OSU introduces Mentor Collective program to strengthen student support
Monday, June 29, 2020
A new program supporting student success, enrollment and retention will be offered to first-year students at Oklahoma State University this fall.
Through a partnership with the Mentor Collective, new students will have the opportunity to be paired with a peer mentor who is trained to offer guidance and advice. Students can use the platform’s discussion guides and goal-setting activities to help foster meaningful conversations throughout the year.
“OSU’s student success strategy has always focused on improving retention and supporting progress to graduation,” said Dr. Jeanette Mendez, vice provost of Academic Affairs. “Our partnership with Mentor Collective expands that focus to include the whole student. We want to support our students in life, well-being and finishing their degrees at OSU.”
Recent surveys suggest fear of losing personal connections is driving college students’ anxiety about the fall. OSU’s Mentor Collective program recognizes the importance of relationships in an academic journey.
While mentorship was already being used to support students, this new partnership is a large-scale expansion that can serve all 4,000-plus expected incoming students.
Amidst COVID-19 uncertainty, the Mentor Collective program also will provide an outlet for students to offer feedback on how the university can provide ongoing support.
“I’m only where I am today because of mentorship,” Mendez said. “I was a first-generation college student on full scholarship. Once I was in college, I relied on my peers to help guide my choices in classes, majors, everything. I ended up loving college and learning because of my peer and faculty mentors.”
OSU’s Mentor Collective is actively enrolling students and mentors for the 2020-21 school year. To learn more about Mentor Collective at OSU, contact Office of First Year Success Student Engagement Coordinator Rae Ann Kruse at peermentor@okstate.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeanette Mendez | Vice Provost of Academic Affairs | jeanette.mendez@okstate.edu | 405-744-5627