Building a Mentoring Community in Statistics and Data Science Education
Jackie Herman
There is something special about the beginning of a new academic year. Students are beginning a new chapter, faculty members are teaching new classes, graduate students are preparing for the job market, and many people are stepping into a classroom for the very first time. It is a season full of fresh starts.
It is also the time of year when another group of mentoring relationships begins.
Over the past few years, I’ve come to believe everyone should have a mentor outside of their own institution. Having someone who has been where you are—someone who can listen, ask questions, and offer advice without it affecting your annual review or promotion process—is incredibly valuable. Those conversations usually start with a question about teaching, research, or the job market, but they frequently grow into lasting professional relationships, future collaborations, and friendships.
That’s exactly what our mentoring program is designed to do. At its core, the idea is simple: connect statistics and data science educators with someone who has already navigated a similar path. Sometimes that means discussing teaching strategies, preparing for promotion and tenure, or exploring research ideas. Other times, it means talking through the academic job market or work-life balance, or simply having someone outside your department who will listen.
Over time, one thing I’ve learned is that mentors don’t have to have all the answers. They don’t need to tell mentees exactly what to do, and they certainly don’t have to have experienced every situation themselves. Instead, they help mentees think through their options, ask good questions, and figure out what makes the most sense for their own goals and circumstances.
When I first became involved with the program, I assumed the biggest benefit would be the advice people received during the academic year. While that’s certainly true, I’ve realized there’s something even more valuable happening. Many of these mentoring relationships don’t end when the official program ends in May. Participants continue meeting, collaborating, checking in with each other, and even becoming friends. Watching these relationships continue after the formal program ends has convinced me that we’re building something much bigger than a mentoring program; we’re building a community. That sense of community didn’t happen overnight.
The mentoring program was founded by Nicholas Horton during his tenure as chair of the ASA Section on Statistics and Data Science Education. Inspired by the ASA Committee on Applied Statisticians’ Mentoring in a Box initiative and similar efforts in other ASA sections, the goal was to create a mentoring program that would strengthen connections within the statistics and data science education community. The first cohort launched during the 2016–2017 academic year with approximately 12 mentor-mentee pairs.
What started as a small program has grown to around 45 mentor-mentee pairs each academic year. As the program has grown, it has also evolved to better serve the broader statistics and data science education community. Today, participants include graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, high school teachers, community college faculty, professors at both teaching-focused and research-intensive universities, and professionals working in industry. Beginning with the 2025–2026 academic year, we also removed the requirement that participants be members of the American Statistical Association, making the program accessible to an even broader community.
While the idea behind the program is simple, putting together successful mentoring pairs takes much more than matching names. Every summer, two committee members and I carefully read through each application before making matches. We look at where mentees are in their careers, what they hope to gain from the program, and the experiences and strengths each mentor brings. We also consider teaching and research interests, institution type, time zones, and even scheduling availability. Finding the right matches usually takes four or five hours, but it’s the most crucial part of the program.
Applications are announced each summer, and participants may apply as mentors, mentees, or both. Even if someone isn’t sure whether the program is the right fit, we’re always happy to answer questions and help them determine whether it aligns with their goals.
Once the matches are made, I get to do one of my favorite parts of the program: sending the introductory emails to each pair. After spending hours reading through the applications and thinking through potential pairings, it is exciting to finally connect the mentees to their mentors, knowing that dozens of new conversations and relationships are about to begin. But my favorite part comes afterward: watching those relationships develop throughout the year. I look forward to seeing who reconnects at US Conference on Teaching Statistics or Joint Statistical Meetings, hearing about collaborations that began through the program, and reading the survey responses each spring. Serving as chair has given me the opportunity to get to know educators from across the country, and that has become one of the most rewarding parts of the role.
We ask mentors and mentees to meet for about 30 minutes each month throughout the academic year, but that’s just a guideline. Every mentoring relationship develops a little differently. Some pairs stick to a monthly schedule, while others meet more frequently or connect whenever a question comes up. The goal isn’t to follow a strict structure; it’s to create a mentoring relationship that works well for both people.
Each mentoring pair is assigned a committee liaison who checks in several times throughout the year to make sure things are going smoothly and to offer support if needed. We also host a virtual social each semester, when everyone in the program can connect—not just with their mentor or mentee, but with others across the statistics and data science education community. These socials give participants a chance to discuss topics that matter to them and to expand their professional network beyond their individual mentoring relationship.
Before joining the mentoring committee, I spent three years serving as a mentor. Looking back, those experiences reinforced something I now tell prospective mentors all the time: There isn’t one “right” way to mentor.
Each of my mentees had different goals and needed something different from me. One was a tenure-track faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution who wanted to talk through the challenges of balancing teaching, service, and scholarship with a specific goal of enhancing her teaching. Another was a high school teacher preparing to teach statistics for only the second time. We ended up meeting weekly instead of monthly because she wanted regular feedback as she planned lessons and worked through classroom challenges. My third mentee was a PhD student navigating the academic job market. It was especially fun to watch him interview for faculty positions, including one at my own institution. Although he ultimately accepted a position elsewhere, I enjoyed being able to encourage him through that exciting (and stressful) year.
Mentoring isn’t about following a formula. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them move toward whatever comes next.
Those three mentoring relationships looked completely different, and that’s exactly how they should have looked. Mentoring isn’t about following a formula. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them move toward whatever comes next for them.
My own experiences have certainly shaped how I think about mentoring, but they’re only three stories. The end-of-year surveys consistently remind me that every mentoring relationship has its own impact.
Reading the survey responses each spring reminds me of just how different every mentoring relationship becomes. Some mentees talked about receiving feedback on teaching philosophies, CVs, and job application materials. Others appreciated having someone outside their own department to discuss challenges with that they weren’t comfortable bringing to colleagues at their own institution. One mentee described the program as providing “a low-stakes and friendly environment,” where they could connect with a faculty member over multiple conversations. Another shared that their mentor even attended their dissertation defense, something neither of them could have predicted when they were first matched.
Mentors found the experience just as rewarding. Several commented on how much they enjoyed watching their mentees grow in confidence over the year. One mentor wrote that they valued “building a relationship that will continue beyond this program,” while another appreciated having the opportunity to give back to the statistics and data science education community that had supported them throughout their own career.
One story that especially stands out to me came from former mentee Mine Doğucu. After benefiting from the mentoring program as a graduate student and first-year faculty member, she later returned as a mentor. To me, that’s one of the greatest compliments our program can receive. This past year, she and her mentee, Evan Fryer, collaborated on a lesson about accessibility and visual literacy that Evan presented at eCOTS. Together, they also developed open-access teaching materials for others to use. To me, that story captures exactly what this program is all about: creating connections that grow into collaborations and, eventually, inspire participants to pay it forward.
As we approach the program’s 11th year, I find myself excited about what comes next. I hope the program continues to grow, but not at the expense of what has made it successful. Going from about 12 mentoring pairs in our first year to around 45 today has been exciting, but I hope we never lose the care and thought that goes into making each match. I also want the program to continue to evolve. I know future committee members will bring new ideas and continue improving the program in ways I haven’t even imagined. That’s exactly what should happen. Strong programs continue to grow because new people are willing to invest their time, energy, and ideas into making them even better.
You don’t have to have all the answers to make a difference in someone else’s career. Sometimes all it takes is being willing to listen, ask thoughtful questions, and share your experiences. As I’ve learned over the past several years, those first conversations often become friendships, collaborations, and connections that last well beyond the official mentoring program.
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