Session 1 (9:00 - 9:45)

Salient Practices for Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers:  Insights from Award-Winning Faculty Mentors
panel discussion | Troost room

Dr. Jane Greer and Dr. Virginia Blanton, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr. Len Dobens, School of Science and Engineering

 Dr. Amanda Grimes, School of Nursing and Health Studies

In 2015, Shanahan et al. undertook a comprehensive literature review of research and scholarship on mentoring undergraduate researchers and identified ten salient mentoring practices. These ten practices span the entire research experience, from strategic pre-planning to ensure undergraduates' needs are met as they begin their work to meaningful support as undergraduates circulate their findings and access professional opportunities beyond their baccalaureate studies. Shanahan et al.'s ten salient practices for mentoring undergraduate researchers have been used at post-secondary institutions across the nation and around the globe. They have framed conversations about mentoring undergraduate researchers in specific educational contexts that include global learning and virtual environments as well as in a range of disciplines, such as dance; fisheries and aquatic sciences; English; mammology; and political science.  This panel will familiarize attendees with the ten salient mentoring practices elucidated by Shanahan et al. and invite them to consider how they might mobilize such practices in their own mentoring work. Three UMKC faculty who have been recognized with the UMKC's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers will respond to Shanahan et al.'s practices, noting how the enactment of such mentoring practices may vary across their disciplines (English, biology, and public health). They will also share additional practices that have helped them be successful mentors for a range of undergraduates. This panel will allow attendees to tap into the expertise of their colleagues and become more intentional about their own mentoring practices.

• Attendees will relate the ten salient mentoring practices framework to their own disciplinary work as mentors or potential mentors of undergraduate researchers.  

• Attendees will formulate additional mentoring practices that might enrich the salient practices framework. 

• Attendees will choose one or two mentoring practices they wish to emphasize in their work as mentors in spring '25    

A Perspective on Graduate Mentorship after 16 Ph.D. Students and 25 Years on Faculty
fireside chat | Paseo Room

Dr. Simon Friedman, School of Pharmacy

Mentoring of graduate students can be one of the more challenging aspects of being an academic, as well as being one of the most rewarding.  It is difficult (impossible?) to train for this in advance.  Each mentor is unique, each student is unique, and hence their interactions are unique and hard to fully prepare for.  The mentor is shaped by their own psychological makeup, as well as the nature of their own experiences as a student.  The student being mentored is shaped by their prior education, their intellectual strengths and weaknesses, as well as their psychological makeup.   A solid set of principles is a reasonable starting point, as long as there is a recognition that each new student and each new mentor/student relationship is a new puzzle to solve.  The aim of this fireside chat is to outline some of my observations of the mentoring process, distilled over the past twenty five years.  Not canon, but a starting point for conversation and further pondering.

1. Each student (and indeed mentor) embodies a unique psychological makeup, as well as intellectual strengths and weaknesses.    

2. The ultimate success of the mentoring process hinges on understanding these factors, and adjusting the approach taken to match them.

Mentoring Neurodivergent Students and Students with Disabilities: Perspectives and Strategies
panel presentation | brookside Room

Z Kemp, School of Science and Engineering
Dr. Jeff Traiger, Institute for Human Development

This panel discussion will explore effective approaches to mentoring neurodivergent students and students with disabilities, providing insights from both faculty and student perspectives. Jeff will share experiences with the TIS initiative and involvement in a national alliance focused on supporting diverse learners. Z will discuss peer mentoring within student groups and offer suggestions for fostering inclusive mentoring relationships. Panelists will share practical strategies for creating supportive environments, addressing unique challenges, and enhancing student success through meaningful mentorship. Faculty will gain valuable perspectives and actionable recommendations to strengthen their mentoring practices. 

• Faculty will learn actionable approaches to effectively mentor neurodivergent students and students with disabilities, fostering supportive and inclusive relationships. 

• Gain an understanding of the role peer mentoring plays in student success and how faculty can support or integrate peer mentoring initiatives within their programs. 

• Learn about national alliances, institutional initiatives like TAPDINTO-STEM, and student-led efforts that create robust support systems for students with disabilities, and how faculty can engage with these resources. 

Building a Better Model: SOAR Research Mentoring
FIReside chat | kansas city Room

 Dr. Yifei Liu, School of Pharmacy

Dr. Alexis Petri, CAFE

Join us for an engaging fireside chat to explore the Supporting Our Academic Researchers (SOAR) Research Mentoring model. SOAR aims to provide faculty with targeted support for scholarly growth through matrix mentoring across self, peer, professional, and senior levels, pre-submission proposal reviews, and resources for large grant opportunities.

This conversation will highlight the SOAR framework’s current successes, including mentoring programs, proposal development workshops, and grant-writing initiatives like Art of Grants and the Faculty Writing Initiative. Faculty will have the opportunity to provide suggestions for enhancing the model, share insights on their mentoring experiences, and discuss strategies to better align SOAR with their needs.

• Learn about the SOAR Research Mentoring model and its matrix mentoring structure.

• Gain insights into existing SOAR programs supporting grant writing, research collaboration, and proposal development.

• Share ideas and contribute to strengthening the SOAR model to better support faculty success across all ranks.