University at Buffalo (UB)
Faculty Profile
Mary McVee
Professor
Literacy Education
Director
Center for Literacy & Reading Instruction
mcvee@buffalo.edu
Education:
- PhD, Literacy, Language and Culture, Michigan State University, 1999
Professional experience:
- Professor, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo
What mentoring means to me:
Mentors have made a significant impact on my educational trajectory and career. My parents did not go to college but they greatly valued education. In our extremely rural community in Montana, there were no colleges or universities so the whole prospect of higher education was intimidating. Mentors during my undergraduate years set me up for success in college, and in later years, mentors in my Master's and PhD work helped me navigate graduate school. It is not a cliché to say that I would not be where I am today without the mentors who helped me.
My goal in mentoring is to be present for students and return the many great kindnesses that supported me on my educational journey. To me, mentoring includes a variety of approaches from listening and asking questions to specific guidance such as reviewing CVs or mock interviews for job preparation.
Topics I am willing to discuss with students:
Academic Culture
- Dealing with politics and conflict with faculty or peers.
- Decoding and demystifying academic culture and norms.
- Uncertainty about staying in grad school.
Other Topics
- Mary adds, "Experiences of rurality and place."
Personal Experiences
- Experiences related to being a woman.
- Experiences related to class and/or socioeconomic status.
- Caregiving for children.
- Experiences related to racial, ethnic, cultural and/or religious minority status.