by Loren Miller, Marketing Manager, University Marketing & Communications, USU
In 2020, Utah State University launched its statewide Faculty-to-Student Mentor Program with the aim to assist students at statewide campuses and give them another resource for success. USU Moab provides individualized mentorship that is available to all students. All students need to do is sign up and start connecting.
“The mentoring program allows students at statewide campuses to make connections with faculty,” said Jen Evers, USU Moab’s faculty mentor representative. “The faculty can be a go-to person for information and guidance with regards to academics as well as navigating the academic system, which can be quite intimidating and at times confusing. As a faculty member, I see the opportunity to connect with students as a real benefit.”
The statewide faculty mentorship program began at USU Uintah Basin, with Associate Director David Law spearheading the effort of helping students feel like they belong and are given the information and mentorship they need. After several years of positive results, Law worked with statewide representatives to bring the program to every USU statewide campus.
“The mentoring program allows students at statewide campuses to make connections with faculty,” said Jen Evers, USU Moab’s faculty mentor representative. “The faculty can be a go-to person for information and guidance with regards to academics as well as navigating the academic system, which can be quite intimidating and at times confusing. As a faculty member, I see the opportunity to connect with students as a real benefit.”
The statewide faculty mentorship program began at USU Uintah Basin, with Associate Director David Law spearheading the effort of helping students feel like they belong and are given the information and mentorship they need. After several years of positive results, Law worked with statewide representatives to bring the program to every USU statewide campus.
“The goal of the faculty mentorship program is fourfold,” Law said. “We aim to help students successfully adjust to university life, feel like they are valued members of the university, have a clear sense of purpose, and we help them achieve their educational goals. Jen was selected to be the chair of the Moab Faculty-to-Student Mentor Program because she passionately cares about students. She wants every student who enrolls at USU Moab to obtain their educational goals.”
The Faculty-to-Student Mentor program at USU Moab will connect students with the right mentor, personally matched to their specific goals. Mentors meet with students at least once a month during the school year. Mentors offer academic expertise, career guidance, and psychosocial support to help students achieve their academic goals and to navigate the university experience.
“I feel excited to be part of a program that is so student-centered,” Evers said. “The ultimate goal is to support student success. Our faculty mentors are committed to helping students achieve their goals and we recognize that most everyone faces one barrier or another. It is always helpful to feel that you have a cheerleader, supporter, advocate, and ally to encourage you during those times. We value the opportunity to develop those supportive relationships with our students.”
The Faculty-to-Student Mentor program at USU Moab will connect students with the right mentor, personally matched to their specific goals. Mentors meet with students at least once a month during the school year. Mentors offer academic expertise, career guidance, and psychosocial support to help students achieve their academic goals and to navigate the university experience.
“I feel excited to be part of a program that is so student-centered,” Evers said. “The ultimate goal is to support student success. Our faculty mentors are committed to helping students achieve their goals and we recognize that most everyone faces one barrier or another. It is always helpful to feel that you have a cheerleader, supporter, advocate, and ally to encourage you during those times. We value the opportunity to develop those supportive relationships with our students.”
While faculty-to-student mentoring programs can be found at many universities, many of these programs have not been properly evaluated to assess the program’s effectiveness, a shortcoming in the field of mentoring. To address these shortcomings, the steering committee that oversees USU’s statewide program spend the entire 2019-20 academic year carefully thinking through how this program would be designed, implemented and evaluated. Through this process, the programs main goals were identified, which are to 1) help students feel like they are valued members of USU and part of the USU family, and 2) to help students successfully adjust to university life. Preliminary data supports that these two goals of the program are being met, as students significantly improved in their feelings of belonging and successfully adjusting to university life from the beginning of fall semester 2020 through the end of spring semester 2021. This evaluation process will be continuous as USU will seek to provide the best mentoring experience possible to students.For more information and to sign up for the mentor program, visit
http://statewide.usu.edu/mentor.