OVERVIEW

The Terry College of Business Alumni Mentor Program facilitates the link between current students and alumni. Sponsored by the Terry College of Business, the Program is managed by a steering committee consisting of multiple stakeholders to include: Administration, Terry Ambassadors, Young Alumni Board, current students, and alumni. Mentors and Mentees will complete an annual application process to provide information that will be used to best match the two parties.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Program is twofold: to prepare students for successful careers by bridging the gap between academia and the professional world and to strengthen alumni bonds to the Terry College of Business.  The purpose of the Program is fulfilled through proactive communication from both parties and allows for an exchange of information on education, professionalism, aspirations, and ideas.   

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

PARTICIPANTS WILL:

1. contact their mentor within seven days of being matched

2. engage in substantive communication (meeting via face-to-face, phone, or electronic means) at least once a month

3. coordinate efforts with designated mentee/mentor to attend the Mentor Program socials in Athens (September 26, 2014) and in Atlanta (February 12, 2015)

4. uphold meetings and appointments, or provide advance notification should a meeting need to be cancelled.  Respond to questions and communication within reasonable time frames (preferably 72 hours).

5. meet in public venues, including but not limited to the UGA campus, the Terry Executive Education Center, and office environments during normal business hours

6. in the first month in communication, establish professional goals and an accountability system for the time frame of the Mentorship Program (September 2014-May 2015)

7. contact Terry College of Business Student Affairs Coordinator, Christy Dasher at cdasher@uga.edu if experiencing difficulty in reaching his mentor or mentee

8. maintain updated contact information with the Office of Undergraduate Student Services & Corporate Relations at cdasher@uga.edu

9. not solicit mentors for an internship or job.  At their own discretion, mentors may make offers of internships or job opportunities, notifying the Office of Undergraduate Student Services & Corporate relations immediately of such offers

10. provide feedback to the steering committee on their experience with the Mentor Program via survey to be administered in May 2015.

THE TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS WILL:

1. reserve the right to decide if mentors and/or mentees are not suitable as participants in the Mentor Program and can terminate, remove, or exclude participants at sole discretion.

2. make no guarantees or promises regarding the accuracy or quality of any advice imparted to mentees;  the College makes no claim as to the quality of any mentee or mentor, his/her suitability to provide academic advice, career coaching, or professional development advice.

In addition to establishing goals and setting appropriate expectations at the start of a mentoring relationship, it is also critical to establish expectations that can be agreed upon by both parties. Suggestions that will help to provide the foundation for a strong mentoring relationship include the following:

• Respect: Mutual respect forms the foundation of the successful mentoring relationship. Learning is greatly enhanced when each person feels a sense of personal and professional respect for one another.

• Focus: The mentoring goals should focus on supporting the advancement of the Terry College of Business community, learning, and development. Students should not enter the mentor program with the expectation of gaining internships or full-time employment. Students are strongly discouraged from participating in the program for the sole purpose of employment and are not allowed to request employment from their mentor.

• Confidentiality: Agree to identify information as confidential when sensitive topics are brought up. This will help maintain the integrity of the relationship.

• Honesty: Agree to be honest at all times.

• Differences: Agree not to ignore or trivialize differences of opinion. Openly discuss differences to build trust in the relationship

• Collaboration: Recognize the importance of collaboration.

• Joint Accountability: Mutually held expectations and agreed upon mentoring activities – phone calls, meetings, etc.

By selecting "Next", I acknowledge I am in alignment with the PURPOSE and accept the CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION for the Terry College of Business Alumni Mentor Program.