Benefits and Expectations

Benefits:

Mentor benefits-

  • Refine your coaching and mentoring skills
  • Develop meaningful connections with students
  • Learn about the Mary Washington of today and the next generation
  • Alumni experience a reconnection with Mary Washington
  • Expand your professional network

Mentee benefits-

  • Build a professional network
  • Develop and enhance professional and communication skills
  • Connect academics and career; acquire advice on experiences and courses that would be of greatest benefit
  • Explore new ideas and areas of interest
  • Gain exposure to career options, advice and job search tips

 

Expectations:

Mentor expectations:

The primary expectation is that you engage with your mentee and give them enough time and support to make the connection worthwhile for you both.  This starts with you and the mentee taking the opportunity to decide how the relationship will work.  As part of this we have some basic expectations of our mentors, including:

  • Spend at least two hours per month building the mentoring relationship
  • Set expectations with students for how and when you will contact each other
  • Help your student in identifying and setting goals, track progress and make changes.
  • Approach mentoring relationship with an open mind, professionalism and respect
  • Support student’s professional and personal development
  • Respond to all communications in a timely manner
  • Maintain and model professional behavior. Define professional behavior if needed
  • Communicate problems with the mentoring relationship to program staff at the Center at  achamp@umw.edu and geldridg@umw.edu

Mentee Expectations:

Before a student can search for a mentor, they must attend a mandatory orientation in which they are instructed to think about what they want out of a mentoring relationship. They are informed of our expectations, which include:

  • Spend at least two hours per month building the mentoring relationship
  • Make the first contact with the selected mentor and respond to all communication
  • Set specific goals for the mentoring relationship with mentor. For more information, read the Goal Setting document.
  • Agree and commit to expectations and goals set with the mentor
  • Be appropriate in their requests of their mentor, in particular, in NOT asking for a job or sponsorship
  • Approach the mentoring relationship with an open mind, professionalism and respect
  • Be receptive to suggestions and feedback
  • Communicate problems with the mentoring relationship to program staff at achamp@umw.edu and geldridg@umw.edu