The School of Business is expanding its Alumni Mentor Program to give Full-time MBA students additional professional contacts, who can guide, advise and encourage them in their career pursuits.
“We have some fantastic alumni out there who want to give back to the school in various ways. They recognize the importance of mentoring in their own careers and want to pay it forward. And what better way than to mentor current MBA students?” said Suresh Nair, associate dean for graduate programs.
“At the same time, our current MBA students would love to connect with our alumni. We plan to facilitate addressing this need from both sides by creating the MBA Alumni Mentorship Program as an extension of the existing Undergraduate Alumni Mentor Program.
Meg Warren, director of the Full-time MBA program, said mentors can offer advice based on lessons learned from their own experiences, share information on the latest business trends, and offer to introduce the students to additional people who share common interests.
“We are seeking a variety of experts, from recent grads to junior and senior executives,” she said. “We welcome those with broad experience as well as those with very tailored knowledge. Any alum who is willing to give their time to listen, offer guidance, and provide ‘real world’ information adds value to the student’s experience,” she said.
There is tremendous excitement for the program among MBA students, she said.
“They want to connect with those who are putting their degrees to work in their desired field,” she added.
The student and mentor should plan to devote about ten hours a semester to their relationship. By mutual agreement, they can meet for lunch or coffee, speak by phone, or meet at the mentor’s workplace.
Any alum interested in participating in either the undergraduate or Full-time MBA mentor programs is asked to contact Nathan Ives, executive director of alumni relations at 860-486-5741 or nathan.ives@business.uconn.edu. The MBA Alumni Mentor Program does not require a presence or proximity to Hartford or Stamford. Alumni may participate from where they work around the world.
