Our Events
Special Topics in Mentoring Research
Monday, June 4, 10:30 – 1:00 pm
PSU Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 327
>>Registration
The PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research (CIMR) & Oregon Mentors invite you to join us on Monday, June 4, from 10:30 – 1:00 pm for a special event and luncheon featuring mentoring research presentations by Kevin Jones, Jennifer Rainer and Mandy Elder, recipients of CIMR research scholarships. Presentations will examine:
- Long-term mentoring relationships from the youth perspective in the Friends of the Children Mentoring Program
- Whether cross-race matching in mentoring programs can help youth and young adults and reduce societal prejudice
- Peer mentoring as a means of supporting first-generation women college students in Oaxaca Mexico
This special event will be held at Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 327 (third floor, SE corner of building). This event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided, but space is limited so please register early (registration deadline is June 1). You may register at: http://mentoringresearch.eventbrite.com/
For more information please contact Kay Logan at kay.logan@pdx.edu, 503.725.9680, or visit our website: http://www.pdx.edu/mentoring-research/
Presenters:
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Kevin Jones
Practicum Director in the Dorothy Day Social Work Program at the University of Portland A poetry-based interpretive phenomenological analysis of long-term mentoring relationships from the youth perspective
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Jennifer Rainer, PSU Dept of Sociology Can cross-race mentoring for youth and young adults help minority students and break down prejudice? One of the most important issues in mentoring concerns the dynamics of race and ethnicity in mentoring relationships. Mentors often come from very different backgrounds than the young people they mentor. Studies on formal mentoring programs comparing benefits of same-race and cross-race matches have produced mixed findings. Research has rarely focused on how cross-race matches can promote racial empathy and understanding for both mentor and mentee. Jennifer’s research seeks to better understand the experiences of white adult mentors and African American and Latino mentees through personal narrative. The research aims to discover practices that improve inter-group relations and yield positive effects in mentoring programs for minority disconnected youth and young adults. Jennifer Rainer is the recipient of a CIMR Master’s Research Scholarship. She became interested in mentoring while serving as a mentor in her ethnically diverse high school in Texas. As an undergraduate at Texas State University, her internship with the San Marcos Police Department led to a qualitative study of the life experiences of juvenile girls involved in the justice system. Her research interests focus on the factors influencing racial identity development and cross-racial empathy. |
Mandy Elder, PSU School of Social Work Women in Higher Education and Changes in Families: First Generation College Students in Oaxaca Mexico Mandy's research examines peer mentoring relationships of first-generation female college students from rural communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. Strict gender roles combined with a highly indigenous and impoverished population in Oaxaca create barriers to educational attainment and inhibit upward social mobility for women. In addition, higher education may be overtly discouraged by social pressures to stay within traditional roles as obedient daughters, wives, and mothers. Mandy has interviewed women attending university in San Pablo Huixtepec to examine the consequences and effects seeking higher education has had on their family relationships. University personnel working with first-generation women students in Oaxaca can use the information gathered from this study to facilitate higher retention rates among first-generation women at universities. Access to education is an important step in the process of gender equality in Mexico. Mandy is the recipient of a CIMR Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Her interest in mentoring, supportive peer relationships, social justice, gender roles and first-generation college students springs from her own experiences as the first in her family to attend college. She comes from a rural community in Southern Oregon and is the recipient of a PSU President's Diversity Award for her work on promoting access to higher education. |
Dr. Howard Adams, PhD, May 25, 2012
We are pleased to announce two very special events featuring Dr. Howard G. Adams on Friday, May 25th. Dr. Adams is a national leader in mentoring, how to be a successful student, and promoting success for students underrepresented in STEM (Science, Engineering and Math) fields. He has received many awards and distinctions including the Golden Torch Award for the National Society of Black Engineers. Dr. Adams will be giving two talks, one especially for students on techniques for successfully applying to graduate school, and another for the PSU faculty, peer mentors and students on how to be an effective mentor. This is a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and community partners to hear from one of the foremost experts on mentoring and college success, so please pass this information along to your networks. Both events are free, and refreshments will be provided, but there is limited seating, so make sure to reserve your spot now (it is necessary to register separately for each event)! Both events will be held in the School of Community Health, PSU Urban Center (URBN) in the 2nd floor gallery. The registration deadline is Tuesday, May 22nd. The events:
Event 1. Making the Case for Graduate School, Friday May 25th, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Dr. Adams has written extensively on mastering the graduate school process successfully, and in this talk he will provide wisdom and specific techniques for developing a success mind-set; gaining traits of people who succeed; learning effective academic planning; identifying and utilizing mentors; and connecting with people and resources.
>>Registration for “Making the Case for Graduate School
Event 2. How to Be an Effective Mentor, Friday, May 25th, 4:00 – 5:00 PM
This talk is for Faculty, student mentors, and students who are thinking of becoming mentors and is an exciting opportunity to hear from one of the foremost experts on mentoring in academic settings.
>>Registration for “How to Be an Effective Mentor”
Dr. Howard G. Adams is Founder and President of H.G. Adams & Associates, Inc. Adams is a leading expert on mentoring and mentorship program development and has written, lectured, and consulted extensively on mentoring as an effective strategy for career, educational, and personal and professional development. He is a sought after keynote speaker and seminar presenter, having spoken at over 800 colleges and universities, numerous national conferences, and conducted training for a number of fortune 500 companies.
Events are sponsored by:
PSU School of Community Health
PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research
Oregon Master of Public Health Program
with special thanks to the Portland Bridges to Baccalaureate Program
Webinar: Mentoring Youth with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Fields
Thursday, May 17, Collaborative Webinar Series
Featuring: CIMR Researchers Dr. Jo-Ann Sowers and Dr. Laurie Powers and Scott Bellman of the Disability, Opportunity, Interworking, and Technology (DO-IT) program at the University of Washington
10-11:15 am Pacific/11-12:15 pm Mountain/12-1:15 pm Central/1-2:15 pm Eastern
Register at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/677500729
Youth with disabilities, along with girls and racial/ethnic minorities are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, and they are a largely untapped pool of potential talent to help fill the need that America has in these areas. The Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funds projects to increase the number of youth with disabilities who choose and pursue STEM education and career paths. Mentoring is one approach RDE-NSF has identified as a promising practice. CIMR researchers, Laurie Powers and Jo-Ann Sowers will review research and literature about STEM mentoring for youth with disabilities, as well as research about other types of mentoring for youth with disabilities, and STEM mentoring for girls and racial/ethnic minorities. Recommendations for mentoring programs will be highlighted. Scott Bellman of the Disability, Opportunity, Interworking, and Technology (DO-IT) program at the University of Washington will join the panel to share the many mentoring activities and resources available through DO-IT. This free, national event is part of the collaborative webinar series from the National Mentoring Center, Oregon Mentors, the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, Friends for Youth Mentoring Institute and MENTOR/the National Mentoring Partership.
Announcing the Sixth Annual 2012 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring
July 23- 27, 2012
Portland State University
Applications to attend the sixth annual Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring July 23-27 on the campus of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, are due May 11th.
The institute offers a distinctive educational opportunity for experienced mentoring professionals, with intensive presentations and interactive discussions on the latest developments in theory and research on youth mentoring led by prominent, internationally recognized research fellows. The use of formal mentoring to support youth has changed and evolved in recent decades, and the 2012 Summer Institute will focus on the theme of innovative and non-traditional models of youth mentoring.
This in-depth view of the research allows participants to examine implications for mentoring program policies and practices. Sessions include time for participants to think critically and creatively about their own program issues and explore opportunities for innovation. A fundamental premise of the institute is that a sustained dialogue between experienced professionals and researchers stimulates research with relevance to the field and enhances its translation to practical application.
The Director of the Summer Institute is Thomas Keller, the Duncan and Cindy Campbell professor for children, youth and families with an emphasis on mentoring at Portland State University. Researchers presenting at the 2012 institute are Sandra Christenson of the University of Minnesota, Mark Eddy of the University of Washington, Sarah Geenen of Portland State University, Gabe Kuperminc of Georgia State University, Davielle Lakind of University of Illinois-Chicago, George Noblit of UNC-Chapel Hill, and Sarah Schwartz of UMass-Boston.
This year's Summer Institute will be limited to 25 participants who have several years of experience in the field of youth development and are seeking an advanced level of professional development. They should have positions enabling them to influence the training and supervision of staff, the development of program models and the implementation of service delivery changes based on the latest advances in the field.
Applications to attend the event, as well as scholarship requests, are due by May 11, 2012. Tuition for the week-long seminar is $725, and a special rate is available on lodging at University Place, a full-service hotel on the Portland State University campus. For more information, including the application, visit the Summer Institute website at www.youthmentoring.ssw.pdx.edu.
Connections that Work: Pathways to Employment for Young People with Serious Mental Health Conditions
Join us for a Webinar on Thursday, March 22, 2012, 10AM - 11AM Pacific/1PM – 2PM Eastern
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/848608448
Presenters will share strategies, including mentoring, for promoting employment opportunities for young people with serious mental health conditions. Rise, Inc. and Career Visions will be featured as two examples of interventions supporting young people to access employment, and a young adult will share his experience seeking and maintaining employment.
Presenters:
Jo-Ann Sowers, Principal Investigator, Career Visions Project; Pathways to Positive Futures RTC, PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, Portland, OR
Joan Distler, Director of Customized Employment, Rise, Inc.; Spring Lake Park, MN
Joe Marrone, Senior Program Manager for Public Policy, Institute for Community Inclusion; University of Mass-Boston
Sean Roy, Projects Director for Transition and Workforce Partnerships at PACER Center; Minneapolis, MN and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
Ryan Tepley, Owner, Pro Pet Sitting Services, LLC; St. Louis Park, MN
Cropping the Big Picture - Determining What the New Meta-Analysis Means for Your Mentoring Program (Webinar)
This year marks a landmark in the youth mentoring field with the publication of a new meta-analysis on the effectiveness of youth mentoring programs from leading mentoring researcher David Dubois and his colleagues. Hear from Dr. Dubois, and CIMR director Thomas Keller, discuss about this important research and what it means for program practice. The meta-analysis combines the results of over 70 mentoring program evaluations into one compelling picture of the overall impact of mentoring programs nationwide. Download the meta-analysis
This webinar is the first in a collaboration between the National Mentoring Center, Friends for Youth, Oregon Mentors, and the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. Look for more joint webinars throughout 2012!
2012 National Mentoring Summit: "What Research Says"
January 24th & 25th, Washington D.C.
The Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research was a partner of the 2012 National Mentoring Summit, held in Washington D.C., January 24th and 25th. The Summit featured a special panel research presentation featuring CIMR director, Thomas Keller, and CIMR researcher, Marc Wheeler. The panel, "What Research Says,” featured researchers Jean Rhodes, Tim Cavell, Keoki Hansen, Michael Karcher, and Renee Spencer, all alumni of the CIMR-hosted Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring. CIMR Research Scholarship Awardee, Christian Rummell, led a special focus session on mentoring and supporting Gay Youth.
Suicide Prevention for Mentoring Programs
Thursday, November 10, 2011
On November 10, CIMR co-hosted an important training with Oregon Mentors on youth suicide prevention. First, Del Quest, a doctoral student in the PSU School of Social Work presented the recent national studies on youth suicide prevention and qualitative findings on what youth and teachers say about prevention here in the Northwest. Then Sonja Miller, Indigent Behavioral Health Coordinator with Multnomah County, informed participants about the warning signs to look out for and how to access resources for youth in trouble.
Summer Symposium on Mentoring Research
Friday, July 22, 2011
Portland State University presented the Summer Symposium on Mentoring Research, a special one-day symposium is for a national audience of professionals from mentoring programs as well as those who work in the fields of child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and education. The focus of the 2011 Summer Symposium on Mentoring Research will be the mentoring of youth involved with child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The Symposium featured prominent researchers who investigate effective approaches for serving these youth. Speakers included:
Kym Ahrens University of Washington
Jeffrey Butts John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
Tim Cavell University of Arkansas
Roger Jarjoura Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Thomas Keller Portland State University
Leslie Leve Oregon Social Learning Center
Michelle Munson New York University
Laurie Powers Portland State University
Julia Pryce Loyola University Chicago
Renee Spencer Boston University
Heather Taussig University of Colorado
Can Interracial Youth Mentoring Help Adolescents and Reduce Societal Prejudice?: Rethinking Mentoring from the Vantage Point of the Classic "Contact Hypothesis"
Friday May 6th from 3-4 p.m., Dr. José Padín, Associate Professor of Sociology
ROOM UPDATED: Academic Student Recreation Center, Donna Beegle Community Classroom 620/630 (sixth floor), 1800 SW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97201
Two problems will be presented for discussion and one, very modest solution:
- Problem 1:
Adult mentors can make a big difference in the life of adolescents, but Black and Latino youth face a serious shortage of adult mentors from their group.
- Problem 2:
Americans continue deeply divided by race, notwithstanding the last election, but extensive social science research shows that special kinds of contact can reduce the impact of racism.
- Solution?
Cross-race/ethnicity mentoring matches, their potential, and possible pitfalls, will be considered in light of social science research on the effects of different types of "intergroup contact."
This presentation is part of the Collaborative Health and Social Research Series sponsored by Portland State University's Center for Health and Social Inequality Research and Department of Sociology. Co-sponsors include the Department of Chicano-Latino Studies, The Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, and the Regional Research Institute, School of Social Work.
Dr. Padin's most recently completed project, Student Mentors Inspiring Latino Excellence / Somos Mentores Impulsando Latinos al Exito (SMILE) is a community-oriented, multi-tier mentoring program that connects Latino students in 15 K-8, middle and high schools in the Portland Public School District; involving senior PSU students as mentors through a senior capstone. SMILE was funded through the Portland Children's Investment Fund.
>> More Information: PSU Dept Sociology
Workplace Mentoring: Benefits and Strategies for Success
February 17, 2011, 4:00 - 5:30pm
The PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research hosted Tammy Allen, Professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Allen is the 2011 CIMR Fellow and an international expert on programs for mentoring employees in the workplace.
About the speaker: Tammy D. Allen is Professor of Psychology at the University of South Florida. Tammy conducts research on mentoring relationships, careers, work-family issues, organizational citizenship behavior, and occupational health within organizations. Her research has received best paper awards from the Academy of Management and the Society for Training and Development. She is a recipient of the Academy of Management Mentoring Legacy Award, which recognizes scholars whose work has been germinal to the study of mentoring. Tammy is co-author of Designing Workplace Mentoring Programs: An Evidence-based Approach and co-editor of The Blackwell Handbook of Mentoring: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. She is associate editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology and past associate editor of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Tammy currently serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association.
Inclusive Policy and Practice for Serving LGBTQ Youth in Mentoring and Afterschool Programs
January 21st, 2011, 10am - 1:30pm
The PSU Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, Oregon Mentors and OregonASK held a joint training on research and practice for providing services to LGBTQ youth in mentoring and afterschool programs. The training was designed for the staff of community youth serving programs and agencies, research faculty, policy makers and students. The training was led by:
- PSU's Dr. Kris Gowen, whose research focuses on adolescent development and transitions to adulthood, with special attention to adolescent sexuality and sexual education. Kris is a Research Associate with PSU's Regional Research Institute on Human Services and a faculty member of CIMR. Download Kris's slides here .
- PSU's Christian Rummell, whose specialty area is providing mentoring services to LGBT youth. Christian is a nationally recognized trainer for MENTOR (the National Mentoring Partnership), the National Mentoring Center and other national youth-focused projects.
Mid-Willamette Symposium on Youth Mentoring
November 8th, 2010, 9:30am - 2:30pm
On November 8th, 2010 we held the Mid-Willamette Symposium on Youth Mentoring for youth service practitioners and policy-makers to discuss the latest developments in youth mentoring theory and research and how they are translated into program practice. This event gave Oregon's youth service providers access to information from the Portland State University Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring -- an annual gathering of nationally recognized researchers and practitioners.The symposium reviewed highlights from past Institutes, focusing on key mentoring issues such as the use of technology, diversity, mentoring relationships and best program practices. Presenters included:
Dr. Thomas Keller, PSU's Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research
Celeste Janssen, Oregon Mentors
Michael Garringer, National Mentoring Center at Education Northwest
Sarah Spinks, Mid Valley Mentors, Salem
Kim Filla, Portland OIC/Rosemary Anderson High School, Portland
Jay Baughman, Committed Partners for Youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lane County, Eugene
Participant of the Oregon Leaders' Summer Institute Program, sponsored by Oregon Community Foundation
The event was supported by the Oregon Community Foundation.
Teen Sexuality Training for Mentor and Afterschool Networks
November 9th, 2010, 11am - 1pm
On November 9th, 2010, CIMR co-hosted a training with Oregon Mentors and Oregon ASK for youth service providers on the research regarding teen sexuality. The training was led by PSU's Dr. Kris Gowen, whose research focuses on adolescent development and transitions to adulthood, with special attention to adolescent sexuality and sexual education. Dr. Gowen is a Research Associate with PSU's Regional Research Institute on Human Services and a faculty member of CIMR. The training examined the research on teen sexuality through the lens of youth program practice. It was designed for the staff of community youth serving programs and agencies, with an interest in issues related to teen sexuality and how to provide services to adolescents in community and afterschool settings.
Keoki Hansen, Director of Research and Evaluation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
September 30, 2010, noon - 1 pm
Keoki Hansen, Director of Research and Evaluation for BBBSA, presented the first of this academic year's CIMR workshops. Dr. Hansen discussed:
- The opportunities and challenges of conducting research within a national youth serving organization; how to bridge research and practice to drive program improvement; and how to bring changes to scale.
- The need for independent research, and how to balance that need with the needs of the organization, and the desire of funders and other stakeholders to have demonstrated outcomes in the current high-stakes political & funding climate.
- Lessons learned from the large BBBSA School-Based Mentoring Impact study, the study of Enhanced School-Based Mentoring (in progress), and the BBBSA High School Students as Mentors Study.
Social Policy Report on School-based Mentoring, National Press Club Event
Sept. 9, 2010
CIMR faculty members Keller and Wheeler, along with mentoring researcher David Dubois of the University of Illinois at Chicago, discussed their work on school-based mentoring at the National Press Club in Washington DC, September 9th.
>> Download Social Policy Report Brief
Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring Kick-Off Event
July 26, 2010, 5:00 - 6:30
We kicked-off the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring with a panel discussion of mentoring experts. This year's panel included:
Thomas Keller, Portland State University
Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts--Boston
Michael Karcher, University of Texas--San Antonio
Susan Murphy, James Madison University
Kevin O’Neill, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Carmit-Noa Shpigelman, Western Galilee College, Israel
Peg Boyle Single, Independent Research & Consultation
Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring Community Symposium
August 2, 2010, 9:00 - 2:00
The Community Symposium was an opportunity for mentoring and youth development program staff and volunteers to hear about the highlights of the mentoring research shared at the institute, and discuss implications for policy and practice.
Speakers included:
Thomas Keller, Portland State University
Gary Kosman, America Learns
Michael Garringer, National Mentoring Center
Celeste Janssen, Oregon Mentors
Sarah Spinks, Mid Valley Mentors
Joe Walsh, Washington Cty Juvenile Dept., Sky’s the Limit Program
Demystifying Dissertation Writing
July 29, 2010, 5:00 - 6:30
This workshop was presented by Peg Boyle Single, Ph.D., author of Demystifying Dissertation Writing:A Streamlined Process from Choice of Topic to Final Text and columnist for the on-line newspaper Inside Higher Education. Dr. Single has worked with faculty members and doctoral students for over 15 years. During this time, she has developed a system that demystifies dissertation writing and advising and that helps doctoral students and faculty members increase their writing fluency, productivity, and enjoyment. To learn about Dr. Single and her work, you can visit her website at www.pegboylesingle.com.
2010 Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring
July 26-30, 2010
The annual Summer Institute brings together leading researchers and experienced professionals for an intensive, thematic seminar. The Institute also includes symposia and events open to the community.
Southern Oregon Symposium on Youth Mentoring
May 3, 2010, 9:30 - 2:00
This event was held at the Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls and was designed for youth mentoring researchers & practitioners to discuss the latest developments in youth mentoring theory and research and how they are translated into program practice.
Featured speakers included:
Thomas Keller, Portland State University
Debbie Vought, Citizens for Safe Schools
Bob Moore, COPY Program, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office
Jenny Stern-Carusone, Committed Partners for Youth, BBBS of Lane County
& Oregon Mentors
Dr. Jennifer Henderlong Corpus, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Reed College
February 26, 2010
CIMR kicked off a quarterly workshop series with a talk by Dr. Jennerfer Henderlong Corpus, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Reed College. Dr. Corpus' fascinating research focuses on how praise influences motivation, particularly in academic settings for children and young adults. She is the director of the Children's Motivation Project at Reed College which works with preschoolers through adolescents to understand what motivates students to learn, and how motivation can be sustained and promoted. Her research suggests that while it is natural for parents and teachers to praise children for their academic achievements, certain types of praise are more beneficial to motivation than others. In fact, her research confirms the growing body of evidence indicating that in under some conditions praise can negatively impact motivation. Dr. Corpus identified ways of praising children that increase perseverance when they face challenges in the future. For example, praising children’s efforts, processes and strategies as opposed to their personal traits helps to create resilience when they are later confronted with challenges. Also, praising children for skill acquisition and task mastery creates healthier motivational patterns than praising children for outperforming others. Dr. Corpus' presentation was followed by a discussion by CIMR members about the application of her research to mentoring relationships, particularly given the role of mentors in encouraging and supporting mentees. Kyla Haimovitz, a student of Dr. Corpus, also discussed her preliminary findings examining the interaction of praise and motivation with college students. Dr. Corpus has several of her published articles posted on the Children's Motivation Project Web site.