StayingOnTargetPME

STAYING ON TARGET:

UNIVERSITIES & ALUMNI MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS

By: Danielle Hardee

BENEFITS OF A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Mentor/Mentee Institutional

Mentor: •Recruitment and retention tool
•Reconnect with their alma mater
•Chance to give other than $ contribution •Strengthen ties with alumni
•Cultivate/recruit young people at place
of employment •Support for students and alumni
Mentee:
•Ask questions & receive guidance •Bring businesses to campus - interview
•Build connections with their institution and hire students from institution
•Out of the classroom experience
•Strong network to improve
undergraduate experience

(Pfeifer, 2002)

ON TARGET WHAT OTHER INSTITUTIONS ARE DOING…

•Fordham University: Bronx, NY
•Stanford University: Stanford, CA
•Xavier University: Cincinnati, OH

ON TARGET FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: FORDHAM MENTORING
PROGRAM

•Year-long Program

•Mandatory mentee orientation sessions – students (juniors & seniors) then sent online application

•Matching based on commonalities in personal/professional lives

•Four Milestone Events:

• Milestone One: Meet & Greet
• Milestone Two: Skills Development Workshop
• Milestone Three: Luncheon & Men’s Basketball Game
• Milestone Four: Appreciation Dinner

•Three Checkpoints: Online Surveys

• Checkpoint One: After Milestone Two
• Checkpoint Two: After Milestone Three
• Checkpoint Three: Final Evaluation

•Time Commitment: Up to mentor/mentee (Fordham University, 2014)

ON TARGET STANFORD UNIVERSITY: STANFORD ALUMNI
MENTORING

•6-month sessions: fall, winter, spring
•Mandatory 45 minute orientation for students: undergraduate, masters and
PhD
•Fill out online profile & request a mentor by clicking on their profile

• Mentor either accepts or declines the mentee
• If accepted, student must make first contact
• Students can only request one mentor at a time

•Time Commitment: Minimum of 2 hours/month

(Stanford University, 2014)

ON TARGET XAVIER UNIVERSITY: MENTOR PROGRAM

•Year-long Program (6-month program for new/transfer students)

•Mandatory 30 minute information session – students (sophomores-seniors) then sent
online application.

•Mentors chose their mentee students via application/profile – confirmation email sent
once student is chosen.

•Students encouraged to attend Career Development programs throughout the year
(career exploration, career fairs, internship/job strategy, etiquette/networking
dinner, “careers in..” series workshop, resume review).

•Mentee eXchange e-newsletter sent once a month with conversation topics, suggested
activities, etc.

•Time Commitment: Once a month via phone/email; in person twice per semester

(Xavier University, 2014)

ON TARGET REFERENCES

Fordham University. (2014). Mentoring Program Overview. Retrieved from:

http://www.fordham.edu/alumni_relations/MentorOverview.shtml

Pfeifer, S. (2002). The Benefits of Establishing a Student/Alumni Mentoring Program. Retrieved from:
http://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/articles/021007sp.htm

Stanford University. (2014). Stanford Alumni Mentoring. Retrieved from:

https://mentoring.stanford.edu/index.php?content/contact

Xavier University. (2014). Career Development Office – Mentor Program. Retrieved

from: http://www.xavier.edu/career/mentor/FAQ.cfm