Natallia Sianko, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, has earned a Fulbright Scholar Award to build research capacity through the implementation of mentoring programs at the University of Tirana in Albania.
The goal of the project is to develop and implement an evidence-based mentoring curriculum for social sciences faculty at the University of Tirana through a phased, participatory approach that engages faculty, graduate students and university leadership.
Using the Fulbright Flex award’s multi-visit format, Sianko will meet with stakeholders to assess mentoring needs and identify motivations, barriers and resources; deliver pilot workshops that combine research training with holistic mentoring practices; and produce a mentoring protocol outlining best practices, structure and policy recommendations for sustainable mentoring activities.
Sianko said mentorship is recognized as a positive concept across higher education but there is little consistency across institutions, and challenges have contributed to gaps in research related to the development and implementation of successful programs.
“I am honored for the opportunity to bridge a critical gap in research through my work as a Fulbright Scholar in Albania,” said Sianko. “I look forward to working with stakeholders at the University of Tirana to support the development, success and sustainability of mentorship opportunities for faculty and students and build research capacity for the university and its individual researchers.”
According to Sianko, the project will strengthen graduate students’ research and career readiness while equipping faculty members with evidence-based mentoring practices to enhance teaching, supervision and student success – in addition to revitalizing faculty-student collaborations, reducing burn out and strengthening the institutional foundation for scholarship.
More broadly, her goal for the project is to provide a scalable model for other Albanian universities, generate evidence to inform international higher education reforms and strengthen collaborations between the University of Tirana and Clemson University through comparative research and mentorship.
“This prestigious award recognizes the breadth of expertise Dr. Sianko brings to mentoring and applied research. Her advanced training in both qualitative and quantitative research methods allows her to connect with colleagues and students across disciplines through shared methodological interests, and her career-long commitment to mentorship makes her exceptionally well-suited to lead collaborative initiatives to strengthen international mentoring programs,” said Katy Weisensee, chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice.
The Fulbright Scholar Program enables researchers to build skills and connections, gain valuable international insights and return to their home institutions to share their experiences. As such, Sianko said this work is not only about the development of successful programs in Albania but also building a global mentorship network to share comparative insights to enrich research, teaching and mentoring across institutions and countries.
The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in seven disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.
