RU FacMenSA
"Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight." - ancient Chinese proverb
Mentor: A wise and trusted teacher or counselor who advises a "student" - protégé, mentee, telemachus, or apprentice - in matters of mutual interest of benefit to both.
Mission statement
- The Rutgers University Faculty Mentoring Program for Student-Athletes (RU FacMenSA) aims to foster understanding between the University's faculty and staff members (FMs), student-athletes (SAs), and coaches, and to provide these students with role models outside their normal academic and athletic environments. The program is designed to be flexible in its scope and encompassing in its vision, so that all three groups may garner maximum benefit from the program. SAs may ask FMs to serve as informal career counselors, graduate and professional school recommenders, general life advisors, mature academic professionals in whom to confide, or in other appropriate functions. Coaches may ask FMs to serve during recruiting, for academic advice, or in any other capacity upon which they may agree.
- Approved by the President of the University and the Board of Governors/Board of Trustees Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, RU FacMenSA mentors report to and are assigned by the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and receive rules education annually from the Office of Athletics Compliance. The FAR reports to the President through the Chancellor of New Brunswick.
- What is a mentor?
The Mentoring.org website defines a mentor as “an adult who, along with parents, provides a young person with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example. Mentors are good listeners, people who care, people who want to help young people bring out strengths that are already there” (5 September 2010). In so doing, a relationship of mutual trust could develop, which would encourage a mutual understanding of the goals of one and the needs of the other.
- How will RU FacMenSA work at Rutgers?
RU FacMenSA program will seek out FMs who will volunteer to mentor student-athletes who desire to be mentored. That is, the program will not require anyone - FM, SA, or coach - to give time when he or she does not have it. The combination of the University's structure and timetables/time constraints may prohibit the program from becoming anything other than voluntary.
FMs will be assigned to (or volunteer for) specific sports groups, not individuals. In this way, a mentor can become familiar with coaches and students, can attend games, matches, events, or meets in which groups are involved, and can thus not be saddled with undue extra work. If there were ever to exist a critical mass from which to select mentors, a more individual one-on-one mentor to student relationship could be established.
- How does one learn to become a mentor, or to be mentored?
Mentoring relationships are cultivated and not instantly installed. Mentors should become familiar with good mentoring practices, such as those found at Mentoring.org or The Mentoring Group. Good mentors are 1) good listeners who give advice and 2) enjoy being with students and sharing in their interests.
- Good FMs should develop a relationship, generally informal, with students that transcends the typical student-teacher interrelationship by showing the human side of being a teacher and advisor in a university setting. They may focus on life issues, not just academic ones, and they are certainly not to be taken for tutors in some subject area.
- Students should behave professionally and appropriately in a mentoring relationship; clearly, they will have to decipher which advice to follow and which to leave aside. Students must therefore decide, using good judgment, how much faith to place in the mentor; they should see mentors as sounding boards for life choices and career development, but not as glorified tutors, which the mentors cannot and will not be.
RU FacMenSA FMs and the sport(s) for which they serve as mentors
- Mr. Mark Beal, School of Communication and Information
- Women's Tennis, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer
- Expertise: marketing one's personal brand; successful transition from college to career
- Women's Tennis, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer
- Dr. Sara Campbell, SAS Kinesiology and Health
- FM at large
- Expertise: Exercise Science major, what it takes to get into and succeed in graduate school, life after sport, student-athlete work life balance, participation in professional organizations related to the field, certifications, career options, research in the field
- FM at large
- Dr. Joseph Casillas, SAS Spanish and Portuguese
- Baseball
- Expertise: languages, study abroad, time management, data management, data analysis
- Baseball
- Mr. Kevin Ewell, Assistant Dean, School of Communication and Information
- Track and Field/XC
- Dr. Ann Gould, Dean of Academic Programs, S.E.B.S.
- FM at large
- Mr. Fred Hoffman, School of Business
- Men's Basketball, Wrestling
- Dr. Brian Householder, School of Communication and Information
- Women's Rowing, Swimming and Diving, Women's Golf
- Expertise: Leadership and communication processes; Relational and Group Dynamics; Persuasion and Social Influence
- Women's Rowing, Swimming and Diving, Women's Golf
- Dr. Nicole Houser, Assistant Dean for Curriculum Internationalization
- Field Hockey
- Expertise: study abroad, linguistics, Spanish, writing
- Field Hockey
- Dr. Michelle Jefferson, Dean of Students, Cook/Douglass
- Women's Basketball
- Expertise: All things Leadership, Conflict Resolution, Restorative Justice Practices, Group Dynamics/Development, Intercultural Communication, Bystander Intervention with regards to Bias Incidents
- Women's Basketball
- Ms. Lisa Kaplowitz, School of Business
- Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer
- Expertise: women in business, career planning, transitioning to life post-college, conversations on identity (who am I) post-playing days
- Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer
- Dr. Carl Kirschner, University Professor
- FM at large
- Mr. Steven Miller, School of Communication and Information
- Volleyball, Women's Lacrosse, Softball
- Expertise: media, especially its relationship to sports, internships, speaking to students about transitioning to life in the real world, and student’s dreams, goals and aspirations
- Volleyball, Women's Lacrosse, Softball
- Dr. Tom Prusa, SAS-Economics
- Football
- Dr. Thomas Stephens, SAS-NB Spanish and Portuguese; NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
- Men's Lacrosse
- Expertise: language study, study abroad, general linguistics, humanities, social justice, language rights
- Men's Lacrosse
- Dr. Amy Wollock, GSE-NB, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs
- Women's Gymnastics
Mentoring Programs and Other Mentoring Resources on the Web
For more information on the RU FacMenSA program, please contact the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative.