Home » Leadership » Mentoring (M.O.R.E) » FAQ (Mentoring)

FAQ (Mentoring)

Mentoring FAQ

click link for separate document

What is mentoring?

  • M.O.R.E. (Mentoring of Rising Eagles) is the development of a long-term relationship between a current student and an alumnus.

 

How is mentoring different from networking?

  • Networking is about developing professional development contacts to tap for informational interviews and job leads. Whereas mentoring is about an alumnus and a student developing a close-knit long-term relationship covering all aspects of career and personal development as well as building a network.

What distinguishes M.O.R.E. from the R.I.S.E. peer mentoring and other such programs?

  • M.O.R.E. is unique in that it focuses on a long-term relationship between a student and an alumnus. R.I.S.E. peer mentoring is a student to student program focused on helping acclimate freshmen to the university and encourage their success and retention at UMW.

 

How and when do I sign up for M.O.R.E.?

  • Alumni/Community members: You can participate in M.O.R.E. by putting in an application at: https://umw-csm.symplicity.com/mentors/  Once your application is on file students can view your profile and request you as a mentor. After being selected, you can confirm a mentee, and you will be notified by email of the match. Once you have your mentee, please send an email to the student program coordinator, Ashlyn Champ, (email above) with your matching so we can keep track.
  • Students: NOT IN EFFECT UNTIL MAY 22. Sign into Handshake through this link using your UMW single sign on. Once you have your account,

How are pairs made?

  • Students review the mentor profiles to identify someone they feel is a suitable match. Mentor profiles include key words focusing on mentor skills and interests that students can use to narrow their search. Once a student has identified someone they provide this information to the program coordinators who will notify the mentor they have been requested and to confirm they are still available and interested. Upon receiving positive confirmation the program coordinators will provide the mentor’s contact information to the student. The student will initiate contact via the mentors preferred method (identified on the profile).

What should I do once I have been paired with an alumnus/student?

  • We ask the student to make the first contact after the alumnus/student accepts the mentoring request. Our hope is that the pair will have an in-person conversation early in the relationship via phone, skype or face-to-face, in which they can get to know each other such as general interests, significant people or events, and likes and dislikes.

Can I request more than one mentor at a time?

  • The M.O.R.E. program is designed to help students establish a one-on-one long-term relationship with a mentor. Research shows the best way to reach this goal is for students to work with only one mentor at a time during each mentoring session. You can, however, request and work with a different mentor at the end of the academic year by re-registering with M.O.R.E.

What if there is a problem with my mentoring relationship?

  • If you are experiencing any problems in your relationship or have any questions, please notify the M.O.R.E. team so we can help you. We want you to have a satisfying experience, and often we can intervene and work toward possible solutions that will improve the relationship.

Mentors- why haven’t I been accepted yet?

  • M.O.R.E. does not match mentors with students; requests are based on student interest in mentor profiles. Students can search for mentors in our database using select search criteria. It is important, therefore, to make sure your profile is complete. To update your profile, contact us to request a copy of your current profile. We will forward you what we have on file so you can update any necessary information. Return it to us and we will reenter you in the mentoring pool.

 

Students- why was I declined?

  • There are a variety of reasons why your requested alumnus might have declined you, most of which probably have nothing to do with you personally. It may be an especially busy time for the alumnus/a, or the alumnus/a does not think it would be a good fit. It could also be that the mentor is already paired with another student. Do not get discouraged. Just go back into the system and search for and request another mentor.

Students- what to do if you don’t find any mentors with your major/desired career field listed?

  • If a student does not find someone they feel a suitable match the first suggestion is for them to review the profiles again focusing on mentors with similar interests. They should also consider such a mentor’s career field to determine if they might not benefit from a different perspective such a relationship could provide. If they still cannot find a match they can contact the program coordinators and request they work to find a suitable match.

How do I contact the M.O.R.E. team?

  • Director of Leadership Golda Eldridge at geldridg@umw.edu
    • Office phone 540-654-1665
  • Student Program Coordinator Ashlyn Champ at achamp@mail.umw.edu
  • The Center for Honor, Leadership and Service 3rd floor of the University Center
  • CHLS front desk 540-654-2272
  • Standard business hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm Eastern Monday – Friday