2
I Introduction
Ask any person the factor influencing their successful
achievements and invariably they will relate the role of a
mentor who inspired, motivated and guided them. Although
this statement is a truism, the academic community has
provided ample empirical support for the assertion. One
early study concluded the major variable for maturating
into a successful adult was forming a relationship with a
mentor (Levinson et al., 1978). The importance of a mentor
is crucial, not just for growing up or succeeding in a
professional career, it is vital to a fulfilling
undergraduate education.
Undergraduate mentoring is an important, albeit
underdeveloped, area of the political science literature on
pedagogy. In disciplines such as psychology, engineering,
and natural sciences the literature on mentoring is robust
and replete with serious research. Unfortunately, in
political science mentoring literature is scare at best. To
its credit the APSA has begun a Mentoring Initiative and a
series of short essays published in PS. This article is
intended to begin to fill this void.
The overall argument made in this article is the
importance of taking mentoring seriously; as one component
Convention