Mentoring, a critical ingredient in student career success, will soon be receiving additional support and awareness from NIU students, faculty and staff.
The Huskie Mentoring Summit, hosted by University Honors, will offer students the opportunity to explore the lifelong benefits of serving as a mentor or mentee.
NIU undergraduate students with experience as mentors or mentees, as well as students who are not yet involved with mentoring but would like to explore the topic, are invited to the free workshop.
The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center.
Students can register online; those who do so by Thursday, March 24, will receive free box lunches at the event. Space is limited; students are urged to register as soon as possible.
This year’s event was designed to focus upon the needs of both mentors and mentees, said Steven Uhren, event planner for the summit and acting assistant director for Programming and Communications at University Honors.
“It was important to the student leaders planning this year’s event to recognize the contributions that both mentors and mentees make to the mentoring relationship,” Uhren said.
The Huskie Mentoring Summit has been offered in past years as the Peer Mentor Summit, and the event’s new name reflects its inclusive focus, Uhren said. Jessica Sandlund, Joseph Howard and Jenna Jane are University Honors students who are leading this year’s summit planning efforts.
Event planners are especially excited to welcome keynote speaker Marcia A. McMullen, an author and expert on historical and contemporary examples of notable mentoring.
A copy of McMullen’s book, “Because You Believed in Me: Mentors and Protégés Who Shaped Our World” (Anniversary Edition), will be given to students attending the summit, courtesy of the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, which is also sponsoring McMullen’s visit to NIU.
Through describing the impact of mentoring received by historical figures including Indira Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson, McMullen makes a convincing argument that everyone can benefit from mentoring.
Eric Weldy, vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at NIU, agreed.
“Mentors invest in the growth and potential of their mentees, with transforming results for both parties in the mentoring relationship,” said Weldy, who describes mentoring as a powerful catalyst in students’ academic, personal and professional development.
In addition to the keynote, students will have the opportunity to attend breakout presentations on mentoring-related topics.
Presenters include Barbara Fouts, Career Services; Bill McCoy, College of Business; and Leslie Sassone, College of Education.
“The Huskie Mentoring Summit will provide plenty of motivation for students to invest deeply in mentoring throughout their careers,” said Joyce Keller, associate director at Career Services and a co-planner of the event, adding that mentoring can provide the support and informal knowledge networks that contribute to personal and professional success.
Co-sponsors for the event include the Honors House, Career Services and the Student-Alumni Mentoring Program.
For more information, call (815) 753-1641 or email careerservices@niu.edu.