Student Mentoring Program
Winthrop University
Each year a proportion of our entering freshmen dig themselves into an academic hole from which they never recover. Although some attrition is unavoidable, it often represents a missed opportunity for both students and the university. Some students only need a bit of support and encouragement; a little extra help in finding the path to success. A mentor might provide those missing links for success.
Winthrop’s Taskforce on Retention and Achievement (REACH) has initiated a mentoring program to encourage student engagement and success. Faculty and staff volunteer mentors work with students who have experienced difficulties in achieving academic success at Winthrop University. Mentors are intended to supplement, not supplant, normal academic advising. Mentors foster supportive relationships with students and work collaboratively to develop a plan for students' academic success. Each mentor will assist a student in assessing the causes of academic difficulties and in developing and implementing a plan for success.
What students are mentored?
The program primarily targets freshmen in academic difficulty. These receive a letter that describes the program and encourages them to participate. However the program also is available to other Winthrop students who feel they might benefit from such a relationship.
What are mentors expected to do?
Develop a supportive relationship with their student. Helping students to perceive faculty, administrators and staff members as caring people who want them to succeed is an important step in the process
Discuss the causes of academic difficulties with the student. The REACH website can be a useful resource in guiding this effort. The site walks students through possible Obstacles to Success and helps them develop a Checklist of Obstacles.
Work with their student to develop a plan to address these difficulties. The Strategies for Success section of the REACH website identifies possible approaches.
Monitor the progress of the plan through regular meetings, email and phone contact. Face-to face meetings should occur at least monthly and be supplemented with phone and/or e-mail contact. Regularly scheduled weekly meetings are often useful.
Refer the student to appropriate resources to help overcome academic difficulties. The Resources for Success page of the REACH website provides a helpful list.
Evaluate the completion of the plan at the end of the semester.
Have FUN! Mentors and their student should get to know each other; enjoy each other.
Volunteers will receive a Mentoring Toolkit that lists specific ideas and resources to help in implementing each of these components of the mentor-student relationship.
What are the students' responsibilities?
Honestly assess causes of the academic difficulties.
Develop a plan (written or oral) with the mentor for achieving academic success.
Schedule and attend meetings with the mentor on a regular basis.
How are students and mentors matched?
Mentoring can be most successful when there is an existing connection or rapport between the mentor and student. Students who apply for the program are provided a list of those who have volunteered to be mentors. Students may request a specific person. If that mentor has already been assigned to someone else, the student may either request an alternate mentor or ask to be assigned to a mentor by the program coordinator.
Whom can I contact for additional information?
The REACH Mentoring Program currently is coordinated by Dr. Robert Stonebraker, Associate Professor of Economics, 401 Thurmond Hall. He can be reached by telephone (ext. 2488) or e-mail (stonebrakerr@winthrop.edu).