Spring Break
Faculty prepare to mentor
Honors mentoring program offers guidance to students
Jaclyn Gorski/ Staff writer
Issue date: 3/7/05 Section: News
Faculty members will get the opportunity to mentor students by participating in the Honors Faculty Mentoring Partnership Program.
Presidential scholars are students that are incoming freshmen. The minimum requirements for the program are a 28 ACT score with a 3.75 high school grade point average or a class ranking in the top 5 percent. A student could also have a 30 or higher ACT score with a top 10 percent rank or a 3.5 GPA.
"It has been a wonderful experience for both the faculty and the students," said Judy Sunderman, academic adviser for the Honors College. "I know the students have really appreciated the time and attention from their mentors. I think that all the faculty mentors have enjoyed their association with the students."
Bonnie Irwin, dean of the Honors College, is in charge of overseeing the mentorship program.
"We admit 20 students a year," Irwin said. "A faculty committee reviews the applications of all those students who meet the minimum requirements and recommend to me those with the most potential for academic success and leadership."
The student is then matched with a faculty member who is then the student's mentor throughout their career at Eastern.
The search for mentors is an on-going process, Irwin said.
Notices are sent out periodically to inform faculty of the option to serve as a faculty mentor. The Honors College matches faculty members and students in the fall.
The Honors College takes the biographical information from the faculty members and the presidential scholars in their applications and matches their interests, Sunderman said.
"We don't want to match mentors and scholars too closely," Irwin said.
A student would not be paired up with a faculty member of the same department, she said.
The program gives the student perspectives on another major at Eastern, said Bud Fischer, associate chair of the biological sciences department.
"One of the most important things a mentor does is listen. They act as a sounding board for students to bounce ideas off of," Irwin said.
They can suggest directions for research projects, study abroad opportunities, graduate school applications and a whole host of other things a student might be interested in, Irwin said.
"Because mentoring happens outside the formal classroom setting and the faculty member is not grading the student, the student may feel more comfortable discussing a wide range of issues with that mentor." she said.
"The Honors College has merely formalized a process that occurs naturally between faculty and students all over the university," Sunderman said.
Faculty who are interested in being a mentor must submit biographical information. Additional information is available on the Honors College Web site at www.eiu.edu/~honprog/faculty.htm or by calling Judy Sunderman at 581-2017.
Presidential scholars are students that are incoming freshmen. The minimum requirements for the program are a 28 ACT score with a 3.75 high school grade point average or a class ranking in the top 5 percent. A student could also have a 30 or higher ACT score with a top 10 percent rank or a 3.5 GPA.
"It has been a wonderful experience for both the faculty and the students," said Judy Sunderman, academic adviser for the Honors College. "I know the students have really appreciated the time and attention from their mentors. I think that all the faculty mentors have enjoyed their association with the students."
Bonnie Irwin, dean of the Honors College, is in charge of overseeing the mentorship program.
"We admit 20 students a year," Irwin said. "A faculty committee reviews the applications of all those students who meet the minimum requirements and recommend to me those with the most potential for academic success and leadership."
The student is then matched with a faculty member who is then the student's mentor throughout their career at Eastern.
The search for mentors is an on-going process, Irwin said.
Notices are sent out periodically to inform faculty of the option to serve as a faculty mentor. The Honors College matches faculty members and students in the fall.
The Honors College takes the biographical information from the faculty members and the presidential scholars in their applications and matches their interests, Sunderman said.
"We don't want to match mentors and scholars too closely," Irwin said.
A student would not be paired up with a faculty member of the same department, she said.
The program gives the student perspectives on another major at Eastern, said Bud Fischer, associate chair of the biological sciences department.
"One of the most important things a mentor does is listen. They act as a sounding board for students to bounce ideas off of," Irwin said.
They can suggest directions for research projects, study abroad opportunities, graduate school applications and a whole host of other things a student might be interested in, Irwin said.
"Because mentoring happens outside the formal classroom setting and the faculty member is not grading the student, the student may feel more comfortable discussing a wide range of issues with that mentor." she said.
"The Honors College has merely formalized a process that occurs naturally between faculty and students all over the university," Sunderman said.
Faculty who are interested in being a mentor must submit biographical information. Additional information is available on the Honors College Web site at www.eiu.edu/~honprog/faculty.htm or by calling Judy Sunderman at 581-2017.
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