Developing Leadership and Professional Skills of Graduate Students Using an Empowered Mentor-Leader Program Model

Abstract

Leadership mentoring cultivates student's leadership skills, professional and personal development and predicts leadership self-efficacy and performance. According to a recent Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) report, graduate students are too narrowly focused on academic preparation at the expense of developing authentic leadership, professional, and personal skills. The purpose of this paper is to explore the unique aspects of a pioneering mentorleader program that provides underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students with authentic leadership and professional development experiences. The program was designed to increase the persistence of women and URM students pursuing agricultural life science STEM-based postbaccalaureate degrees in the College of Agriculture at a Mid-western predominately while institution (PWI). The program design, development, and governing are in part, by a team of graduate students who are mentored by the co-project directors. Through these leadership roles students gain experiences that enhance their leadership skills such as program management, budgeting, strategic planning, grant writing, critical thinking, and program evaluation & assessment.