College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts

Mentorship Program for Academic Success

Welcome! Congratulations on taking this step to help ensure your academic success.

Program Description: The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, the Office of Academic Success and the Alumni Office are pleased to introduce a pilot program that will address the unique needs of students who are on academic probation as well as those who have successfully graduated from academic probation.

Why join the program?

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

The College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts Mentorship Program for Academic Success expands available resources by providing a mentor to you, the student - someone to offer a different perspective, coaching in areas such as time management, study tactics, personal development, and professional presentation.

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“After my first semester of freshman year, I was put on academic probation. As the first one in my family to attend university, I had no idea what to do and how to handle myself. I received a 1.6 GPA and was told I would lose my scholarships, grants, and loans if I didn’t turn it around quickly.

I was given a mentor and I learned how to value and use every minute of my day. I didn’t allow myself to go to parties or any social events until I spent 3 hours in the library studying each day. I met with my mentor weekly. The next semester, I earned a 4.0 and eventually joined a peer mentoring program at school as a mentor to other students.

The lesson for me: remember what you’re capable of, reach out for help when you need it, and use every minute of the day to make your life better. I eventually went on to get my MBA and today I have a successful career in finance.”

G. White, BA ‘91, MBA ‘00

Student Benefits:

• The opportunity to connect with an alum who is active in your 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 for young adults is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects and greatly affects their ability to overcome obstacles.

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 your 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.)

Mentor Benefits:

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

• The opportunity to share 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.
• The opportunity to support those who are most in need of guidance and skills to overcome barriers to higher education and 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 313-577-0277)

• Meetings:
  • Students are expected to make the first contact to schedule the first meeting. If mentors do not hear from their student in a reasonable amount of time, they have been asked to 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 the mentee’s goals, challenges, and/or questions.
• Provide support and guidance to the mentee as it relates to:
  • Skills and tactics for success in higher learning.
  • Gaining greater knowledge and understanding of the industry in which they 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 their experience with us by completing a digital survey after the program ends.

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 for students on academic probation:

• Meeting #1: Meet and Greet – Completed by Sept. 18, 2023
• Meeting #2: Academic Goals and strategies to overcome obstacles – Completed by Oct. 23, 2023
  • Objectives: Discuss goal setting as a general strategy.
  • Discuss goals for successfully moving beyond academic probation (e.g., students specific struggles and available tools to address these struggles).
  • Discuss transitioning from college life to work life and how current struggles may be avoided in the future.
• Meeting #3: Discuss progress to Academic Goals – Completed by Nov. 20, 2023
  • Objective: Discern tactics that have been successful and those that may need to be revised.
• Meeting #4: Day in the Life (virtual or in-person job shadow) – Completed by Dec. 8, 2023
  • 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 – date TBD

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

Student Application: Once you have completed the student application, we will contact you to set up a meeting (virtual or in-person, your choice) for a short orientation. 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.