Professional Mentors Welcome
Back Meeting and Training
Dr. Harley E. Flack Student Mentoring Program
Rowan University
Adapted from The Mentor’s Guide by L. Zachary and
Students Helping Students by S. Edner & F. Newton
Prepared by Gardy Guiteau
Assistant Director of Mentoring and
Academic Enrichment
Agenda
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Welcome and Introductions
2008-2009 in Review
Why Mentoring?
Defining Mentoring and the role of the Harley E.
Flack Professional Mentor
Developing a Mentoring Self
BREAK/LUNCH
Developing Key Mentoring Skills
Being Aware of Your Mentee’s Life Changes
Closing and Evaluations
2008-2009 in Review
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Successfully implemented a previously outlined fall 08
and a newly structured spring 09 calendars for both
component of the program. Implemented initiatives
included:
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6 academic workshops
6 service project trips
5 cultural enrichment activities
4 student development/healthy choices conversations
7 community and group building activities
5 peer-mentor training sessions
Created and convened a programmatic advisory board
with sixteen faculty, managers and administrators.
Starting with a four-hour training on January 24th and a
1 hour training per month for throughout the spring
2009 semester, designed and implemented ongoing
peer-mentor training.
2008-2009 in Review, Continued
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Convened a Professional Mentors’ Welcome Back Meeting at the start of
the spring 2009 semester to get feedback from mentors on proposed
changes and to garner buy-in for up-coming program restructuring.
Restructured and implemented a multifaceted program structure which
includes community building activities, ongoing peer-mentor training, and
Academic Workshops designed to achieve the stated mission of the
program.
Began a comprehensive assessment of the program by crafting a joint
program mission statement, objectives and learning outcomes; this
process includes ongoing data collection of program participants’
involvement.
Began the Ujima/G.I.F.T. Mentoring Initiative at Delsea Regional High
School. Several Ujima participants traveled to Delsea High School at total
of six times throughout the spring semester to mentor high school girls on
the importance of a college education.
Supported the existing mentoring efforts of the Talented Tenth at Delsea
High School by helping to coordinate and co-facilitate a total of six
mentoring meetings throughout the spring semester in which mentoring
program male students met with Delsea High male students to discuss
issues pertinent to them and the importance of a college education.
2008-2009 in Review, Continued
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As a result of a newly formed relationship with S.E.R.V.
(Gloucester County’s domestic violence provider)
mentoring program students participated in a Women’s
History Month service project.
Coordinated and executed an end-of-year awards
banquet to celebrate and honor program participants
who have been elevated to Apprentice Peer-Mentor,
Peer Mentor and Project Coordinator status; as well
recognize outstanding professional mentors and
graduating seniors.
Implemented an Exit Interview process for graduating
seniors to gauge their assessment of the program.
Improved the program’s marketing tools by creating a
new program brochure as well as a new and improved
joint Ujima and Male Mentoring webpage.
Why Mentoring?
Assuming that you are here because you think
that mentoring is useful, in groups of four,
please take 5 minutes and brainstorm the
following questions:
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Why do you believe mentoring is a useful
and important resource for college
students?
Why is mentoring a useful and worthwhile
endeavor for professional staff?
The Role of A Professional Mentor
As a general rule it is assumed that in committing
yourself to the mentoring program you will serves as:
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A special and trusting person who, knowing more
through experience, commits his/her time, attention and
energy to assist a less knowing student.
A facilitator who creates and maintains an environment
that is conducive to the learning of mentees.
A facilitator of learning in such a way that knowledge,
skills, or abilities connect to action in the present and
possibly in the future.
A developer of a learning-based mentoring relationship
which fosters mentee growth, responsibility, and
independence.
A role model who is admired, observed, and emulated
for your special qualities by participants.
Adapted from the Mentor’s Guide by L. S. Zachary
The Different Hats of A Professional Mentor
As a Professional Mentor in the Harley E. Flack Student
Mentoring Program you will wear many different hats
(sometimes simultaneously). Please take a few moments
to go around the room and write down on the newsprints
that are posted here what you believe wearing these hast
entail.
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Academic Advisor
Career Counselor
Graduate and Professional School Advisor
Liaison to Academic Departments and Support
Services
Confidant
Personal Counselor
Developing a Mentoring Self
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Strong mentoring relationships start with a mentor
who has a “clear understanding of their own
personal journey” (Zachary 2000).
To be a successful mentor is to be clear and aware of
your own challenges and to be willing and able to
share them with your mentee.
As a role model mentors must be willing to allow
others to bear witness to the way that they
approach choice, challenges and opportunities.
While I am sure that at this point in your life you
have certainly given thought to your own personal
and career trajectory, I will invite you in your spare
time to look at The Journey Timeline, from The
Mentor’s Guide by L. Zachary, and think about how
you can use your experience when working with
mentees.
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Lunch Break
Lunch is being provided. We will
break for 30 minutes. As we are on a
tight schedule, if you have to leave
the building, please make sure that
you return on time.
Building the Mentoring Relationship:
Four stages of the mentoring
Good mentors are those who recognize and use the
knowledge that mentoring relationships develop in the
following cyclical stages:
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Preparing: This stage involves both mentor and mentee
getting clear about why they are engaging one another
and if they are ready and able to do so.
Negotiating: In this stage the mentor and mentee set
ground rules or terms of engagement to which they
mutually agree.
Mentoring: It is during this stage that the bulk of the
work of nurturing and supporting the mentee’s growth
and development as a student occurs.
Closing: This stages involves evaluating, acknowledging,
and celebrating successes; this stage is in itself an
evolutionary process.
Building the Mentoring Relationship:
Time Matters
Successful mentoring relationships require that both
mentors and mentees commit adequate time to allow
for the establishing, building, and sustaining of the
mentoring relationships. This then requires the
following in terms of time:
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Committing to be a mentor means being ready to block
off a realistic amount of time to spend with each mentee.
It is necessary that both mentor and mentee invest in
being in contact regularly in the initial stages of the
partnership.
Creating mentoring meeting times that allow you and
your mentee to not be rushing in or out of the meeting.
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Building the Mentoring Relationship:
Confidentiality is key
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A breach in confidentiality is sometimes one of the key
reasons why a mentoring relationship falls apart.
It is crucial that you develop some clear confidentiality
guidelines with your mentee.
But talking with a mentee about confidentiality can feel
awkward and unnatural. The following are some
effective ways of doing so:
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Approach the conversation from a place of establishing
mutual respect.
Start by asking your mentee how they define confidentiality.
Complete an Assumption Testing Checklist about
confidentiality with your mentee.
Developing Key Mentoring Skills :
Knowing when to breach confidentiality
While confidentiality and trust are crucial to building the
mentoring relationship, one key skill of the successful
mentor is knowing when to breach confidentiality. Some
examples of when it becomes important to do so include:
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Major behavioral or emotional problems
Potential harm to self
Potential harm to others
When possible, prior to breaching confidentiality you
should do the following:
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Get consent from the student to talk to someone else.
If consent is not given and you are unsure get advise about the
situation without disclosing the specific student’s identity.
Developing Key Mentoring Skills :
Active Listening
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Pay attention – Give your mentee your undivided attention.
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Show that you are listening – Use body language and gestures to convey your attention.
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Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?”
Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.
Suspend Judgment – Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the people when they are
trying explaining themselves and limits full understanding of the message.
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Nod occasionally.
Smile and use other facial expressions.
Provide feedback – Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what
we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to
reflect what is being said and ask questions.
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Maintain eye contact.
Put aside distracting thoughts. Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
Allow the mentee to finish his or her sentences.
Don’t interrupt with counterarguments.
Respond Appropriately – Active listening is a model for respecting and understanding your
mentee. The point is to gaining information and perspective.
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Be candid, open, and honest in your responses.
Assert your opinions respectfully.
Treat the other person like you would want to be treated
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Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Giving effective feedback
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Feedback is information about performance that leads to action
to affirm or develop performance.
It is as much about reinforcing effective and strong performance
as it is about identifying areas of potential improvement.
The outcome of the feedback process should be someone who is
engaged, energized and motivated to strive for increased
performance.
Feedback is based on a series of cycles of:
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Presenting a clear and specific summary of observation of
behavior.
Describing the impact of the behavior on others, or the
situation, or how it made the observer feel.
Discussing the implications of that behavior in day-to-day
situations.
Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Making referrals – When to refer
It can be difficult to determine when to refer a student to another resource. This pressure can lead to a
tendency to give quick advice or offering a solution by providing a suggestion out of your own
repertoire. Often your own solution may not be the answer to your mentee’s concerns and a quick
referral may feel like a brush-off or the beginning of a run-around. So what you want to do as a peermentor is:
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Listen carefully
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The first, and often the most important step, is to listen carefully and clearly so as to understand what
the individual needs in the way of assistance.
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Remember as a peer you are perceived as an approachable, friendly source to ask for assistance. Your
support, encouragement, and guidance may be sufficient to help an individual figure out what to do,
but there will be times when the student’s concern is beyond your knowledge. This is the point when
you consider referral.
Know you limits
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The second most important item regarding referrals is to know your own limits for giving assistance.
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Trying to help a student with a serious problem when you posses minimum skill and experience can
do more harm than good. So when in doubt, refer the student to a more qualified resource.
Seek Consultation
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This step is for the helper to seek a consultation with a knowledgeable resource person to find out
about options for the student being helped.
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The student being assisted would first be informed that you, as a peer mentor would like to consult
with another source that can give suggestions or input as to the next step in assistance.
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By clarifying what you are seeking from consultation and getting the student’s consent, you are
enabling the student to be informed and in control of this process.
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When seeking consultation assistance, it is important to have clear and complete information about
the needs of the student you are representing.
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Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Making referrals – How to refer
When you refer someone to another resource, you want the referral to be seen as welcome
assistance and not some sort of brush off. So be honest, direct and straightforward in your
recommendation. Explain in a clear and open manner why you feel it is desirable or
necessary to make a referral. Beyond honesty you need to do the following:
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Become knowledgeable
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Explain fully the services that can be obtained from the resource agency or person you
are recommending.
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Provide confirming data about how the referral source can be useful and describe the
sources qualifications or capabilities.
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This information can be reassuring to the student so that they will receive the help they
need.
Demonstrate Respect
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Allow the student to assume responsibility and control in making a contact or
appointment.
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Student initiation and follow-up enhance commitment and promote a sense of
independence in taking charge of the situation.
Personalize the referral process
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It can be useful to give the student the name of a particular person who can be a direct
contact.
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This will personalize and make the experience seem less intimidating. Be carefully
though, it may be best not to provide the name of anyone who may be hard to contact or
may seem less available that a general referral.
Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Being aware of your Mentee’s life changes
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“Students in the traditional college age group…
make many changes in how they think, how
they feel, what they believe, what they value,
and how they act in the world” (Ender &
Newton 2000).
As a mentor, understanding that your mentees
are going through significant life changes will
help you in taking an active role in helping
them positively adjust to those changes.
Crucial to understanding your mentees is a
general understanding of how student growth
occurs and in what situations.
Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Understanding College Student Challenges
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Personal Adjustment challenges are created by the
simple fact that college is a new experience involving a
new environment, new people, and new responsibilities.
Intellectual and Academic challenges are those related
to declaring a major, signing up for courses, and
overcoming limitations.
Physical challenges include students’ concerns about
their physical appearance or competence.
Interpersonal challenges initially focus around finding
a group to belong to and later involves expressing and
managing feelings in relationships.
Career and Lifestyle challenges involve anxiety around
making decisions that may have long-term
consequences on their lives.
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Developing Key Mentoring Skills:
Supporting Mentees through Challenges
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Take a genuine interest in mentee’s personal
situation.
Help student become aware of all of their options.
Provide avenues by which students can explore
alternative options.
Model problem solving strategies with your mentee.
Help mentees think critically about their situation
by giving useful feedback.
Be proactive by inviting mentees to participate in
events and activities that will help them personally
and academically.
Closing and Evaluation
Any Final Thoughts?
Please complete the Training Evaluation
Thank you for your attendance.