A PEER MENTORSHIP mentorship program is being piloted at the Martin V. Smith
(MVS) School of Business & Economics at California State University
at Channel Islands (CSUCI). The new MVS School Peer Mentorship
Program is funded by a US$34,000 grant from the Martin
V. & Martha K. Smith Foundation.
High-achieving, upper-division students
with demonstrated academic aptitude and
leadership skills will serve as embedded
mentors in courses that business
students often find the most challenging,
such as microeconomics, macroeconomics,
finance, and managerial
accounting. The mentorship program
is expected to be especially useful to
first-generation students.
The mentors will spend several hours
each week providing tutoring and small-group
learning sessions. In addition, the mentors will hold walk-in hours
and organize events to help their fellow students navigate the
“hidden curriculum” on campus. For instance, they will help their
mentees find and access academic resources, seek out internships,
or approach faculty members during office hours. The
program is being piloted in the MVS School’s upper-division
business finance course.
“Research shows that many of our first-generation
students and students from underrepresented
backgrounds may feel more comfortable seeking
additional academic and social support from a
peer,” says Susan Andrzejewski, interim dean of the
MVS School. She adds that the benefit of the program
is twofold. “Not only does it allow us to provide
additional leadership and campus job opportunities
to students who have performed very well, but these
students can help 40 or so of their peers succeed as well.”