What is the Class2Class Program?
The Class2Class Program (C2C) is a brand-new mentoring program that is managed by the Leadership and Life Skills Office (LLO) and scheduled to launch fall 2018. In the fall of 2017, we introduced the program to homecoming attendees, the Norwich University Alumni Association, the Board of Fellows Executive Committee, and the Board of Trustees. In November 2017, we sent our first email invitation to all Norwich University constituents introducing the program and the mentor intake form.
What makes the Class2Class Program different?
What distinguishes C2C from programs you’ve participated in, is that it’s a virtual mentoring program. Norwich University has a large national and international footprint with alumni and friends from all over the world. A digital solution will allow mentors to participate regardless of their location and make the Norwich community more accessible for students. Although the program will primarily run off of a digital platform, C2C is designed to offer alternative ways to engage with students and flexible enough to accommodate schedules.
Another unique aspect of the program is that mentor matches are student initiated. Unlike other programs, where every student and mentor is hand matched, the Class2Class program gives students seeking mentorship the ability to choose their mentor(s). This approach empowers students to be in charge of their learning and career development. Please see the “How Are Matches Made?” section for more details.
What is the name of the online platform?
Handshake is an online career resource that will be available to students in the fall of 2018. The platform will be available to mentors on June 1, 2018 for profile completion. Mentors will have through August to complete their Handshake profiles before the student launch in September 2018. The Career and Internship Center (CIC) will utilize Handshake to help students through the job and internship search process while the Leadership and Life Skills Office will use the mentorship tools to manage the Class2Class program.
Mentoring Definition
The Class2Class Program definition of mentoring is, a learning partnership developed between an experienced mentor and a less experienced mentee. The partnership will be mentee driven and focuses on the mentee’s career development. Each partnership will be unique to the individuals involved and can be short or long term.
Who can be a Mentor?
Anyone with a Norwich connection can participate in the Class2Class Program. Please contact the program coordinator if you have question about who can be a mentor.
Role of the Mentor
Mentors enhance the educational experience of Norwich students by offering support, real-world advice and feedback on their career interests. Some examples of how mentors can achieve this include but are not limited to:
♦ Describing personal experience related to career development/advancement (challenges, accomplishments and strategies)
♦ Discussing work/life balance
♦ Serve as a resource, providing guidance, and share expertise to promote student success
♦ Act as a sounding board to explore ideas
♦ Encourage students to seek out networking opportunities/contacts and develop new skills
♦ Helping your mentee identify long-term goals and develop a plan of action
NOT a Mentor’s Responsibility
♦ As a mentor, you are NOT expected to offer internship or jobs. Although it may come up in conversation with a mentee or sometimes work out that a mentee happens to be a great fit for an available opportunity, this is by no means the norm or expectation.
♦ As a mentor, it is critical that you NOT take on the role of the student’s counselor. The C2C Guidebook will provide a list of on-campus resources and contacts; please encourage your mentee to take advantage of these services as appropriate.
Mentoring Categories
There are three ways a mentor can volunteer their time: long-term mentoring, flash mentoring, or on-campus events. Mentors can volunteer in more than one category and can change their availability at any time. Most often, mentoring matches will start with flash mentoring and gradually turn into long-term mentoring.
1. Flash Mentoring: Mentors answer questions sent from students through the Handshake platform. Some examples of flash mentoring include but are not limited to:
♦ Career/Industry Specific Q & A
♦ Interview Advice
♦ Graduate School Advice
♦ Job Application Support
♦ Relocation Advice
♦ Career Transition Advice
2. On-Campus Events: Mentors come to campus to meet with their mentee(s) or to meet new students seeking mentorship. The Class2Class program will run two on-campus events during the academic year:
♦ Mentors Workshop + Class2Class Program Kick Off Dinner - October 11, 2018
♦ Class2Class Wrap-Up Event/Reception - Spring 2019
These events can help enhance a mentorship.
3. Long-term Mentoring: A relationship between mentee and mentor that is developed overtime with identified goals. Long-term mentoring is often the result of mentor participation in flash mentoring and on-campus events.
Who are the mentees?
The Class2Class program will serve all Norwich undergraduate students. The undergraduate student population includes full-time, part-time, commuter, civilian and Corps of Cadets students.
Am I limited to a certain amount of mentees?
No. As a mentor, you have control over how many mentees you want to work with and can indicate that in your Handshake profile.
Mentor Preferences: Topics and Students
You have the ability to choose which mentoring categories you are available for and can also indicate a specific mentee profile. For example, a mentor can indicate they are available for long-term mentoring only for students studying nursing and/or interested in learning about a physician assistant career pathway. Please note: Indicating preferences may limit the amount of requests you receive.
How are matches made?
Students can search for a mentor on Handshake based on career information they are seeking. Handshake will automatically make mentor recommendations to students when they login to their account. These recommendations are determined by the information provided in the mentor and mentee profiles. The mentee can decide to pursue a mentor through the Handshake recommendations or conduct their own search.
The Program Coordinator and the Career and Internship Center staff can also make recommendations. The student and mentor will receive a message from Handshake notifying them of the recommendation. In order for a mentorship to begin, both the mentee and mentor must accept the recommendation made by staff.
Mentor matches are not permanent. The first contacts you have will help you and the mentee determine compatibility and if your professional experience can be helpful to the student reaching out. There may be times where the system or staff recommendations may appear as a good match but the personalities may not work well. This is OK and we encourage mentors and mentee to be honest when this happens. The C2C Guidebook will provide tools and strategies to help you close a mentorship; no matter how brief the relationship. The program coordinator will also be available to assist mentors and mentees with closure, if it is requested.
Important Notes:
♦ The Class2Class program is offered as a career resource.
♦ Student participation in the program is voluntary.
♦ There will be a period of time after the fall launch where students will learn how to use and navigate Handshake. This means that you may not receive mentor requests right away.
♦ We do not guarantee that mentors will receive mentorship requests. Your expertise and the career information students are seeking will determine how often you are contacted by students for mentorship.
♦ Mentors can deactivate and activate their mentor profile at any time.
What happens after a mentoring match is made?
The guidebook will offer resources to help you communicate, guide and develop your relationship with your mentee. As a way to enhance the mentoring relationship, you and your mentee have the option to participate in two on-campus events hosted by the Leadership and Life Skills Office. Please see the “Mentoring Categories” for event dates. These events are also open to alumni and friends of the university who are not C2C participants.
As a mentor, you have valuable information about careers that can enhance students’ knowledge and real world exposure. We ask mentors to share information they feel will help students in their career development. As communication with your mentee increases and your conversations more focused, the easier it will be to determine how much information you should share. We also encourage you to talk about more than professional development (hobbies, sports, family, etc.) as a way to connect with your mentee, but only if both parties want to.
Communication + Time Commitment
Determining the frequency and duration of contact, as well as the length of the relationship will be up to you and your mentee. It will be important to communicate through Handshake until you are able to establish a goal(s) and a communication/mentoring agreement. We recommend you to utilize the messaging capabilities in Handshake first to determine if you are well-matched; the guidebook will offer strategies to navigate the first conversation. Once rapport is established, mentors and mentees can transition to other means of communication that both parties are comfortable with. Some examples of alternative communication can include but not limited to: telephone, skype, email, text. Please contact the program coordinator if you have question about alternative communication means.
The program is designed to be flexible for both the students and mentors. Should your availability change or you are unable to make contact as scheduled, it will be up to you to update that information on your Handshake profile and communicate with your mentee.
What kind of resources will be available for mentors and mentee?
We are working on developing a program guidebook that will be available in April (digital and printed copies available). These documents will contain program information, instructions on how to use the platform, resources available on campus and optional documents you can use to help you empower and build relationships with students.
Social Media
The intake form asked how comfortable are you with social media. This question was asked to help us determine what kind of information we will need to include during mentor orientation and platform training. The program coordinator will use email and Handshakre notices as the primary means of communication.
Mentor Benefits
♦ Develop meaningful connections with students
♦ Learn about the Norwich of today and the next generation
♦ Experience a reconnection with Norwich
♦ Expand your professional network
♦ Improve interpersonal, communication and leadership skills
Mentor Expectations
♦ Complete all program training and feedback surveys
♦ Update and maintain Handshake profile
♦ Maintain contact as agreed upon with mentee(s)
♦ Be responsive
♦ Be a role model/professional
♦ Set goals and expectations with mentee using the Mentoring Agreement
♦ Honor commitments
♦ Contact program coordinator with any concerns about the program, your mentee(s) or your experience as a mentor
How can I become a mentor?
1. Complete and submit Mentor Intake Form at alumni.norwich.edu/Class2Class(indicates your interest only and not a commitment to mentoring)
2. Complete program orientation (Spring 2018)
3. Complete digital platform training (Spring 2018)
4. Submit a Mentoring Verification Form (Spring 2018)(this form, completed after training, indicates your commitment to the program)
5. Complete your online profile on Handshake.
Timeline for 2018
♦ January-March: Monthly Program Updates and Intake Form Collection
♦ April: Digital Handbook Release (hard copies will be available upon request)
♦ May: Program Orientation, Platform Training and Verification Form Released (required for all mentors)
♦ June-August: Handshake Profile Activation and CompletionSeptember: Student Launch (2018 Homecoming Weekend)
♦ October 11, 2017: Class2Class Program Student Kickoff Event. This event will focus on introducing the program and the Handshake platform to students. All Class2Class program events are optional for mentors. Pre-registration will be required for mentors.