Background

The MWI Mentorship Program is designed for early to mid-career students, particularly those who are the first in their families to attend college and international students, to explore issues women face in their careers and to engage with a mentor outside their usual networks. Mentors are drawn from the community of executive women leaders across Pierce County.

Program Goals

To provide an opportunity for early/mid career graduate students at the Milgard Business School to partner with a mid-career/senior female professional in the South Sound community to share experience, wisdom and enhance their future careers.

Mutual Expectations

Mentors and mentees are expected to make an academic year commitment to the program.  All activities will occur in the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters.  The structured time commitment includes an OrientationSession in the Fall, and a closing Session in the Spring.  There will also be group sessions in each of the Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. The group sessions will involve more structured discussions of curriculum readings and will last approximately1.5 hours.  Both mentors and mentees are expected to be familiar with the assigned readings.

Mentors and mentees are expected to meet 1:1 at least once per month during the school year in whatever manner and time that is mutually agreeable.  At the end of the year, both mentors and mentees will be asked to respond to a survey about their experience to help the program continuously improve.

Note:  all discussions in group or individual sessions are confidential.

Mentor Specific Expectations

Each mentor must provide a bio or CV  to assist with pairing to a mentee.  Bios should be no more than 200 words and cover career highlights.  A photograph would be appreciated as well.  Mentors may renew their commitment to the Mentorship program after the first year.

Mentee Specific Expectations

Mentees must apply to join the program. This applicationallows students to outline their interests and goals for their careerand indicate what they expect to get out of the Mentorship Program.  Mentees shouldcome to their mentor sessions with thoughts about issues and topics todiscuss.

Pairings

The MWI program will pair mentors and mentees based on stated common backgrounds or interests. Unless there is a significant personality clash, we will ask pairs to remain together for the year.

What Mentorship Is Not

This program is not about finding jobs for the participating students, tutoring students, reviewing resumes and providing job references, nor becoming the student’s best buddy.  Those choices or decisions would be at the discretion of the mentor.  But students should not have those types of expectations.