Summary
Thomas More University’s Alumni Association and First-Year Experience course leaders are collaborating to provide mentoring and speaking opportunities to Thomas More alumni. The first-year experience course is required for first-year and transfer students. The purpose of this course is to assist in the success of the student’s initial year on campus by providing institutional knowledge, creating familiarity with on-campus and local resources, and establishing a sense of belonging through building community with peers and mentors.
Leaders of FYE
Whitney Brown – Coordinator of Orientation and Student Engagement (brownw1@thomasmore.edu)
Kayla Steltenkamp – Assistant Professor of Education (steltek@thomasmore.edu)
Options of Engagement
Option 1: Classroom Speaker
We have 8 sections of time that would have larger groups of students where alumni could come in to lead the class or give a talk.
The time commitment for the mentors is once a month in September, October, and November. These are individuals who would come to the classroom and lead the class that day. We will have content prepared and provide them with the materials.
Option 2: Workshop Speaker
We invite alumni to come as speakers throughout the Fall semester after Labor Day (September – November). Workshops would be based on speaker availability outside of class time and students would get credit for attending them. Ideally, we would like speakers to host 2 workshops per month, which would require a commitment of 6 different weeks in the semester. These times do not have to be within the frames listed for the Classroom Speaker.
Workshops can have a variety of topics such as navigating the workforce in a specific major, how to work through major indecision, alternative career options for specific majors, or other areas that alumni are passionate about. Workshop titles and topics will go through an approval process with the FYE team.
Option 3: FYE Mentor
Suppose alumni do not prefer preparing a presentation or workshop. In that case, we encourage them to get to know the students 1:1 in a more casual setting to create a sense of belonging and community. These events would encourage engagement between students and mentors.
All events will be approved of by Kayla and Whitney.
Examples of opportunities for connection
- Sporting events
- Gallery openings
- Theatre performances
- In-class activities
- FYE themed nights
- Watch parties
- Recreational opportunities (volleyball, kickball, basketball, etc.)