Encouraging

I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams

Mentorship is one of the most powerful experiences a student can have in college. According to Gallup research, graduates who had a mentor encouraging their goals and dreams are 1.7 times more likely to thrive in all areas of wellbeing after college and 1.9 times more likely to be engaged at work, but only 25% of college alumni strongly agree that they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams. Challenges that come with mentorship – time constraints, relationship building, mentor-mentee alignment, clear communication, and space reflection – are all addressed in the strategies below.

Ultimately, mentoring is not just about guidance—it is about cultivating trust, promoting resilience, and empowering students to envision and achieve their goals. This section offers faculty practices that help create mentoring moments in both structured and informal ways.

Strategy Details Resources
Tools for relationship initiation and building

Offer specific tools and strategies to establish the mentoring relationship.

Strategies can include:

  • Icebreakers
  • Scheduling tools
  • Goal-setting templates

These can help define mentor-mentee roles and expectations, strong relationship foundation.

Mentoring Toolkit

50+ Mentorship Program Question for Mentors and Mentees

73 Mentorship Questions to Ask Your Mentor or Mentee

How To Be An Awesome Mentee: A Checklist Guide

4 Mentoring Session Guides to Plan Your Next Catch-up

Mentoring Questionnaire: 14 Thought-provoking Questions to Ask Your Mentor and Mentee

20 Questions to Ask a Mentor About Career Development

Get to Know You Questions

30 Questions to Ask Your Mentor In Your Next Meeting

How to Build a Successful Mentor Relationship, Mentor, and Mentee: Roles and Expectations
Assessing student and faculty needs for mentorship Use assessment tools to identify mentoring goals, preferences, and needs. Assessment tools can include mentor aptitude questionnaire and other assessment tools for mentees. Assessments provide a clear understanding of what mentees and mentors are looking for, which informs later stages.

Surveys and questionnaires

Assessment tools for mentees

General Resources

Strategy Details Resources
Mentoring Resources

Provide tailored resources for in-class mentoring, research mentoring, and self-assessment activities.

This provides practical tools that mentors and mentees can use throughout their relationship.

Strategy Details Resources

Engaging and model reflective practices for students

 Compose and share your personal reflections on mentoring experience to demonstrate the value of relationship, faculty/student growth, and continuous learning. This practice strenghten goal alignment for relationship and considerations for effectiveness.

University of Edinburgh’s “Reflecting on Experience”

UI Reflections on Mentoring Journey

Storytelling and Personal Narratives in Mentoring

Assessing student and faculty needs for mentorship (revisited) and narratives

 Encourage periodic check-ins and use stories from experienced mentors to highlight successful practices. This leads to continuous improvement and adaptation of the mentoring relationship.

Harvard Catalyst’s “Assessing Mentoring Relationships”

Shared Narratives on the mentoring experience:
Contributors

Stacey D. Curtis, University of Florida

Joe Dikun, University of Mississippi

Lauren Hyden, Santa Fe College

Eliot Parker, University of Mississippi

Michael Seymour, Mississippi State

Jeremy A.M. Waisome, University of Florida