The Mentoring Program connects each new tutor with a returning tutor to be their official mentor throughout their first year of employment. Mentors introduce their new tutor mentees to the Writing Center—our core practices, beliefs, and values, and our everyday workings. The Mentoring Program fosters a work environment based on our core values of collaboration, diversity, reflection, respect, revision, and transparency through building peer-to-peer connections and networks. The Mentoring Programs aims to support the personal, professional, and intrapersonal growth of all program participants.
The Mentoring Program is coordinated by the professional development team, including the Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring & Onboarding, the other PDSMs, and Writing Center Associate Director Erin Herrmann. Through the Mentoring Program, new tutors become familiar and comfortable with both the Writing Center’s expectations for working with writers and the Writing Center’s diverse and complex operations. Mentors guide mentees through initial onboarding and support mentees throughout the year with developing and refining tutoring strategies, reflecting on growth, setting SMART goals, and fulfilling the quarterly PD check-in process.
Mentee-mentor relationships are fostered through periodic check-ins and guidance in addition to reviewing the information covered in WRD 395/582. All program check-ins take place during the regularly scheduled hours of the mentee’s shifts, and mentors and mentees are scheduled in WCOnline to have time to meet.
The program also seeks to provide support for returning tutors serving as mentors through mentor training and additional support when necessary.
Mentees
Mentees are new tutors who participate in the mentoring program as part of their onboarding to the Writing Center. Mentees are expected to fully engage in the program and its goals as a part of their learning their role as tutors.
Mentors
Returning tutors serving as a Mentor provide support and guidance for new tutors during their onboarding process and throughout their first year. Mentors are selected at the start of each academic year and attend required training.
Professional Development Student Manager: Mentoring & Onboarding
The Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring & Onboarding collaborates with the Associate Director to manage all aspects of the Mentoring Program and new tutor onboarding. The PDSM coordinates and schedules mentoring pairs, develops content for mentoring check-ins, plans and facilitates mentor training, and oversees the implementation of all aspects of the program.