Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring Program
For current activities contact:
Regina Jean-Van Hell,
Program Coordinator
(617) 552-4803
E-mail: mays.mentoring@bc.edu
Students benefit from the encouragement, sound advice, and on-going support from those who have succeeded in reaching their goals. Such counsel helps students clearly define educational and career goals and experience minimal obstacles while doing so. Having said this, the focus of the Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring Program at Boston College is to assist AHANA students building those solid foundations. The underlying objective of the program is to inspire students to strive toward excellence and to perceive teaching as a possible career.
Mentoring Program
Negotiating a large university campus can be challenging for any freshman, but AHANA (African American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American) students at Boston College can find support through the Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring Program. This student/faculty mentoring program, named for the great educator Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, who himself served as a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others, was established in 1991 by the Office of AHANA Student Programs under a Ford Foundation grant for improving campus diversity. The Mays Mentoring Program is designed to provide A students with an opportunity to have a personal connection with a faculty member who can guide them through the college environment. The program currently receives partial funding from an Aetna Foundation grant in addition to University support.
The Mays Program attempts to ameliorate potential isolation and loneliness that is often experienced by AHANA students by pairing them with faculty members who are willing to develop a relationship with AHANA students and follow them through their four years at Boston College.
There are currently 94 mentors, including faculty, doctoral students and administrators, and 160 students enrolled as proteges in the program. By working with students beginning in the first year, mentors assist prot6g6s with building solid foundations that help to ensure the successful achievement of their goals. Mentors provide encouragement and support as students develop habits and attitudes that lead to academic and personal success.
"I treat her like a human being, like a colleague and not a kid. I don't really know how it all happened, but I've enjoyed watching her evolve. "
Professor George Goldsmith
Mays Mentor
"My mentor is my psychologist, my friend, someone to defend me, a godfather.
He wants me to succeed."
Rosa Dominguez
'95
How does the Mentoring Program work?
Mentors and students are paired according to students' academic interest and mentor's field.
Once they meet, they develop a relationship by:
Meeting regularly (minimum of three each semester) to review the student's academic progress and assist them with developing strategies for success.
Attending activities (minimum of one each semester) sponsored by the Mays Mentoring Program.
Attending other social activities, as desired, such as lunches, dinners, plays, athletic events and lectures.
Collaborating on research projects, when appropriate.
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Institute
for the Preparation of Faculty Members
Mentors attend a two-and-a-half day summer institute to prepare them for the mentoring role. Since mentors and students come from a variety of cultural and racial backgrounds, the institute offers sessions on cross-cultural communications, responsibilities of mentors and techniques for building relationships, all presented by experts in the field. Students participate in the institute as well, telling their stories and describing how mentors have helped them make the transition to university life.
"It's been very enriching. The students and I have experienced a tremendous amount of cultural learning and I feel honored to be able to provide a safe harbor for them. "
Associate Professor Jean O'Neil
Mays Mentor
"My mentor help me out if I get into a problem with my classes. She’ll talk to my professor, work with me, or arrange tutors or counselors for me - whatever is necessary. Sometimes I go to her just to chat. She never can get rid of me. "
Pui Lam
'94
Back to OASP Web Page Services
Further information about the
Mays Mentoring Program
is available from:
Regina Jean-Van Hell
Program Coordinator
(617) 552-4803
E-mail: mays.mentoring@bc.edu
&
Office of
AHANA Student Programs
72 College Rd.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167-3836
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Maintained by Armando Hernández.
Last Update: 10/5/97.