AOFYE Mentoring Program

The Commission for Admissions, Orientation, and the First Year Experience invites participants for the AOFYE Mentoring Program.  The program seeks to provide a forum for professionals to gain more information about professional and educational opportunities related to AOFYE.  Open to all AOFYE Commission members, the Mentoring Program will connect professionals from similar AOFYE functional areas for informal mentoring and networking opportunities. 

Interested mentors and mentees should complete the on-line application, which inquires about work history, education, and career and educational goals. The deadline to apply is July 23, 2007.  Participants will be matched and notified of their pairing(s) in August, and encouraged to begin communicating.  AOFYE will be facilitating networking opportunities at various conferences in our functional areas for mentor/mentee pairings and the Commission membership at large.

Mentor/Mentee Roles and Expectations

• All participants should be AOFYE Commission members.
• A mentor is defined as anyone who is more senior in the field than the mentee (e.g., a graduate student may mentor an undergraduate, a new graduate may mentor a graduate student, etc.).
• Participants may apply to be both a mentor and mentee, if they wish (e.g., a mid-level professional might mentor a new professional, while being mentored by a senior professional).
• Mentors should try to connect with their mentee at least once month, either via e-mail, telephone, or in person. 
• Mentees should put some thought into what they hope to achieve from the mentoring relationship, and be prepared with questions and ideas for how their mentor can assist with their career development.
• Mentor/mentee pairs should make an effort to meet in person at least once a year at a regional or national conference or meeting.
• Participants should commit to their mentoring relationship for a minimum of one year (though they are encouraged to maintain the connection for as long as it’s helpful and productive).

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Monday, July 23, 2007

AOFYE Mentoring Program Application: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB226MQNLWSA3

Resources for Mentors
Suggestions for Mentors

1. Encourage your mentee to submit a presentation proposal to an upcoming conference (or better yet, submit one together!).
2. Alert your mentee to recently published books or articles that are relevant to your field. 
3. Inform your mentee of upcoming conferences/meetings in your field (particularly ones that you will be attending), and encourage him or her to attend.
4. Introduce your mentee to other colleagues in your field to help build his or her network.
5. Offer to critique your mentee’s vita.
6. Offer a safe space to assist your mentee though a professional challenge.
7. Challenge and support your mentee with promoting research in the field (e.g., completing a thesis or dissertation, submitting an article for publication, etc.).

Guidance on Mentoring
The Myths of Mentoring
Supportive Materials for Success 
Tips for Mentors

Resources for Mentees
Sample Questions to ask Mentors

1. What was your own career path in admissions/orientation/the first-year experience?
2. Which professional conferences do you typically attend?
3. To which professional organizations do you belong?
4. To which professional journals do you subscribe? 
5. What are the core books/articles related to this field that I should read?
6. What do you see as the most pressing issues of our field today?
7. What skills should I be developing and knowledge should I be gaining to promote my development in this field?
8. What words of advice would you offer for someone in my career stage?

Tips for Meeting with a Mentor

Resources for Mentors/Mentees
Phases of Mentoring Relationships
The Successful Mentee and the Successful Mentor