Culturally Relevant Mentoring

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview and a conceptual approach of culturally relevant mentoring at an institution of higher learning from the lens of the authors. There are various types of mentoring approaches that demonstrate the opportunity for institutional leaders to align their strategic initiatives with the academic and career success of dissertators, postdoctoral researchers, and early career faculty. This work places a focus on culturally relevant mentoring as a tactical approach for creating strategic dialogue of critical consciousness to produce core values, institutional commitments, and strategic plans that reflect the culture of all stakeholders. Culturally relevant mentoring promotes active acknowledgement of cultural contributions, inclusive social context, and equitable and just strategies for institutional climate change that will differentiate an institution from its peers in higher education.