Aligning and Improving Peer Mentoring

Project Working Group Sukhwant Jhaj, Jackie Balzer, Amy Shattuck, Yves Labissiere, Thomas Keller, Dana Lundell, Dan Fortmiller Project Description A rethinking, re-mapping, and reinvigoration of PSU's peer mentoring system is needed with an eye toward increasing support as students make the complex academic, social, and cultural transitions to PSU from high-school or community colleges. To that end, PSU will extend its mentoring capacity further using web-based social networking tools, to reach adult, commuter, and transfer students more readily, develop special programs for at-risk groups including providing a place to connect with supportive peer mentors who share common backgrounds and experiences and establish the first Conference on Peer-to-Peer Mentoring in Post-Secondary Education.

Action Items Align PSU's Mentoring Capacity Extend mentoring capacity by using web-based social networking tools Develop special programs for at-risk groups Provide a place to connect with supportive peer mentors who share common backgrounds and experiences Establish the first conference on Peer-to-Peer Mentoring in Post-Secondary Education

These actions will reduce

Key Barriers Financial Restrictions Lack of Motivation Misdirection of resources

These actions will achieve

Goal Ease the transition to college through an enhanced peer mentoring program
These actions will ultimately lead to

Increased retention and graduation rates.

Council of Academic Deans

Implementing Department

Faculty Senate Committee

Admissions and Records

Project Working Group

Executive Committee

SA to the Provost

Input Provider 2

Public Meetings

Faculty Senate

VP EMSA

Decision Matrix Key: (R) Recommend, (A) Agree, (P) Perform, (I) Input, (D) Decide. Establish Project Working Group D A Extend mentoring capacity by using web-based social networking tools Develop special programs for at-risk students Provide a place to connect with peer

Website

Provost

ARC

mentors Establish the first conference on Peerto-Peer Mentoring in Post-Secondary Education

Funding Required TBD Timeframe and Metrics Establish Working: Group Summer 2012 Winter 2013 Metric Name/Description Social Networking Access: Count of number of responses to social networking messages and number of hits to social networking pages At Risk Student Success: Measure number of at risk students who use mentoring services and graduate Peer Mentor Visits: Effectiveness and use of centralized location for peer mentoring Peer Mentoring Conference Success: Number of participants at the Conference on Peer-to-Peer Mentoring in Post-Secondary Education Peer Mentoring Conference Feedback: Feedback from attendees/non-attendees to Peer Mentoring Conference Peer Mentoring Feedback: Qualitative and Quantitative Feedback on Peer Mentoring Program and Improvements Responses Hits Message Day At Risk Student Graduation Rate Total At Risk Students Number of students who utilized central location Total Number of Freshman in Peer Mentoring Program Total Number of participants compared year over year End of Conference Surveys for participants and nonparticipants (why they did not attend?) Survey students who utilized peer mentoring resources Formula Project yet to be initiated