Confronting theory: The practice of mentoring non-traditional students at Empire State College

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to select an institution that has mandated mentoring as part of its mission and examine how its faculty practice mentoring. This study selected SUNY Empire State College (ESC), an institution with a 28-year history of mentoring, and examined its faculty's definitions and theories about mentoring nontraditional students. The understanding gained about mentoring practices at ESC was evaluated in relation to the theoretical literature. Results of the study pointed to a discrepancy between mentoring theory and practice. The results of the study showed that the model of mentoring practiced at ESC is one that is driven largely by student needs and demands. Mentoring at ESC has developed practices that deviate from some of the norms established in the literature. Overall, faculty participants see the main objective of mentoring as helping students to reach specific goals, in most cases the practical attainment of a degree.