Purpose

The IWCA Mentor Match Program provides mentorship opportunities for writing center professionals. The program sets up mentor and mentee matches, and then those pairs discuss their goals for participating in the program, decide the best ways to accomplish those goals, and define the parameters of their relationship, including the most appropriate communication channels and frequency of correspondence. Because the program takes a non-dyadic approach, mentors and mentees are encouraged to share information and learn from one another, and thus, both parties benefit from the mentoring relationship.

Eligibility and Timeline

Mentors and mentees can provide a range of support to one another. They may:

  • Refer one another to resources.
  • Connect one another with colleagues internationally, nationally, and in their region.
  • Consult on professional development, contract review, and promotion.
  • Provide feedback on assessment and scholarship.
  • Serve as an outside reviewer for writing center assessment.
  • Serve as a reference for promotion.
  • Serve as a chair on conference panels.
  • Answer curious questions.
  • Offer outside opinions about situations.

All IWCA members are eligible to participate in the IWCA Mentor Match Program. The Program runs on a two-year cycle, and the next Mentor Match cycle will begin in October of 2023. The IWCA Mentor Match Co-Coordinators will send a survey to all IWCA members in August of 2023 inviting them to participate in the program. The survey asks several questions about the IWCA member’s goals for participating in the program and their institution. The Co-Coordinators review this information carefully to match mentors and mentees who have similar goals and/or institutions. If the Co-Coordinators are unable to match a mentor or mentee, they will do their best to find a mentor/mentee who is a good fit, create a mentor group for unmatched participants, and/or connect them to additional writing center resources.

If you are interested in participating in mentorship interactions outside of our regular two-year cycle, please contact the Co-Coordinators (see contact information below) to learn what opportunities are available. 

Testimonials

“Being a mentor with the IWCA Mentor Match program helped me to critically reflect on my own experiences, led to a professional relationship with a valued colleague, and encouraged me to consider how professional mentoring leads to disciplinary identity.”

Maureen McBride, University Nevada-Reno, Mentor 2018-19

“For me, the chance to mentor someone else had a few benefits. I was able to pay forward some of the wonderful support I received informally over the years. My relationship with my mentee fosters a mutual learning space where we both feel supported for the work we do. Holding this space is really important for those of us who can feel isolated at our home institutions or in silo-ed departments.”

Jennifer Daniel, Queens University of Charlotte, Mentor 2018-19

 

Events

The IWCA Mentor Match program offers a series of events each year for mentors and mentees. Please visit the IWCA Mentor Match Events Schedule to see a current list of events.

 

Contact Information

If you have questions about the IWCA Mentor Match Program, please contact the IWCA Mentor Match Co-Coordinators Maureen McBride at mmcbride @ unr.edu and Molly Rentscher at molly.rentscher @ elmhurst.edu.