Beginning in 2009, the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business had the first on-campus first-year seminar, incorporating Peer Mentors as the cornerstone of that program. Managing a small group of freshmen through the Freshmen Seminar Course, carefully selected Peer Mentors introduce new students to college life, provide encouragement, and offer support. Peer Mentors play a huge role in the psychosocial development of new students, helping them find belonging and develop a sense of community and identity. They help connect new students tangibly to campus resources and are a huge source of encouragement.
In 2015, the Peer Mentor leadership curriculum began to involve, focusing on personal and professional development training and support in order to grow as leaders in their community and beyond. In 2019, we invited Alumni Mentors to partner with Peers and first-year students to give encouragement and career guidance.
Impact of the Program
Each student who begins in the business school receives the support of a mentor for at least one semester, which has a huge impact on overall sense of belonging and connection to the University. 70% of Business School students feel strongly connected to our business community after a semester with the Peer Mentor. 87% of Peer Mentors agreed “this program helped me grow personally & become more aware”. 100% of Peer Mentors reported positive impact on their sense of community & collaboration.
We believe that our mentoring programs are part of the reason that the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business has a strong retention rate of 79-83% retention, compared to 74% at Campbell, 67% nationally (National Clearinghouse, 2020).
Just this past year, Dean Kevin O’Mara and Ms. Renee Green (Director of Student Success and Leadership Development) presented at the University of New Mexico’s Mentoring Institute and the International Mentoring Association conferences. Their topics highlighted the innovation and unique structure of our BADM 100 Peer Mentoring Program:
- Two-Year Mentoring Curriculum – IMA Presentation
- 2021 UNM Conference – Three Gen Mentoring
- From Day One – Imbedding Mentoring in a First-Year Course