College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Mentorship Program

Welcome! Thank you for your interest in mentoring students from the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

Program Description: The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, the Office of Academic Success and the Alumni Office are pleased to offer a program that will address the unique needs of our students.

Why become a mentor?

Wayne State University strives to prepare a diverse student body to thrive and believes that a strong support system is essential for students as they navigate the world of higher education.

The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Mentorship Program expands available resources by providing a mentor to offer a unique perspective, coaching in areas such as time management, study tactics, personal development, and professional presentation.

Alumni serve as mentors in this program and will have opportunities to engage with students in a meaningful way as they share their experiences and knowledge. Mentors and mentees are carefully matched by considering the student’s career trajectory, passion, qualities, and specific challenges.

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Students and Mentors meet (at minimum) four times per academic semester. Suggested timeline and subject matter will be provided.

“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well, I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way.               A mentor.” — Denzel Washington

Mentor Benefits:

Beyond directly impacting students, mentors also walk away from the experience with several benefits from participating:  

• The opportunity to share your experiences and knowledge.
• Spend time learning about the current college experience from a student and lending advice and guidance for their career path.
• Feel a sense of connection with the college and engaging with students.
• Learn other ways to support the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.
• Know you are supporting students to hone skills that lead to a successful future.

Mentor Responsibilities:

• Complete an application and a brief screening (in-person or virtual) with the Alumni Officer of The College of Fine, Performing and Communications Arts. (Currently April Hazamy - ahazamy@wayne.edu or 313-577-0277.)
• Meetings:
  • Students are expected to make the first contact to schedule the first meeting. If you do not hear from your mentee in a reasonable amount of time, please reach out to the Alumni Officer for assistance.
  • Meetings are to take place in a public setting or using a virtual platform such as Zoom, Teams, Facetime, or Google Meet.
  • Complete each meeting by the suggested deadline. These dates can be flexible, but we encourage pairs to meet at least four times while in the program.
  • Follow the meeting topics or adjust to meet the needs of your mentee’s goals, challenges, and/or questions.
• Provide support and guidance to your mentee as it relates to:
  • Skills and tactics for success in higher learning.
  • Gaining greater knowledge and understanding of the industry in which you work.
  • Enhancing a professional network and skill set.
  • Providing general career advice including tips for job searches, interviews, and professional development .
• Provide updates and feedback throughout the program with the alumni officer.
• Attend a celebration at the end of the academic year. Mentors and mentees will be recognized at this event.
• Share your experience with us by completing a digital survey after the program ends.

Student Benefits:

• The opportunity to connect with an alum who is active in their field of interest.
• Build skills that will help to ensure academic success.
• Gain the perspective of someone who has worked through similar challenges and been successful in meeting their goals.
• Mentoring of young adults is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects and greatly affects their ability to control their future.

Student Responsibilities:

• Complete the application to become a Mentee and attend the brief orientation.
• Make first contact with the mentor to schedule the first meeting and subsequent meetings.
• Participate in four in-person or virtual (Zoom, Teams, Facetime, Google Meet) meetings, completing each meeting by the indicated deadline.
• Ensure all meetings are to take place in a public setting (e.g., coffee shop, on campus, business location) or through a virtual platform.
• Behave professionally.
• Do not ask the mentor for a job. This is not the purpose of the mentorship program.
• Listen and enjoy gaining knowledge and a better understanding of a career related their interest and talents. Ask questions.
• Attend the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Mentoring celebration at the end of academic year. Mentors and mentees will be recognized at this event.
• Share their experience with us by completing the survey at the end of the mentorship program.
• Connect with the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Alumni Officer with any questions or concerns (currently April Hazamy, ahazamy@wayne.edu or 313-577-0277.)

Meeting Topics and suggested Deadlines:

Meetings are scheduled based on a mutually agreed date, time, and avenue (virtual or in-person) between the mentor and mentee. Deadlines listed in this timeline are flexible though we encourage pairs to meet at least four times during the program.

Proposed due dates:

• Meeting #1: Meet and Greet – Completed by January 24, 2024

• Meeting #2: Career and Academic Goals – Completed by February 21, 2024
  • Objectives: Discuss goal setting as a general strategy
    • Discuss appropriate goals for different phases of the career (e.g., current goals as an undergrad, goals for starting a position, 5-year goal, etc.)
    • Discuss transitioning from college life to work life
• Meeting #3: Develop Interview Skills – Completed by March 20, 2024
  • Objective: Discuss interview preparation strategies, typical questions 
    • Do's and dont's 
    • What to look for when researching employers
    • Other best practices
• Meeting #4: Day in the Life (virtual or in-person job shadow) – Completed by April 10, 2024
  • Objective: Gain insight into the job of the mentor including
    • Specific duties day-to-day work
    • Positives and challenges 
    • Career growth and trends
    • Suggestions for advancing oneself beyond entry-level positions.

• College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Mentoring Award Ceremony – TBD

We recommend scheduling the remainder of the meeting dates during the first meeting as mentor and mentee.

Mentor Application. Once you have completed the mentor application, we will contact you to set up a short meeting (virtual or in-person, your choice) to complete the application process. Next steps will be shared at that meeting.

Please note that application does not guarantee acceptance this session. The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts reserves the right to limit the number of mentorship pairings each term, based on the number of applicants and the number of mentors available.