Mentoring and the new curriculum of academic work

Abstract

This paper argues that institutional agendas associated with the development of the enterprise model of the university in many western countries are changing the nature of work and in so doing demanding new work practices and identities of academic staff (or faculty). Within this climate academic staff are exhorted to expand and enhance their performance repertoire, leading to the growth in emphasis on the professional development of academic (and other) staff. This paper considers the role of formal mentoring, in particular mentoring of women faculty, in promoting self-review and self-regulation in this increasingly performance driven climate. It argues that mentoring plays an important role in promoting specific dispositions and behaviours suited to the enterprise model.