Mentorship Proposal
For
First Year Students
Prepared for
Greg Reigstad
TriO Director
By
Jennifer Paumen
Hayley Blair
David Habiger
December 8, 2011
Regan Royale
Vice-President of Student affairs
St. Cloud Technical and Community College
1540 Northway Drive
St. Cloud, MN 56301
December 8, 2011
Dear Regan Royale,
The main focus of St. Cloud Technical and Community college is that each and every student
receives a successful education. Although this goal may be intended there are still students
attending college for the first time who struggle significantly which hinders their educational
goals.
We propose that help be provided to steer first year students in an achievable way. In order to
fulfill this we would like to establish a student-to-student mentorship where second year
students would help them be successful throughout their first semester by attending class,
completing homework, and studying for tests. Students who participate in this program will
receive outcomes that are very beneficial.
This is what the mentorship program at SCTCC will have to offer:
 An Administrative Location
 Training of the Mentor
 Assessment Programs
 Who is eligible?
o All mentors must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and be a second year student
Attached is a proposal for the mentorship program including all plans, information, and
research on how to make it possible for St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Many of
your questions and worries will be answered throughout the document.
We would like to thank you for your time and consideration. We want what is best for the
students just alike and we believe that this program will allow success rates to grow.
Sincerely,
Write Stars
Table of Contents
1.0
Cover Letter
ii
2.0
Table of Contents
iii
3.0
List of Illustrations
iv
4.0
Abstract
v
5.0
Introduction
1
6.0
Discussion
1-5
6.1.
6.2.
6.3.
6.4.
6.5.
6.6.
Retention Strategy
Need
Location
Cost
Promotion
Assessment
7.0
Conclusion
6
8.0
Works Cited
vi
List of Illustrations
Figure 1.
Peer Mentoring Map
1
Figure 2.
Retention Rate Line Graph
2
Figure 3.
Photo of the program’s sign
3
Figure 4.
Pie Chart-Budget
4
Saint Cloud Technical and Community College is having trouble retaining first year
students. To overcome this problem we are proposing a mentorship program where second
year students help first year students be successful throughout their college experience. Based
on our research this mentorship program will be cost effective and will benefit many students
of Saint Cloud Technical and Community College.
In order for this program to be a structured system it will:




Strive to match older students with younger students for the purpose of
developing a relationship of trust and respect.
The mentors and program staff will provide support and guidance for all
mentees.
Integrate a variety of programs that will be beneficial to all as well.
Take measures to ensure effectiveness and quality.
This establishment will offer so many opportunities for students to achieve many of
their goals. Many students choose to receive no help and learn the hardships of college classes
on their own. This mentorship program should help for one -on -one help for incoming
students.
Mentorship programs at other two year schools have proven success in increasing
retention and boosting the morale of the student body. We would like to see a similar program
at Saint Cloud Technical and Community College. We propose a mentorship program that will
pair second year students with incoming first year students to ease their transition into college
life. First year students entering college are under a lot of pressure and stress due to the new
environment. Many get caught up in other things instead of setting their minds to the primary
focus of school. This program will offer ways to stay on track, be successful throughout their
college lives, build relationships, and allow them to learn with the help of other students. By
opening this program we hope to increase the rates of retention and success of our student
body because our primary focus is to give the best education possible.
Retention Strategy
St. Cloud Technical and Community College has a vast array of support service programs
designed to assist students to be successful. Our goal is to assist our students by providing “OnTrack Peer Mentoring.” What is On-Track Peer Mentoring? Working with Title V, TriO and
District 742, we are trying to develop a program that encourages a pro-active approach towards
encouraging students to make use of supportive programs. “Peer Mentors,” are available to
students as well as contacts students to provide classroom presentations, sharing valuable
information about programs such as; counseling, financial aid, TriO and PSEO. We aim that this
will be a very effective approach and positive response as well as be appreciative of our efforts
to show successful results.
Retention Rate
(Percentage of Students)
100
90
80
70
60
Graduation
50
Suspension/Probation
40
Placement
30
20
10
0
2004
Peer Mentoring
2009
Goal
The mentorship program will provide numerous services to both prospective and
current first year students. The primary function of the peer mentorship program is to serve as
St. Cloud Technical and Community College’s liaison to local high schools and first year college
students.
In addition, the mentors will help develop strategies and implement programs designed
to assist prospective students in making a seamless transition into college as well as support
current first year students with advice, study techniques, tips and positive habits and provide
an ‘On-Track’ solution to problems.
An, “On-Track Peer Mentor” is a student leader and a conduit that serves as a liaison
spokesperson. Advocating for the St. Cloud Technical and Community College and mentoring to
prospective students and first year students.
The standards and requirements to be a mentor are as follows:








Must be faculty or an honor second year student
Has strong interpersonal skills
Has a very positive attitude
Maintains commitment to integrity
Is highly motivated and energetic
Has the ability to motivate others
Is effective in decision-making
And, willing to work as a team
Attached will be a survey to see if a volunteer for mentorship is qualified and meets the
standards of “On-Track” peer mentoring.
Mentorship program involvement is a great way to meet new people, develop new skills
and take on a leadership role on campus! Mentors will engage in a vital role in attracting new
students and increasing retention rates at St. Cloud Technical and Community College.
“On-Track”
Peer to Peer Mentoring
We chose to have this program center located in the study lounge room by door 6. We
chose this area because it has a relaxed, stress-free vibe for mentoring to take place in. This
room is already filled with tables, desks, and comfortable chairs. It is accessible to the entire
school but is frequently used and we want to make the most of this space. It is a great location
because it is right across from one of the open computer labs which will allow easy access to
the computers for the mentees or mentors and also there are bathrooms right next door. This
will not cost much money except we will only need proper approval from the school. We want
the area to be very useful for the students so having it be located on campus allows for access
to the cafeteria, computer labs, bathrooms, library, and the book store which adds much to the
program.
The cost is an important factor when trying to establish this mentorship program. We
are asking for thirty thousand dollars. This budget will but cut into many areas. We will use two
grand for assessing the program based on students who have used this program and how they
have felt about it. The biggest portion will be to pay the mentors whom we will use twenty
grand from our budget. We will have mentors there for six hours a day Monday through Friday.
Five grand of our budget will be used towards the promoting, which will be discussed later on in
the proposal. We then have three thousand left to spend; we decided to use this money to
have an opening party allowing students and faculty to come help celebrate this
accomplishment and allow them to look around, get information, meet the mentors, and begin
to brighten their future.
Budget of $30,000
Assessment-$2,000
Mentor's Salaries-$20,000
Promotion-$5,000
Opening Party-$3,000
We will have to have a way to promote our mentorship program at Saint Cloud
Technical and Community College. One way we could do this is to make flyers and hang them
on the walls around the school. Along the hallways and in the Commons would be a good
place. We could make brochures and hand them out to people walking by. Sending out emails
to everyone in the school would also be a good way to promote our mentorship program.
Another way to help promote this is to put a paper on everyone’s windshield in the parking lot.
To do all of these ideas we will make sure we have money in our budget that we can use for
this.
Saint Cloud Technical and Community College will have an assessment be a part of this
mentorship program so we can see how it is working for everyone. We will have an assessment
for students that were in the mentorship program and liked it, one for students that used it and
dropped out, and one for the faculty and staff that shows what they thought about this
mentorship program here at Saint Cloud Technical and Community College. This will let us see
how the mentorship program is working for us and how we could change it to make it better for
everyone. We could have a survey for each group of students that will ask questions to see
how it is going.
Conclusion
Based on the information provided above, we deem that the mentorship program
would be a viable resource to enhance the student body morale, increase the student retention
rate, and reduce the language barrier or limited English speaking students. We see that the
location will fit at the start and if it expands there will be no issue allocating space in the future.
Guiding and mentoring the mentees is a necessary expense compared to losing valuable minds
by dropping out. So, given the assessment of implementing this program, it is a feasible concept
to attain and a genuinely positive outcome to obtain.
Appendix:
Survey For Mentorship
Inquiring for “On-Track Peer Mentoring” is a very important position and requires the upmost
and highest standards to be upheld. If you have a 3.0 GPA and able to perform the essential functions of
a Peer Mentor, please fill out the following short survey to help us better suit you with one the mentees:
Please circle any ranking to the best of your honesty and ability. For serious inquiries only.
Please read the following statements and indicate
the corresponding value. Rank 1-5 where 1 is
strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree.
You enjoy helping people.
You take initiative.
You get frustrated and give up easily.
Maintaining a positive attitude comes naturally.
Positive results occur when making decisions.
Strongly
Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree
Agree
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
Please note that this survey is intended to place you with the appropriate mentee(s) and/or area of
expertise in mentoring and provide a leadership role.
If you feel you can perform the duties and meet the expectations of ‘On-Track Peer Mentoring,’ Please
fill in your contact information, sign and date the bottom and you will be contacted by our
Administrative Assistant as soon as possible.
NAME:
DATE:
PHONE #:
SIGNATURE:
Works Cited
-Greg Riegstad, TriO Director, St. Cloud Technical and Community College.
http://www.sdcity.edu/CollegeServices/StudentSupportResources/OutreachProgram/StudentAmbassado
rProgram
-google.com/mentorshipimages