anyone ever heard this before,
[00:04:20.689]you've thought about this,
[00:04:23.520]where the word mentor comes from.
[00:04:25.872]Does everyone here have a mentor?
[00:04:29.397]Who doesn't have one?
[00:04:31.748]Everyone has-- Not as an academic.
[00:04:34.127]Not an academic.
[00:04:34.960]Okay, don't go further with that so (laughs).
[00:04:37.861]Yes sir.
[00:04:38.752]I have been meeting with my advisors.
[00:04:40.927]Okay.
[00:04:43.058]You're saying your advisor's your mentor.
[00:04:44.953]I have not had the opportunity to choose one.
[00:04:49.044]But you had an advisor.
[00:04:50.428]So then you're saying,
[00:04:51.559]that's two different things,
[00:04:52.863]an advisor and a mentor.
[00:04:54.294]I had a mentor!
[00:04:55.127]You had one.
[00:04:55.960]But I didn't choose him.
[00:04:56.917]You didn't choose that mentor.
[00:04:57.952]Now what about your advisor.
[00:04:59.320]Now you didn't choose an advisor.
[00:05:00.566]At our school, it's by my department,
[00:05:02.584]which they go by the last name (laughs).
[00:05:04.052]You know, A through D, you go see this person.
[00:05:07.801]Is that the way it is with most of you guys?
[00:05:10.244]Is there anyone here,
[00:05:11.726]you had a choice that who you could select?
[00:05:14.704](student speaking together)
[00:05:16.580]You chose your advisor.
[00:05:17.789]Yeah.
[00:05:18.622](student speaking together)
[00:05:25.294]I had a choice in my sophomore year.
[00:05:27.660]So you could, okay.
[00:05:29.007]No, not necessarily a choice.
[00:05:30.273]More like I asked one person
[00:05:31.947]and they said yes.
[00:05:33.291]Okay, okay.
[00:05:34.927](faint speaking) is the same way, right,
[00:05:36.697]by last name.
[00:05:37.877]Yeah.
[00:05:40.561]So here it is.
[00:05:41.853]So mentoring enables one-on-one relationships,
[00:05:45.565]for fostering individual's growth and development.
[00:05:47.810]So it's an integrated approach here to work with coaching
[00:05:51.064]and some mutual sponsoring too.
[00:05:53.878]One thing that we've always said at Southern University
[00:05:56.146]and other HBCUs, we felt as though,
[00:05:58.822]you hear a lot of people talk about,
[00:06:01.138]you know, this a nuclear environment.
[00:06:03.595]We take a different approach.
[00:06:05.745]LSU is 20 minutes from our campus.
[00:06:08.811]We have students that come from LSU,
[00:06:10.779]that come to Southern and they say,
[00:06:12.532]"Well it's a totally different approach over there."
[00:06:14.900]And then again, if you go
[00:06:16.562]to the heavy research institutions,
[00:06:18.867]so this is kind of undergrad things I'm talkin'
[00:06:21.086]more about now.
[00:06:22.285]You go to a research institution,
[00:06:23.920]that's the main focus of most of those faculty members.
[00:06:27.916]So, you get here.
[00:06:29.633]Let's say you come here to graduate school,
[00:06:31.032]their main focus is to get you through
[00:06:33.068]that graduate program, and really focus on the research.
[00:06:36.269]So they take a different approach to some of these things.
[00:06:39.167]So you may have your own advisor there.
[00:06:41.244]So, you know, and I had a mentor,
[00:06:44.430]in particular for my PhD,
[00:06:45.884]and I can't say I really had one as a Masters student,
[00:06:50.136]but with my PhD program I definitely had a mentor,
[00:06:53.963]and we'll talk a little about that.
[00:06:55.488]So I'd like you right here to think of some terms
[00:06:58.994]that you think phrases that define about mentors.
[00:07:02.223]Make a couple of notes here,
[00:07:04.354]and we're gonna see how you respond to some these,
[00:07:09.190]what you guys have to say about,
[00:07:13.008]whatever words,
[00:07:13.841]like we had the six-word question earlier.
[00:07:17.234]Think about, what do you think?
[00:07:19.851]List of terms or phrases that define
[00:07:23.121]how to mentor for you.
[00:07:35.520]Everyone's pen's working.
[00:07:38.421]Getting work for us.
[00:07:39.740](laughter)
[00:08:00.945]While making the notes, think about all the stories
[00:08:05.569]I gave you where there's a buy-in as a mentor.
[00:08:11.739]Do these fall in that category?
[00:08:15.490]No wrong or right answers.
[00:08:30.246]Who's ready to give me some responses?
[00:08:33.849]Yes ma'am.
[00:08:34.682](faint speaking) when I think of my mentor,
[00:08:37.553](faint speaking).
[00:08:42.594]So what kind of phrase, what would you say?
[00:08:44.966]What would, yeah, for that--
[00:08:47.964]Approachable.
[00:08:51.097]Yes sir.
[00:08:52.076]I think a mentor of being trustworthy.
[00:08:53.601]Trustworthy.
[00:08:54.592]Someone, they say they'll be in the office
[00:08:56.288]at a certain time--
[00:08:57.694]They'll be available, okay.
[00:09:00.784]I said nurturing, knowledgeable,
[00:09:02.023]patient and encouraging.
[00:09:03.653]Patient and encouraging.
[00:09:05.200]Yes ma'am.
[00:09:06.420]Opportunities.
[00:09:07.421]Opportunities, okay.
[00:09:10.246]Who are willing and caring.
[00:09:12.240]Someone's caring about you, okay, alright.
[00:09:16.095]Honest.
[00:09:16.928]Honest, okay, so I take, go ahead, yes.
[00:09:19.362]Good listener.
[00:09:21.275]Good listener.
[00:09:22.284](faint speaking by student)
[00:09:25.234]I'm hearing some of these words kind of emerging
[00:09:28.089]and blending over, where you describe one term,
[00:09:31.334]and they still want to try a different one,
[00:09:33.798]but they're kind of the same basic meaning.
[00:09:35.071]Is there anything that we didn't highlight just then,
[00:09:38.145]that you think should be up there that's totally different?
[00:09:44.497](faint speaking by student)
[00:09:45.705]Recommendations, someone who can do recommendations.
[00:09:47.933](laughter)
[00:09:49.163]I think somebody
[00:09:49.996]that can like answer my questions.
[00:09:51.583]Answer the questions.
[00:09:54.368](faint speaking by student)
[00:09:57.087]So still a technical response.
[00:10:01.207]Capable.
[00:10:02.939]Capable.
[00:10:04.693]Okay, well we're gonna go through
[00:10:07.288]a little more here, and say here,
[00:10:09.066]this is (faint speaking) from my sources.
[00:10:12.064]Mentors have the ability to assist graduate students
[00:10:14.739](mumbles).
[00:10:18.581]Now, I've heard some of these things from you guys,
[00:10:20.409]so academic and academic.
[00:10:22.584]So the different models that are
[00:10:25.080]in reverse that's happening.
[00:10:26.615]And I'm going to highlight a couple in particular,
[00:10:28.653]emails at the end and a couple other programs
[00:10:31.287]that the University has in place,
[00:10:34.074]that can help you.
[00:10:35.122](mumbles) involved in experiences here,
[00:10:38.144]influence with your daily habit, performance, progress,
[00:10:41.199]of a less-experienced person, new protege.
[00:10:43.999]So, they've gone through this process and they can provide
[00:10:48.803]advice and direction to help you get through it.
[00:10:51.485]There's a lady, I was in graduate school with,
[00:10:55.703]that didn't want to take someone's advice.
[00:10:57.798]And it took that person a lot longer to complete her PhD.
[00:11:03.798]She always fought with her actual advisor
[00:11:07.213]and there were other people that were acting as a mentor
[00:11:09.615]that just, look you should not do this.
[00:11:12.354]You know, this is the approach to take to this,
[00:11:14.563]and she violated that rule,
[00:11:19.049]and she attempted to do things the way she wanted to,
[00:11:22.207]and the person that I'm speaking of,
[00:11:24.303]the one that acted as a mentor,
[00:11:27.071]I won't say she actually took him on as a mentor
[00:11:30.041]but he tried, he was my mentor.
[00:11:32.105]And we named that syndrome, the CVR after her name.
[00:11:37.284]Okay, don't take CVR syndrome, okay.
[00:11:40.558]Do not, do not.
[00:11:41.840]I would go into my advisor's office,
[00:11:45.094]which I ended up switching advisors
[00:11:46.981]and her draft of a dissertation was sitting on the floor.
[00:11:50.896]I come back a month later, and talk to that person again,
[00:11:54.406]her drafted dissertation was sittin' on the floor,
[00:11:56.585]and I would notice what was sitting on it.
[00:11:58.879]You know, a trick I learned from my roommate,
[00:12:02.430]in graduate school, he would put a little piece of paper
[00:12:04.869]on the corner of it, and that little piece
[00:12:06.586]of paper been moved, someone touched it.
[00:12:08.976]And I would go back and I would see the dissertation
[00:12:10.745]and it was used as a foot bed, okay.
[00:12:13.343]And it was because she didn't listen to the mentor
[00:12:17.001]that was trying to get his point across,
[00:12:19.882]and so it simply prolonged her completion of her,
[00:12:22.784]I mean years, okay, this was not a month or two or so.
[00:12:25.970]Six months later, this is trap,
[00:12:27.652]the dissertation did not move.
[00:12:29.988]Her advisors just said, based on her approach,
[00:12:34.303]she goes to the bottom of the stack.
[00:12:37.364]So he would work with other students prior to that student.
[00:12:40.734]So they try to help you, (mumbles) the behavior
[00:12:43.754]and the best way to get through this process.
[00:12:48.899]So what is an advisor?
[00:12:50.641]I'm hearing some terms you guys are describing an advisor.
[00:12:55.172]So this person here is most cases assigned to you.
[00:12:58.449]When you go off to graduate school, in most cases
[00:13:00.641]you don't get an assigned advisor.
[00:13:03.075]You know, if you have a particular research area
[00:13:05.409]you're interested in, that person, you know,
[00:13:07.541]if I'm interested in thermodynamics,
[00:13:12.345]you know, this person has that particular specialty,
[00:13:15.954]I go to that person and talk to him.
[00:13:18.481]There's something that I can do in your area.
[00:13:20.814]So, you know, there may be multiple people
[00:13:22.587]so you may get choices there.
[00:13:24.638]But if it's a smaller school, you may not have a choice.
[00:13:27.545]So that person just be assigned.
[00:13:29.173]This is your interest.
[00:13:30.371]This is where you're gonna go.
[00:13:32.685]So we gotta work on that relationship.
[00:13:34.158]So that's the way division of advisor goes.
[00:13:37.584]So their views include, they're gonna help you
[00:13:40.646]with selection of courses.
[00:13:41.508]I saw a couple of notes in here, selection of courses.
[00:13:46.257]So, you know, we need to find the right course,
[00:13:48.783]and you know, graduate schools,
[00:13:51.221]you're typically nine credit hours is full-time,
[00:13:54.102]for graduate students.
[00:13:56.115]I know somebody here is taking, how many hours?
[00:13:58.069]20.
[00:13:58.930]20 hours.
[00:14:00.048]Anyone taking more than 20 hours.
[00:14:02.247](laughter)
[00:14:03.080](laughs) 21!
[00:14:03.913]21 hours!
[00:14:04.782]I thought he was taking 21 too (laughs).
[00:14:07.229]So, you know, they're gonna talk to you.
[00:14:09.443]And I know several students that have gone off
[00:14:11.331]to graduate school and they went off,
[00:14:14.314]I did 20 hours as an undergrad,
[00:14:16.587]well 12 hours of graduate school,
[00:14:18.571]that's a piece of cake!
[00:14:20.030]No it's not, okay.
[00:14:21.178](laughter)
[00:14:22.011]That's the whole wedding ceremony, not just the cake.
[00:14:24.681](laughter)
[00:14:25.707]Alright, so don't think that what you did as an undergrad,
[00:14:30.509]translate...
[00:14:31.786]I see the same thing, I'm going (faint speaking)
[00:14:34.147]the high schoolers today.
[00:14:35.482]They think this is what I did in high school,
[00:14:36.935]so when I come to college, I can do the same thing.
[00:14:39.176]That's that same delta.
[00:14:41.299]You know from high school to undergrad,
[00:14:43.646]from undergrad to graduate school,
[00:14:45.419]that you need to keep in mind.
[00:14:47.402]So, I have a very good student to go off to UC Berkeley,
[00:14:51.593]and I consider Terry, a genius.
[00:14:54.266]You know, and he kept to himself.
[00:14:57.403]He didn't really communicate with others,
[00:14:59.749]and I didn't know where he'd gone.
[00:15:01.977]He took a year off, said he wanted to write some books.
[00:15:03.993]He wrote a book or two.
[00:15:05.354]Then I emailed him and I had done recommendations for him,
[00:15:10.325]and said I'm now at Berkeley,
[00:15:12.023]and I think he was taking 12 credit hours
[00:15:13.440]at Berkeley, and he says, "These courses kicking my,
[00:15:15.661]"you know what, you know."
[00:15:18.329]I'm like Terry, who told you to take
[00:15:19.991]these many hours, you know.
[00:15:21.526]And I said, "I advised you to full-time
[00:15:25.083]"as nine credit hours."
[00:15:27.497]But he was Superman and I could do this.
[00:15:30.188]I'm gonna get through this program so quick and move on,
[00:15:32.830]and I think he ended up dropping down to nine credit hours,
[00:15:36.493]which just tore him apart 'cause that's
[00:15:38.247]not something he does is drop courses,
[00:15:40.467]but he didn't have someone, and I said,
[00:15:42.949]"You need to see someone, not just an advisor,
[00:15:44.745]"a mentor."
[00:15:46.124]We're gonna get to a little more on mentors later.
[00:15:48.811]But typically, an advisor is gonna help you
[00:15:50.707]with your thesis or your dissertation.
[00:15:53.438]And that person that I was speaking of earlier,
[00:15:55.083]that was an advisor, that she didn't listen to,
[00:15:57.746]the mentor on how to approach that advisor,
[00:15:59.991]and it just hindered her.
[00:16:02.395]When I started my PhD program,
[00:16:05.708]several years after her, and I finished it
[00:16:07.916]several years before her, and so it was quite a challenge.
[00:16:14.327]Now, a mentor also an advisor,
[00:16:16.948]I was hearing some muddying of the terms here.
[00:16:21.012]Typically, is the relationships with mentor go deeper
[00:16:23.896]and more personal.
[00:16:25.272]And that's what that guy was trying to get to CVR
[00:16:28.106]and say, "Look, think about this."
[00:16:30.370]"You know, this is what I want.
[00:16:32.023]"You know, know this is what I want."
[00:16:33.764]She was trying to (faint speaking).
[00:16:35.583]So I say, many students contact their mentors
[00:16:38.402]after graduate school.
[00:16:39.365]The guy that I considered my mentor,
[00:16:40.837]I didn't have time, but I had to send him
[00:16:42.831]an email message later today.
[00:16:44.487]He and I are still doing some things together.
[00:16:46.933]So he ended up becoming my advisor, and my current advisor,
[00:16:53.920]had too many students and they were trying to delegate
[00:16:56.744]and extend others and my advisor said,
[00:16:59.726]"Are you interested in switching advisors?"
[00:17:03.200]And I went to him and talked,
[00:17:04.337]and he was already on my committee.
[00:17:06.484]And he said, "I have no problem with it."
[00:17:09.272]And it was a benefit for him.
[00:17:12.196]I think I was his first PhD student,
[00:17:14.451]and so I was near the completion of my degree.
[00:17:18.606]So I went to him and I still worked with that other advisor
[00:17:22.078]that I had, but he was also (mumbles) and my mentor
[00:17:25.128]became my mentor and advisor.
[00:17:27.809]It says here, they have sources of information support
[00:17:30.316]new graduate students in (faint speaking).
[00:17:33.032]So, you know, finding that mentor is very beneficial.
[00:17:38.069]So I say, it may not be your advisor,
[00:17:39.982]but it could also be a combination of the two.
[00:17:45.839]So individual with effective mentor relationships,
[00:17:49.887]they experience fewer problems.
[00:17:52.572]You avoid the CVR syndrome.
[00:17:54.916]They will tell you.
[00:17:56.219]Do not take that approach.
[00:18:00.207]They can get you through the program faster.
[00:18:02.312]And so I had no idea, I just knew that the approach
[00:18:05.635]that this particular student was taking was not beneficial.
[00:18:08.962]And her intent was to get through this program as fast
[00:18:11.954]as she could, but the approach she was taking
[00:18:15.942]was not working and I think it will cost eventually,
[00:18:20.045]that she lacked in fact.
[00:18:21.630]More productive.
[00:18:23.346]That mentor I had, had experienced these things
[00:18:26.490]and worked at that department.
[00:18:28.221]He knew what was expected, and he says,
[00:18:31.391]"Look this is the approach you really should take
[00:18:33.313]to complete this task.
[00:18:36.383]So keep that in mind.
[00:18:40.486]And so they are more responsible for the choices
[00:18:44.092]that he makes.
[00:18:44.925]So if you have an effective, correct mentoring program
[00:18:51.249]or relationship, I think you will end up making
[00:18:54.118]the right choices and it will benefit you in the long run.
[00:18:57.165]And some of the returnees that we see on this schedule,
[00:19:00.796]that went through the programs here,
[00:19:02.650]you could definitely talk to them about their mentors,
[00:19:06.292]and want to say, I'm not sure, but I'm know he was
[00:19:09.776]considered their mentor, Dr. Erick Jones,
[00:19:13.106]will be one of our speakers later, and he can also
[00:19:15.465]give you some additional pointers
[00:19:18.519]to help you with this selection.
[00:19:24.795]So, from the research related to mentorship.
[00:19:29.215]There's lots of research out there,
[00:19:31.639]and this is a older document that I found
[00:19:33.948]to show the recipient's report on the ability
[00:19:37.096]and quality of the mentorship program played a major role.
[00:19:40.198]So I don't remember the actual numbers
[00:19:42.154]from this research here, or particularly,
[00:19:45.671]like you completing a survey now,
[00:19:47.479]it required you to complete a survey,
[00:19:53.366]at the completion of the program and then they want you
[00:19:57.342]to respond, and based on the data, these students replied
[00:20:01.588]and when they started and they finished in particular
[00:20:04.914]and when then the data had shown that these candidates
[00:20:10.792]completed their programs much sooner.
[00:20:15.465]Sounds like she's giving me a wrap-up signal.
[00:20:18.721]When it comes to identifying with the mentors,
[00:20:20.633]we talked a little bit about the background.
[00:20:23.589]If they have something that you're interested in,
[00:20:26.123]they've gone through something, that's the ideal person.
[00:20:31.430]In some cases they just wanna work out a relationship.
[00:20:35.128]What kind of agreement?
[00:20:36.789]We gotta decide on how,
[00:20:38.953]should I come once a week?
[00:20:40.532]Someone say, "I'd like to see you once a week.
[00:20:43.128]"I'm fine on Fridays at two o'clock."
[00:20:45.288]And they just, "How are things goin'?"
[00:20:48.009]Dr. Calvin Matthew had a mentor when he was working
[00:20:52.456]on his PhD.
[00:20:53.630]He lost his mother during that period.
[00:20:55.756]His advisor cared nothing about him.
[00:20:58.760]He went to his mentor and she said, look,
[00:21:01.765]"You have something you need to take care of.
[00:21:04.058]"Take care of that and come back."
[00:21:06.205]Now see that was different for that advisor.
[00:21:07.944]We gotta get this work done.
[00:21:09.707]That mentor was concerned about both sides.
[00:21:12.222]So, please, please, think about this.
[00:21:14.019]It may be a department chair,
[00:21:15.581]may be a minority faculty member.
[00:21:16.876]In my case it was a minority faculty member.
[00:21:19.610]So you can identify with people and see.
[00:21:22.901]Your area, we kind of talked about that.
[00:21:25.517]If you're interested in electronics,
[00:21:29.719]whatever it may be, maybe something (mumbles)
[00:21:32.177]and then just say plan for mentoring.
[00:21:34.360]You find someone to build those kinds of things.
[00:21:37.865]They just have an interest in 'em.
[00:21:41.234]Please try, to take advantage of it.
[00:21:43.972]So, you know, keeping the protege.
[00:21:47.176]I get a student out of here, I want another one come in.
[00:21:52.060]So, you know, okay you have graduated in a semester,
[00:21:54.650]and they're kind of identifying I need another student
[00:21:57.213]that I can work with to get through this program.
[00:21:59.665]People that liking mentors are searching
[00:22:03.571]for those types of candidates.
[00:22:05.546]So it's an endless formal relationship.
[00:22:07.310]In many cases they continue and Dr. Matthews,
[00:22:10.018]any guys familiar with Dr. Calvin Matthews,
[00:22:12.717]the motivational speaker?
[00:22:15.005]He attends an (faint speaking) conference.
[00:22:17.562]If you hear him once, you won't forget him.
[00:22:20.113]Okay, he's very energetic and a good friend of mine.
[00:22:24.311]But you can Google him on YouTube and see a couple
[00:22:27.589]of his short videos.
[00:22:29.554]He won't charge you for them.
[00:22:31.072]If you want the whole video, you gotta pay him (laughs).
[00:22:34.465]Alright, real quick, Dr. Adams was mentioned earlier.
[00:22:39.314]And he attended this season the last time around
[00:22:42.578]and Dr. Adams is I consider him, a mentor also.
[00:22:46.955]He was one of the founders of they all call
[00:22:50.820]the President of Gym Program, which provides funding.
[00:22:53.970]We had a gym speaker to come in the last session we had
[00:22:58.238]and the Gym Program provides funding
[00:23:02.039]for graduate school students,
[00:23:04.647]in a under-represented program.
[00:23:06.548]I received my Masters degree in the Gym Program.
[00:23:08.991]But he had some documents out there,
[00:23:11.192]and I took these things from him, three keys.
[00:23:13.706]You know, effective protege with effective mentoring.
[00:23:17.749]So, process, strategies how to.
[00:23:21.352]Okay, give permission.
[00:23:22.741]It's okay to function this way.
[00:23:23.936]Kind of mentor can do these things and protect you.
[00:23:27.074]And I said, my mentor kept me from some
[00:23:29.311]of those bad things.
[00:23:30.306]"This is what you need to do, don't worry about it.
[00:23:31.485]"I'll take care of this."
[00:23:35.631]Their role, they can provide information and resources,
[00:23:38.229]give advice, and basically spell out,
[00:23:41.499]this is what I expect you to do.
[00:23:44.300]And there's no official tie there.
[00:23:48.610]He's not gonna hold up your grade, but this will help you
[00:23:51.902]get through this program.
[00:23:54.306]Shared experiences, kind of have an academic planning goal.
[00:23:57.970]So these are more things
[00:23:59.749]than what a typical advisor would do.
[00:24:04.136]A protege, this is you.
[00:24:06.721]Be more proactive.
[00:24:08.275]You know, you gotta express some interest in this.
[00:24:10.636]Show some interest and these things will help you progress
[00:24:13.919]and move on faster.
[00:24:16.366]Appreciate the time.
[00:24:17.972]So you gotta have time.
[00:24:19.100]I wanna mention availability.
[00:24:22.038]And be committed to learning.
[00:24:24.626]You know, I deal with some high school programs,
[00:24:27.813]and I'm gonna view them as example.
[00:24:29.868]We work with ACT prep, and they don't want to come
[00:24:32.385]to the (mumbles) session.
[00:24:34.169]They're going to the band competition.
[00:24:36.672]We're trying to help you to get into college,
[00:24:38.984]and get more funding.
[00:24:40.504]So, you know, don't do those kinds of things.
[00:24:42.243]Well, I really wanna go and do this.
[00:24:43.925]You know, school is fun.
[00:24:45.383]You know, it's work too,
[00:24:46.216]but the most fun I've had, I can say I've had,
[00:24:49.836]was while being in school.
[00:24:53.527]Be acceptive to direction.
[00:24:56.361]You'll learn from that.
[00:25:00.109]The social environment.
[00:25:01.482]You know, they talk about the protocol.
[00:25:03.432](faint speaking) the spirit of things really work.
[00:25:07.450]You know, putting the department chair on a committee,
[00:25:11.095]may be a good thing, but it may be a bad thing.
[00:25:13.018]You don't want this person on your committee.
[00:25:15.375]So they will talk to you about those things.
[00:25:18.034]Alright, so that was on the organizational
[00:25:20.235]no longer polices.
[00:25:21.876]I know these two faculty members just don't get along.
[00:25:25.945]The cases that he discussed with, we had this person,
[00:25:28.579]this person, and they're gonna fight the whole time.
[00:25:31.014]We know their fighting is gonna hurt you.
[00:25:33.778]So I recommend you choose this faculty member
[00:25:35.758]as a committee member.
[00:25:37.300]'Cause these two are gonna disagree not matter what you do.
[00:25:40.165]Okay, 'cause this one doesn't like what he,
[00:25:41.569]this one over here doesn't like what you gonna tell him,
[00:25:43.679]and this one over here, doesn't like what he's doing.
[00:25:45.893]So they talk about those things.
[00:25:47.352]It may not be anything written down official,
[00:25:49.939]but it comes out.
[00:25:51.654]Alright, what they can do.
[00:25:53.771]The attributes, qualities to be successful,
[00:25:56.250]and this thing about avenues for advancement.
[00:25:58.889]They're gonna provide things that can help you.
[00:26:01.580]Okay, are we clear on that?
[00:26:03.041]Alright, we're gonna move through quick,
[00:26:05.497]because I saw a timeout signal.
[00:26:07.702]What time we're supposed to go to the next session?
[00:26:09.448](faint speaking by student)
[00:26:10.679]Okay, so we're right there now, okay.
[00:26:13.056]What does it mean to a peer mentoring?
[00:26:16.360]Are there benefits?
[00:26:17.707]Then again, peer mentoring, they're gonna be
[00:26:20.264]some other graduate students there.
[00:26:22.067]I did my Masters at Georgia Tech,
[00:26:23.332]and at the time, I was also in the Gym Program,
[00:26:27.026]and they had the most number of gym recipients
[00:26:31.574]at Georgia Tech at the time.
[00:26:34.419]So there were a lot of other students
[00:26:36.012]that had gone through what I was going through at the time.
[00:26:38.960]So you know, I had friends who went to other schools
[00:26:41.502]that didn't have any,
[00:26:42.808]but the University, I'd say,
[00:26:44.917]had other programs in place to help.
[00:26:47.844]So there are benefits for having peer mentoring.
[00:26:50.547]They can tell you some of the dos and don'ts also
[00:26:52.637]to identify somewhat, and I believe my superstar
[00:26:56.457]student from his undergrad experience,
[00:26:59.135]he felt as though he was Superman and didn't need any help.
[00:27:02.143]He finally talked to us.
[00:27:03.571]He never really studied with others as an undergrad,
[00:27:05.764]and I think he thought he could do
[00:27:06.995]that in graduate school too.
[00:27:08.924]So sometimes those things don't work.
[00:27:11.031]Alright, so I kind of highlighted,
[00:27:12.947]the peer mentoring which helps you to
[00:27:15.571]supplement the mentoring provided by the faculty,
[00:27:17.895]builds on the graduate school,
[00:27:21.703]builds the community within that program.
[00:27:25.601]You're gonna know what else is going on.
[00:27:29.509]Mentors can be selected from advanced graduate students,
[00:27:31.458]someone they've gone through this.
[00:27:33.442]They're about finished.
[00:27:34.367]It's kind of like the undergrad,
[00:27:35.956]you're a freshman coming in, and you're a junior or senior,
[00:27:39.010]and here come some supporters to help you through.
[00:27:42.960]And so unwritten rules.
[00:27:44.544]Some of the things I talked about.
[00:27:46.132]I said please don't do this, okay.
[00:27:49.020]No one knows about this, but someone will highlight
[00:27:51.852]some of those things, and those things are very beneficial.
[00:27:56.030]Just a few more slides here.
[00:27:57.734]This is from (faint speaking) website.
[00:28:00.386]They actually have mentoring concepts.
[00:28:02.968]They have things, who regular students are,
[00:28:08.107]you know, they're needs, what is mentoring.
[00:28:10.721]So different universities and most
[00:28:12.350]of the major universities have mentoring programs
[00:28:15.630]on their website and things in place that you can go to.
[00:28:22.419]Does race matter?
[00:28:23.408]There's an article online that this particular person
[00:28:27.324]goes in, and really, there's been studies that we found
[00:28:31.266]that looking at the assignments here,
[00:28:34.889]in many cases it does matter, when it comes to mentoring.
[00:28:38.402]So keep that in mind.
[00:28:39.542]It may not be the case, but keep that in mind.
[00:28:41.505]There are sources out there that talks about
[00:28:44.709]the various things.
[00:28:46.200]This the University of Washington site.
[00:28:48.460]Again, so up on their site, they have a mentoring link
[00:28:51.397]and it just highlights some of the things
[00:28:52.820]that they have to offer, where you can go for assistance.
[00:28:56.540]And this is Dr. Adams.
[00:28:58.359]Dr. Adams would have been running all over this room.
[00:29:00.657]He's retired now, but he doesn't work with (faint speaking),
[00:29:03.666]he kind of does his own thing now.
[00:29:06.012]But he likes to get into your face.
[00:29:08.010]One thing I like to highlight from him is
[00:29:11.555]when you mentioned getting letters of recommendation,
[00:29:13.720]when he would do his talks a few years ago,
[00:29:17.033]he talked about a student that got a faculty member
[00:29:19.555]to write a letter of recommendation,
[00:29:21.973]and was offering that student $5,000 for graduate school.
[00:29:26.384]Dr. Adams.
[00:29:27.590]He was reading this letter, this faculty member says,
[00:29:29.840]"I do not understand how student so and so is even
[00:29:35.405]"getting an undergrad degree,
[00:29:36.238]"let alone is gonna get a graduate.
[00:29:37.965]"This is a letter of recommendation."
[00:29:40.021](laughter)
[00:29:41.989]He paraphrased the letter.
[00:29:45.704]He said, "This person did not recommend
[00:29:46.537]"them for this funding."
[00:29:52.786]And he said, "No, you're getting your information wrong."
[00:29:56.727]They threw that one out because
[00:29:58.073]they had two other good ones,
[00:29:59.705]and they said, something happened between that person
[00:30:01.739]and this faculty member.
[00:30:04.899]But he actually read a letter us.
[00:30:07.477]You can find out a little more about Dr. Adams and others
[00:30:10.164](faint speaking) these are some of the things
[00:30:14.825]that I got online and I wanted to kind of
[00:30:17.011]highlight, share with you,
[00:30:18.749]and show peers that I had.
[00:30:22.414]Okay, I'm at Southern University and you see me around,
[00:30:26.355]if you wanna talk and talk to others,
[00:30:28.547]I will be available, and appreciate your time.
[00:30:31.404]If you have some quick questions,
[00:30:32.694]we can talk.
[00:30:34.080]Any comments that you want
[00:30:35.118]at this time we greatly appreciate.
[00:30:37.964]Okay, and I'm guessing we're gonna have to leave
[00:30:40.593]a survey, and I don't know where (faint speaking).
[00:30:45.552]If there are no questions, thank you for your time,
[00:30:48.164]and I'll see you around.
[00:30:49.590](applause)

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2015 MATC Scholars Program: Dr. Edgar Blevins

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