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Mentoring Students

The word mentorship written in wooden block letters.

Mentoring at St. Kate's: Guidance and Resources

Mentoring is a vital part of the St. Catherine University experience, supporting students throughout their academic, personal, and professional growth. Our goal is to establish a culture and structure that fosters inclusive mentoring throughout the university.

Mentoring in higher education is a transformative relationship that goes beyond traditional academic advising, offering guidance, support, and opportunities for mutual learning. Inclusive mentoring actively minimizes traditional power dynamics and creates a learning environment that respects and values diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

The Role of the Faculty Mentor

Faculty mentors play a crucial role in fostering an enriching environment that encourages students to strive for academic excellence and professional growth. A mentor is a guide who offers support, advice, and resources to a mentee. Key roles of a faculty mentor include:

  1. Academic Guidance: Partnering with students on course selection, goal alignment, and navigating major options (especially as a primary College for Adults advisor).
     
  2. Career Development: Guiding students to explore career paths, resume reviews, and professional networking.
     
  3. Collaboration: Partnering with students on research projects, service learning, publications, and conference attendance (e.g., through the Assistantship Mentoring Program).
     
  4. Holistic Support: Helping students through academic setbacks and making referrals to appropriate campus resources (e.g., for finances, mental health, or personal issues).
     
  5. Networking & Belonging: Connecting students with peers, faculty, staff, alums, and industry experts to build community.
     
  6. Leading by Example: Demonstrating a commitment to lifelong learning, ethical behavior, and professionalism.

St. Kate's Student Mentoring Programs

St. Kate's offers several formal mentoring programs, often structured with specified outcomes, durations, and professional development components for both mentors and mentees.

  • Summer Scholars: Matches students with faculty to collaborate on research and creative initiatives.
     
  • Katie Leadership Impact (KLI): Accelerates leadership development through coursework, mentoring, scholarships, and real-world consulting experience.
     
  • Money Mentors: Provides peer financial literacy mentoring and programming.
     
  • Center for Community Work and Learning (CWL): Partners students with community organizations for projects that develop leadership abilities and promote social justice through real-world civic engagement and experiential learning.
     
  • Community Leaders Program: Provides paid nonprofit internships for skill-building tailored to students’ academic interests while completing meaningful community service projects. Open to all currently enrolled students.
     
  • Fellowships: Matches students with leadership development programs at external organizations for professional training, networking, and career advancement over 3 months to 2 years.
     
  • Katie's for Aging Research and Equity (KARE): Provides underrepresented minority students with multi-year mentoring, funding, and community support to complete aging research and leadership development, promoting career readiness.

Mentoring Resources

This section provides access to internal and external mentoring resources. Internal resources were created by St. Kate’s staff, including guides, reports, trainings, and other exclusive tools that emphasize our institutional values. The external resources include academic articles, research papers, studies, and other publications that focus on advancing mentoring practices, providing wider insights into efficacy, training, retention effects, and national trends.

St. Kate's Resources
External Resources

Professional Development

Developing your mentoring abilities through conferences, workshops, and training is key to empowering students. Staying current on the latest research and frameworks brings fresh, evidence-backed strategies to support mentees. Events foster connections among fellow mentors, enabling them to collaborate and share insights on improving outcomes. More targeted development opportunities provide tangible techniques that can be implemented immediately. By broadening competencies in inclusion, interpersonal skills, and career readiness, professional development unlocks new ways to make a greater impact for your students.