Adventures in Career Advising: Help Your Students Discover the Power of Mentorships through Alumni...
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Adventures in Career Advising: Help Your Students Discover the Power of Mentorships through Alumni Collaborations Tina M. Knox Coordinator of Undergraduate
Adventures in Career Advising: Help Your Students Discover the
Power of Mentorships through Alumni Collaborations Tina M. Knox
Coordinator of Undergraduate Instruction Academic Advisor, MCB
October 10, 2014 NACADA National Conference
Slide 2
Public, 4-year, Research I Institution 32,000 undergraduates
College of Liberal Arts and Science School of Molecular and
Cellular Biology MCB MCB Honors Biochemistry Biology Teacher
Education
Slide 3
Our MCB Students Approximately 1,900 Total Students MCB,
Biochemistry, Biology 73% Declared Pre-med Students
Slide 4
Our Graduates Approximately 330 graduates each Spring 40%
Professional school 34% Workforce 19% Graduate school 7% Other
Slide 5
Student Debt Average loan debt of graduating seniors for the
UIUC campus in 2013 was $24, 507! Up from only $13,494 in 2003
Number of students needing to borrow money has risen
dramatically.
Slide 6
YearNumber of Graduating Seniors Number of Student Borrowers %
Graduating Seniors Who Borrowed Student Loans Average Student Loan
Debt of Graduating Seniors Average Family Loan Debt of Graduating
Seniors 2003-04 5,785 2,754 48% $ 13,494 $ 14,474 2004-05 6,535
3,219 49% $ 14,776 $ 17,703 2005-06 6,494 3,297 51% $ 15,641 $
21,154 2006-07 6,896 3,500 51% $ 17,058 $ 25,507 2007-08 6,892
3,478 50% $ 17,938 $ 27,695 2008-09 7,325 3,755 51% $ 19,518 $
29,631 2009-10 7,212 3,714 51% $ 21,543 $ 33,539 2010-11 7,160
3,708 52% $ 22,975 $ 36,155 2011-12 7,520 3,929 52% $ 24,657 $
40,208 2012-13 7,473 3,857 52% $ 24,507 $ 41,797 O UR S TUDENTS A
RE I NCREASINGLY I N D EBT Office of Student Financial Aid,
UIUC
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Prospective Student/Parent Questions What can I (my child) do
with this degree? What sort of assistance do you provide in helping
students gain employment or admission to graduate school?
Slide 8
Career Assistance Research opportunities Job and internship
fairs MCB career info sessions Career Center collaborations
Resume/Personal Statement Review Mock Interviews Internships
Mentorships
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Why integrate Career and Academic Advising? We owe it to our
students! Holistic advising. We see them on a regular basis and are
in a position to ask them about their passions and goals. We can
help them formulate a realistic plan. If we cant answer career
related questions about our major, they may not see us as credible
sources.
Slide 10
Why integrate Career and Academic Advising? We are in a unique
position to help them make connections between their course work
and the professional world. Economic realities (and parents) demand
it!
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Career Advising Virginia Gordon (2006) A dynamic, interactive
process that helps students understand how their personal
interests, abilities, and values might predict success in the
academic and career fields they are considering
Slide 12
College of LAS Efforts Proactively encouraging career
development for our students Incorporating career talks in first
year experience course Advisor professional development Increased
collaboration with Career Center Career fair targeted to LAS
students
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Our Mentorship Program 2009 contacted by advancement office
Request to meet with alum interested in mentoring Courting him for
donation
Slide 14
Alumni Support/Collaboration with Advancement Office Richard
Berkowitz, MD, 1979 Grad Chairman and Medical Director, Dept. of
Anesthesiology, Community Hospital, Munster, IN. Clinical Assoc.
Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, UIC Volunteer Clinical
Asst. Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine
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Mentorship relationship between a younger adult and an older,
more experienced adult [who] helps the younger individual learn to
navigate the adult world and the world of work (Kram, 1985)
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Mentorship Mentoring is transformational and involves much more
than simply acquiring a specific skill or knowledge. Mentoring is
about a relationship and involves both the professional and the
personal. Management Mentors Blog
http://www.management-mentors.com/about/corporate-mentoring-matters-blog/
Slide 17
Pathways to Medicine 2010 First Seminar Essay Contest Dinner
with Speaker * Mentorship Opportunity
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Essay Questions 1. Who or what has had the greatest impact on
your life so far and why? 2. If you were given the opportunity to
live your life over again, what would you change and why? 3. What
do you do in your life today that may limit your ability to connect
and relate to other people? 4. When, in your opinion, is it
acceptable to fail?
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Criteria for Mentees Students were ranked based on GPA
Participation in co-curriculars Answers to essay questions Top 3
invited to dinner and offered participation in mentorship
program
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Initial Program Dinner discussion One day job shadowing Email
correspondence Occasional on-campus meetings Relationship continued
through graduation and beyond
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Student Feedback Extremely beneficial and fulfilling Exceeded
my expectations I caught a true glimpse of the life of a physician.
I came home excited to share my experiences, and with my faith
reaffirmed in my future in medicine.
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Student Feedback He is really there for us and having someone
that has been through it all already is something I feel I really
needed. This opportunity is really one of a kind. It's a
privilege
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Growing the Program Requested list of UIUC alums and their
professions from advancement Signed volunteer confidentiality form
Dr. Berkowitz contacted alums in health related fields and invited
participation Shared is motivation and experience
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MCB Pathways to Pre-Health Mentorship Program
YearMentorsStudent Matches Occupations 2010131: MD 2011332: MD and
PA, Journ 2012861+ 201330413: MD, Dent, Pharm 201440335: MD, Dent,
Pharm, PA, PT
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Making the Match Provide top applicants with list of mentors.
Specialty Location Let them choose their top picks Email mentor
with student info Student makes first contact via email
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Alumni Involvement Make contact with students 3-4 times per
year either by e-mail or in person Provide at least one annual
shadowing experience Stay in touch with student throughout the
year, and if possible through graduation
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Alumni Feedback This program is an incredible and exciting
experience... it is unequivocally a great way for you to become re-
connected with your Alma Mater!
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Student Feedback I learned a lot about the career path to being
a doctor that is not found on any website and I walked out feeling
confident about pursuing a career in medicine. This was very
helpful and opened my eyes to several new paths I had never
considered.
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Room for Improvements I did not get the chance keep up with the
mentor nor has he emailed or stayed in touch this semester.
Communication between student, mentor, and program organizers needs
more work so that everyone is on the same page.
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Lessons Learned Mentoring involves a mutual partnership. Both
participants need to have a clear understanding of the process and
its expectations. Need to request feedback from both parties at
specific intervals.
Slide 31
Student Feedback Form How often have you met in person with
your mentor? How many contacts, other than meeting in person, have
you had with your mentor? How have you communicated with your
mentee? Please mark all that apply. Email, Phone calls,
Face-to-face, Office or workplace visit, Other
Slide 32
Student Feedback Form Did you initiate the communications? Most
of the time, 60% to 90% of the time, 30% to 60% of the time, 0 to
30% of the time How would you rate this mentoring experience?
Excellent, Very Good, Fine, Fair, Poor Would you recommend the MCB
Pathways to Health Careers Mentorship Program for future students?
Why or why not?
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Mentor Feedback Form Please describe your interpretation of
your mentees experience in this program. How has participation in
the mentoring experience affected your feelings for the University
of Illinois? Negative, no change, improved Would you participate in
this program again?
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Informal Program Unspecified or weak goals Unknown outcomes
Self-selection of mentors and mentees Long-term mentoring No
training or support
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Formal Program Establish goals Measurable outcomes Strategic
pairing of mentors and mentees Use questionnaires and/or program to
match Mentoring engagements lasting 9-12 months More focused with
option to extend Training and support
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Future Plans Expand list of potential mentors Continue to
increase diversity of mentors Create formal expectations/contract
Follow students after graduation Track their successes
Slide 37
New Experiences Paid summer research internship at Scripps
Beckman Center in La Jolla, CA Annual donations to help with travel
costs for summer research internships
Slide 38
Benefits of Program Students Experience, Insight, Mentorship
Alumni Re-connect with University Reminisce Pay it forward
Slide 39
Benefits of Program University Advancement First step with
potential donors Shared access to graduation surveys
