Abstract
The world today is fraught with challenges: Technology is ubiquitous; society is increasingly polarized; generational differences threaten to divide rather than unite. Now more than ever, persons across all generations and at all career stages need personal, intentional, culturally responsive mentoring. In response to this significant need, the editors of Cultivating Mentors: Sharing Wisdom in Christian Higher Education have elicited insights from veteran academicians across all sectors of Christian higher education to articulate and elucidate a “theologically informed [approach to] mentorship” (p. 12). Whether one is working directly with Gen Z students as they make their foray into higher education and their eventual vocations, or with Millennials (or Boomers or Busters) as they enter (or advance through) the ranks of the academy, this volume provides administrators, faculty leaders, and mentors of all types with a telos (p. 70) to inform their mentoring, elevating it from a mere vehicle for induction to a vibrant relationship that serves to cultivate a true sense of belonging characterized by personal flourishing and organizational transformation (e.g. chaps. 3 & 4).
This volume speaks to a variety of audiences within Christian higher education. In chapters 1, 2, and 6, the contributing authors speak primarily to the needs of Gen Z and how mentors can understand and address concerns unique to this generation. David Kinnaman (chap. 1) maintains that mentoring relationships are critical to the spiritual formation of young adults. Similarly, Tim Clydesdale (chap. 2) posits that the younger generation needs “effective vocational mentorship” (p. 33). He contends that mentorship for vocational flourishing should give explicit attention to discernment and summoning so that decision-making impacting one’s calling integrates thoughtful self-reflection with a balanced sense of duty (p. 37). Additionally, Tim Elmore (chap. 6) submits that mentoring the emerging generation requires intentionality. He makes the case for developing the meta-competencies of resourcefulness and resiliency (p. 119) and argues that these qualities are best cultivated when mentoring is “organic” and “organized,” and when mentors are open to learning from their protégés through “reverse mentoring” (p. 122). Elmore concludes his chapter by offering five experiences mentors can provide to develop robust resourcefulness and resiliency in their mentees.
Chapters 3, 4, and 5 address a variety of needs experienced by faculty who are new to the academy. Foundationally, Edgardo Colón-Emeric (chap. 4) asks a critically important teleological question: “Mentoring toward what end?” (p. 70). He asserts that universities should cultivate communities in which “we”—that is every uniquely diverse member—are all welcome. Until institutions probe their largely uninterrogated expectations of new faculty, they will miss out on the rich contributions that colleagues from diverse backgrounds can bring, and they run the risk of perpetuating harm and inequity. Similarly, Margaret Diddams (chap. 3) identifies the insufficiency of the prevailing institutional model of faculty induction. While mentoring for institutional acculturation addresses practical concerns, by itself, it is insufficient and implies that the newcomer must adapt to institutional norms while the contributions she brings are presumed to be uninvited. Diddams proposes that a more comprehensive, relational approach to mentoring is warranted—one that also includes mentoring for inclusion in which, “newcomers are encouraged to be interlocutors, to shape the culture and to contribute to the understanding of how their organizational mission is enacted” (p. 64). Relatedly, Rebecca Hong (chap. 5) makes the case for human-centered work. She argues that technology should be leveraged wisely and flexibly so that faculty time is honored and faculty presence is affirmed, whether that presence is in-person or virtual.
Finally, Beck Taylor (chap. 7) illuminates the critical need for proactive, intentional mentoring of future leaders across the arc of one’s journey in Christian higher education. Senior leaders have a responsibility to identify and cultivate leadership potential in their junior colleagues, and this requires sustained, purposeful attention. As Stacy Hammons notes in the conclusion, “Colleges and universities that look to cultivate leaders at the time of their appointment to leadership positions have done so too late” (p. 149).
In summary, this volume holds promise for faculty and administrators who desire to mentor those in their sphere of influence with care and receptivity. While the contributors maintain a range of views relative to real or perceived generational differences, the wisdom they offer is responsive and keeps the needs of the mentee at the forefront. Whether one is mentoring Gen Z students, or onboarding faculty colleagues representing multiple generations, this text contains insights that will challenge the reader to interrogate existing mentoring paradigms so that the needs of mentees are addressed with care, giving attention to cultural and generational differences and the unique needs of each valued member of one’s learning community.