Overview
“Mentoring has its origins in Greek mythology with Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. Disguised as a man and calling herself Mentor, Athena became surrogate parent to Telemachus, whose father, Odysseus, was away during the Trojan War. Mentor/Athena guided and nurtured the boy who would become the future king of Ithaca. Mentoring, traditionally viewed as an intense relationship between novice and expert, promotes a newcomer's socialization and role success.”
—Eileen Hayes, "Approaches to Mentoring: How to Mentor and Be Mentored" (2005).
Mentoring relationships are encouraged and nurtured throughout a student's career at the Leeds School of Business. Over half of our entering first year class is connected with a Leeds peer mentor through participation in either the Peer 2 Peer mentoring program, Diverse Scholars program, or B3 Residential Academic program. As these students progress in their academic career they in turn become the mentors to the new entering first year students. In the junior and senior year students have the opportunity to participate in the Professional Mentorship Program, which provides students a mentoring relationship with CU alumni and business executives to ease their transition to their professional career.
Peer 2 Peer Mentoring
A mentoring program for first-year business students to connect them with Leeds juniors & seniors.
Consider joining the Leeds Peer 2 Peer Mentoring program as a mentee! You will be assigned an upper-class Leeds mentor who will work with you the summer before you get on campus and the duration of your entire first semester. They'll give you helpful hints on how to do well in class, how to survive dorm food, how to not get lost on the Boulder bus system ... you get the drift. Your mentor will also help you get involved at Leeds and introduce you to their favorite Leeds staff and professors.
Professional Mentorship Program
The Leeds School of Business Professional Mentorship Program pairs undergraduate students with business professionals from around the country. Launched in Fall 2009, this program is unique at the undergraduate level and matches students with mentors based on a variety of characteristics including: field of study, desired geographic location following graduation, career interests and personality.
The program consists of a minimum of one meeting or phone call (for out of state mentors) per semester for four semesters. However, mentors and students are encouraged to meet and communicate above and beyond these minimums as personal schedules allow. Students are coached to be the initiators of communication in regards to sending emails and setting up times to meet.
The Leeds School of Business MBA Professional Mentorship Program (MBA-PMP) pairs graduate students with business professionals from around the country. The MBA-PMP is a 1 ½ year commitment and is open to all full-time MBA students and dual degree students with three semesters remaining in their program.
More information about the MBA-PMP coming soon! Contact leedspmp@colorado.edu with any questions.
Real Estate Mentoring
The CU Real Estate Center coordinates industry mentors for MBA students beginning the fall or spring semester of their first year and continues for the two years the student is in the program.