THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE MENTORING PROGRAM

The NEC Mentoring Program is part of the Positive Academic Support System (PASS). The goal of the program is to provide academic, curricular and life skills advising for students who may need extra help successfully transitioning to college life. This program works well for students who benefit from additional support in order to manage their time, stay organized and develop social skills. Mentors also seek to foster personal development, by helping students gain stronger communication, interpersonal and self-advocacy skills.

Mentors work with students on an individualized basis, helping them to develop necessary working relationships while teaching them to effectively utilize College resources. Mentors provide students with emotional support, encouragement, and valuable feedback.  The goal of the program is to guide students to become more independent, self-advocating, confident, and successful in their academic and social lives.  Mentors provide direction and advice on goal setting, and teach specific success strategies such as time management, organization and self-advocating.

When appropriate, mentor’s help their students utilize the wide range of College resources available to support their academic efforts.  These resources include the health and counseling center, student development for housing issues or disciplinary incidents, tutoring, career counseling, accommodations, and academic advising. Additionally, mentors help the student to develop positive working relationships with their advisors and other faculty.  To make this happen, mentors:

• Offer a maximum of three hours of support per week per student.  In addition to the direct contact with the students, this may include time for administrative work, communication with parents, faculty, and support services.
• Provide individualized support for each student.  The student and the mentor spend several meetings getting to know one another and building a trusting relationship.  In that time, the student shares areas in which they strive, as well as areas where they excel.
• Help student’s manage their transition into college life, providing a point person to whom the students can turn for advice and support.
• Maintain contact with professors to keep abreast of the student’s academic progress.  The on-going dialog allows the mentor to assess difficulties as they arise, while helping the student to develop learning strategies that build on their academic and personal strengths.

Mentors help to coordinate a team approach to the educational process.  Students are primarily responsible for keeping their parent(s) informed about their circumstances and progress at New England College.  Mentors are responsible for contacting the parents on a regular basis, and issues are discussed with students prior to mentor contacts with parents. The successful mentor/mentee relationship is one where the student has a sense that the mentor takes a personal interest in him/her and genuinely has his/her best interests at heart. The personal rapport that develops is an important part of the mentor/mentee relationship.

Students usually transition out of the mentoring program after one year. Ideally, they develop the necessary skills to better navigate college life during that time frame.  We cannot and do not, guarantee academic success.  Ultimately, the onus is on the student to be successful. However, the individualized attention of the mentoring experience can result in a great deal of personal and academic growth.

  Here are some quotes from current and former students in the mentoring program:

“I have been more on track with all my classes and I feel I have done a better job managing my time.”

“It makes you want to get your work done.”

“I now know what I have to do and when I need to do it.”

“I feel I’ve gained a friend and someone I can turn to for advice.”

  Parents have also written to us saying:

“The mentoring program went beyond my expectations.  The mentors were patient, understanding and never gave up on my child.”

“The mentor was not only my daughters mentor; they really cared about her and wanted her to succeed’.

“Our son was much more on top of his subjects.  He had a ‘coach’ who helped him”.

“I wish there was a program like this when I was in college.  What a great idea!”

Students may enroll in the Mentor Support System for an additional fee. For details or questions please contact Jason Knowles at jaknowles@nec.edu
or call (603) 428-2247.