Peer Mentoring Program Survivability: How Programs React When Bad Things Happen

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dc.contributor.authorGeary, Carol Paulineen
dc.contributor.committeechairMatusovich, Hollyen
dc.contributor.committeememberLee, Walter Curtisen
dc.contributor.committeememberMondisa, Joi-Lynnen
dc.contributor.committeememberKnight, David B.en
dc.contributor.departmentEngineering Educationen
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-15T08:00:35Zen
dc.date.available2025-07-15T08:00:35Zen
dc.date.issued2025-07-14en
dc.description.abstractgeneralHigher education is constantly changing. People who work to support students must keep up with those changes. One avenue of student support is peer mentoring programs. Peer mentoring programs are a low-cost option for supporting students, and there is a lot of research about how they are valuable and effective. There is not a lot of research on how those who lead these peer mentoring programs (administrators) overcome challenges to keep running their programs effectively. This study explores how administrators of engineering peer mentoring programs, particularly those supporting women in engineering, adapt to constant changes in higher education. By interviewing five different engineering peer mentoring program administrators situated in women in engineering support centers, I compared and contrasted across them to identify the key challenges administrators face and the strategies they use to address them. The findings reveal that challenges come from inside and outside their organizations, falling into seven main categories across two domains. The results shows that it is all about the people or stakeholders—including students, funders, university leadership, and the public—that is crucial for program survival. Program administrators must carefully balance institutional requirements, legal considerations, and their core values while operating with limited resources. I find that threats to program longevity that impact all programs include the loss of resources. For women in engineering programs specifically, evolving legal landscapes present added complexities. This study highlights the central role administrators play in sustaining these valuable student support programs. The findings provide practical guidance for administrators facing similar challenges and contribute to our understanding of how student support programs can remain effective despite higher education constantly changing.en
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophyen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:44355en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/136125en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectMentorshipen
dc.subjectPeer Mentoringen
dc.subjectProgram Sustainabilityen
dc.titlePeer Mentoring Program Survivability: How Programs React When Bad Things Happenen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineering Educationen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

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