The Statistics Education Section has recently initiated a pilot mentoring program for its members. A new Mentoring Committee was formed last Fall and has been working on establishing a long-term mentorship program. The members of the newly formed committee (and their affiliations) are: Nicholas Horton, Chair (Amherst College), Beth Chance (Cal Poly), KB Boomer (Bucknell U; Chair of IsoStats), Nicola Justice (U of Minnesota), Tena Katsaounis (Ohio State U), and Matt Hayat (Georgia State U). The committee developed appropriate guidelines for the mentoring program of our Section, based on the "Mentoring in the Box" guidelines written by the Committee on Applied Statisticians of ASA. Currently, about 16 mentors and mentees (recruited from IsoStat and from our Section members) are participating in the pilot program. Many thanks to all who agreed to get actively involved in establishing this program.
We are seeking mentees and mentors for our long-term mentoring program. The purpose of the program is to help its members, and in particular young members in the profession of Statistics Education, to achieve their professional goals. Mentoring can enhance not only the practice of statistics education but also someone's personal and professional life. A constructive mentorship relationship can take many forms and may occur at any stage of career with benefits for both mentor and a mentee. Mentees are individuals who wish to grow professionally through a one-on-one professional relationship with a senior Statistician as a mentor. An efficient mentor offers guidance, support, and encouragement to cultivate the mentee's career development. We anticipate that the time commitment for the program would entail approximately one hour per month for both the mentor and the mentee.
Benefits to the Mentor
A connection with skills and perspectives of recently trained professionals.
Development and enhancement of communication and leadership skills.
Satisfaction of passing on skills and knowledge that can enhance the career and personal growth of the mentee and contribute to maturity of the profession.
Benefits to the Mentee
A role model, but more accurately a sounding board, for questions about methods and resources of teaching Statistics.
A source of perspective, encouragement, and motivation leading to greater self-confidence and esteem in teaching Statistics. Help in establishing and achieving professional development plans and career goals.
A source of professional/social contacts with other Statistics educators.
Are you interested in becoming a mentor? Are you a potential mentee, or you would like to nominate a member of the Statistics Education Section who may be looking for a mentorship program? Then please email your contact information to Nicholas Horton at nhorton@amherst.edu. You will be asked to fill out an application form and share your CV (optional) in order to help us match mentors and mentees.
Once you are enrolled in the program, more information related to the mentoring activities and additional resources for mentors and mentees will be available via our section's website. To access the website called “Section on Statistical Education Mentoring Program” go to ASA Community and look under "My Communities."
Please contact nhorton@amherst.edu for any additional information or clarification related to this program.
Timeline for Mentor-Mentee Activities
June 1st
Deadline for application.
July 1st
Deadline for matching mentees/mentors.
July 30th
Assignment of mentors to mentees complete.
Welcome information sent to mentors and mentees with guidelines of the program, tips and ideas, and links to resources (available via the Section's website).
August-September
Mentors to meet with mentees by the end of JSM (optional).
Mentors to meet with mentees (by phone or in person) in order to establish a schedule of future meetings and method(s) of communication.
Mentee shares CV with her/his mentor prior to first meeting (optional).
August - ongoing
Hands-on mentoring continues.
Mentors communicate/meet with mentees for an hour (minimum) per month.
The Statistics Education committee communicates quarterly with program participants in order to monitor progress by receiving and offering feedback.
May 31st (2018)
Deadline for program evaluation survey, completed by mentors and mentees. Mentor/mentee pairs are asked to share their impressions of the program and their interaction with each other.
June (2018)
Participants are encouraged to continue meeting informally after the formal conclusion of the program.
