Mentoring

Our mission

The mentoring program is designed to better serve the academic, professional, and cultural needs of ethnic and racially diverse students at Virginia Commonwealth University. This experience could result in an increase in retention and graduation rates.

Goals

  • To foster a positive relationship between students, faculty, staff and alumnus.
  • To help students become better consumers of the VCU community.
  • To increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of the targeted student audience.

What does a mentor do?

A mentor provides support to a young person who can benefit from the guidance, friendship and life experience of the mentor. Mentoring allows the individuals involved to share experiences and learn from them while building a supportive relationship over time. In the OMSA Mentoring Program, our focus will be on new students of color at VCU whose lives can be enriched through the guidance of an experienced person.

What are the benefits of mentoring?

Mentoring offers many benefits to participating students and professional staff. Mentoring makes a difference by:

  • Providing a platform for professional staff to improve a student's experience.
  • Linking students with professional staff in their career areas or other areas of interest.
  • Giving professional staff the opportunity to re-energize their studies or careers by reconnecting them to the development of students.
  • Supporting the development of new generations of committed professionals.

Meanwhile, professional mentors have the opportunity to:

  • Give back to their community and profession
  • Teach students valuable lessons about their area of expertise
  • Receive feedback about projects from someone who is eager to learn
  • Develop a network of students and colleagues

Requirements

Mentors must be VCU staff, faculty or alumni and must attend a mentor orientation session.

Protégés must be a currently enrolled African, African American, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Native American, Filipino, Hawaiian, Asian, and Asian American VCU student.

Everyone involved in the program must also meet these requirements:

  • One academic year commitment
  • Attend meet and greet session
  • Maintain continuous communication
    • Communicate weekly (via phone, email, face-to-face, etc.)
    • Meet face to face each month (minimum of 1 per month)
    • Attend OMSA events (minimum of 1 per semester)
    • Attend year end closing program

Become involved

For more information, contact:

Faith Wilkerson, M.Ed
Interim Assistant Director
(804) 828-6672
fawilker@vcu.edu