Arkansas Tech University faculty and staff are invited to serve as Bridge to Excellence (B2E) mentors to incoming freshmen during the 2018-19 academic year.
This year, students will be matched with their B2E mentors during orientation by department heads, faculty and staff at college meetings rather than being pre-matched over the summer.
“This change will allow for student understanding of the importance of a B2E mentorship, and it will allow for mentor/mentee best matches based upon a student’s most recent declared major,” said Dr. Elishia Fairfield, director of student success services.
Faculty members who wish to serve as B2E mentors who are not already part of the program may notify their department head.
Staff members interested in serving as B2E mentors who are not already part of the program may send their name, department and area of study in higher education to efairfield@atu.edu by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
B2E will function similarly to previous years. The only differences for staff mentors are:
- There will be no B2E breakfast. Instead, mentors will be matched with students at a mid-day college meeting on the last day of orientation. Mentors will also not receive mentee schedules and survey results, but this material will be digitally available to all mentors.
- Especially for staff who attend college meetings, their entire group of mentees will be from the same college, perhaps even the same major.
Staff mentors will be assigned to particular locations on the last day of orientation to help with the overflow of students at college meetings and to serve as mentors for undeclared majors.
“I am very excited about another new school year and the opportunity to continue to help students succeed at Arkansas Tech,” said Fairfield. “I am also very excited about the continuation of B2E and the subtle changes we’re making to continue to build the program and community on our campus.”
Send e-mail to efairfield@atu.edu to learn more about serving as a B2E mentor.
