Launched in May 2021, the goal of the GBA Mentorship Initiative is to create a mentor/mentee relationship between incoming students and continuing students in the GBA program. The hope is to help students foster connections across cohorts as well as provide advice to incoming students about navigating the degree program, finding a work-life balance, networking, and/or family life. Mentees should not rely on their mentor for academic tutoring or emotional support, but rather as a friend/colleague/peer who can provide advice for this next chapter.
Signing Up for the Initiaitve
At the start of each term, the GBA program office will reach out to continuing students to inquire if they would like to serve as a mentor to an incoming student or continue as an existing mentor.
Incoming students will be contacted by their student success advisor during the orientation process about whether or not they would like to be matched with a mentor in their first term.
All participating students will be asked to fill out a survey noting their preferred discussion topics. Mentors and mentees will be matched as best as possible based on discussion topics.
Mentorship Agreements
By opting into the GBA Mentorship Program, the student agrees to the following roles and responsibilities as outlined below:
The Mentor
- Sets aside time for at least three conversations with the mentee during the term
- Is expected to serve as a resource for new students
- Provides insight and advice from personal experiences
- Appreciates and respects individuals with different backgrounds and life experiences
- Uses conversations with mentee to explore personal attitudes and behaviors
- Listens and asks questions
- Is willing to assume the role of student, advisee, and learner in addition to teacher
- Engages in conversation to make the mentee comfortable
- Demonstrates honesty and integrity
- Follows through on commitments
- Honors confidentiality
- Is candid and honest, if they don’t know the answer to something, they should follow up with their Student Success Advisor or Assistant Program Director.
The Mentee
- Follows through on commitments and attends each scheduled meeting with the mentor on time
- Appreciates and respects individuals with different backgrounds and life experiences
- Shares personal experiences relevant to issues being discussed
- Asks questions and keeps an open mind
- Is aware of personal strengths and development areas
- Openly receives coaching and feedback
- Honors confidentiality
The First Meeting
Once the match is initiated, it is the responsibility of the mentor to reach out to the mentee and set up the first meeting.
At the first meeting, the mentor and mentee should answer the following questions and set communication norms:
- What days/times will we meet?
- Will the conversation take place on the phone or over Zoom?
- How long will the meetings run?
- What happens if someone cannot make a meeting?
- Will we communicate between meetings? If so, how often and over what platform?
- Exchange contact information
The GBA program office will reach out twice to mentors and mentees for a check in to understand how the term went and to provide feedback:
- The midpoint of the semester
- The end of term
If you have any questions about this initiative, please contact Meg Doyle-Wu from the GBA Program Office.