A REPORT CARD ON MENTORSHIP IN GRADUATE FISHERIES EDUCATION - STUDENTAND FACULTY PERSPECTIVES

We sent survey instruments to 135 faculty and 69 student members of th e American Fisheries Society Education Section residing in North Ameri ca to obtain a preliminary assessment of the mentoring process. Result s indicate that the process, though working satisfactorily, could be i mproved. Expectations of doctoral students appear to be met, but maste r's degree students indicated several areas where advisors were fallin g short. In particular, many advisors may not be providing their stude nts with sufficient direct training and/or opportunity to receive trai ning in research methodology. Both master's and doctoral degree studen ts were rated relatively low by faculty advisors in the areas related to membership and involvement in student and professional organization s. Doctoral students were consistently rated higher than master's degr ee students in all aspects of mentoring interactions. Recognition of a reas where advisors and students can improve their mentor-mentoree rel ationships is an important step toward enhancing graduate education. O pening further the lines of communication between faculty and students is a crucial step toward improving graduate fisheries education.