Views on mentoring by clothing and textiles faculty

Mentoring is one strategy that might be key to facilitating faculty retention and promotion. The purpose of the present research was to investigate how prevalent mentoring is and whether it is perceived as aiding the development, success, and work satisfaction of clothing and textiles faculty in post-secondary education. A random sample of 33 ITAA members (N = 32 females, 1 male) completed an in-depth telephone interview. Most participants were involved either in mentoring their colleagues or in being mentored. Relationships reported involved senior faculty mentoring junior faculty rather than peer mentoring. Participants noted that a mentoring relationship was important to their career advancement as junior faculty and to work satisfaction as senior faculty. Participants also noted that administrative support in several forms was necessary for mentoring relationships to be successful. Implications are presented for faculty concerning their involvement in mentoring.