The Wiley International Handbook of Mentoring

26Synthesis of Mentoring Programs

Jennifer N. Boswell

University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas

Mentoring programs can be found around the world from institutions of higher learning, to K‐12 environments, to professional and business settings. Mentoring programs can, and do, have a significant impact on the development of students, educators, and professionals. Often mentoring programs are put into place to help address specific needs of underrepresented or underserved communities. The more we, as scholars and practitioners, continue to learn about the best practices and outcomes of successful mentoring programs the more mentors, and those developing the mentoring programs, will be able to better serve their identified populations. The authors of the eight chapters in this section, Mentoring Programs, illustrate the varied ways mentoring programs can be successful and produce outcomes related to mentee growth and achievement. I have clustered the chapters in topical combinations, though they may not be presented in this order in the book. However, the reader may wish to consider them as a clustered topic.

In the first three clustered chapters, the authors highlighted the benefits of a mentoring program aimed at supporting students in higher education settings. In these chapters, the authors remind the readers of the unique needs of student mentees along with the innovative ways mentoring programs at colleges and universities adapt to meet the ever‐changing needs and interests ...