What is a mentor?
A teacher, career guide, role model, sponsor, and challenger.
Mentors can:
- Advise students on how to successfully navigate their way through Penn State by providing support and encouragement.
- Teach students about the importance of networking.
- Assist students in bridging the gap between college life and working life.
- Provide developmental feedback on strengths and weaknesses.
Alumni Wanted
Professionals today have so much desire to give back, but often can't find the time to do it. This program is perfect for you, because it's flexible to match your schedule. It's spread out over enough time to keep the pace energetic but not frenetic.
The Alumni Mentor Program is designed for juniors and seniors in the College of the Liberal Arts and runs through graduation.
The Mentorship Experience
Back to topMentorships vary — some students are highly self-aware and clearly identify the areas with which they need assistance, while others are less well-developed and may need help identifying their skills and applying their experiences and interests to post-college planning. Most are initially quite intimidated at meeting their mentor and tend to forget that you were once in their shoes. Their focus varies, their plans change, many are incredibly busy, and like the rest of us, sometimes crises arise.
Strong mentors are intentional about their mentoring role and sensitive and flexible to their mentee’s needs. They seek to make the mentorship a good one by investing time and energy to get to know their mentee and deliberately and proactively offer the career guidance and emotional support most useful to their mentee. Mentors may have to challenge or push their mentee sometimes, and they may need to back off at other times.
The Office of Alumni Relations and Development arranges the initial meeting, with a facilitator, on campus or in some cases by phone or video-chat (Skype, FaceTime, etc.). Mentor and mentee handbooks guide you through the steps to draft an action plan and schedule your next steps together.
As a mentor you are asked to:
- Meet your mentee at least once per month in person, by phone, or online via video-chat.
- Complete a written mentorship plan—a compact—with your student, to be submitted to the program manager.
- Complete 3-month, 6-month, and end-of-year program surveys. These brief online surveys are an important monitoring and program quality tool.
*Internships and job placement opportunities are NOT expected to be a regular part of this program.
Resources and Support
Back to top- Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network
- Penn State Career Services
- Penn State Career Services Handouts
Career Guide (programs, activities, resources)
Developing Career Goals and the Career Planning Process
Résumé- and Cover Letter-Writing Guidance - LinkedIn group for Liberal Arts Mentors
A resource for mentors designed to enhance the Alumni Mentor Program and provide mentors with the resources they need to be successful. Connect with one another and share best practices in this private, invitation-only group.
- Mentor FAQ
- Alumni Handbook
- Getting Started
Registration: The Matching Process
Back to topQuality matches are at the heart of successful mentorships, and matches are based on career areas, geography, shared interests, and more. With hundreds of alumni and students interested in participating, registration is required. The online form only takes 5–10 minutes to complete.
Registration is open year-round, and matches are made every fall and spring semester.