What are Mentorship Programs?
Mentorship programs allow students to perform on-the-job training in a sports-related organization based upon their desired future careers. The Academy has certain requirements that mentors must meet to ensure students are taught by knowledgeable and experienced persons.
Students at all degree levels must be in full-standing status to register for a mentorship. Before beginning the process, students must read the Mentorship Handbook.
Mentorship Process
- Student selects a mentor and mentorship site, following the requirements found in the Mentorship Handbook.
- Student and mentor develop a minimum of five learning objectives, again following the format found in the Mentorship Handbook. Each learning objective must be measurable, written in active tense, and if possible, encompass a task from each course in the student’s program of study. Each objective must list the objective, its measurement tool (what will measure the accomplishment of the objective), and the expected outcome of the objective.
- Student submits the required forms (Appendix A from the Handbook, the mentor’s resume*, and the learning objectives) to the Mentorship Office.
- If mentor meets required criteria, a resident faculty member is assigned as a Mentorship Advisor, and this faculty member will review the learning objectives. Once the objectives have been approved, and the file signed by the Dean of Academic Affairs, the student will be notified that he/she can now register and pay for the mentorship.
- Mentorship hours may only be accrued after the student has officially registered and paid the tuition for the mentorship course.
*The mentor’s resume must list the highest degree attained. All mentors are required to have at least a graduate degree plus five years’ experience in the profession. If mentor does not have the required graduate degree, but has many years of experience, the student can request an exception by providing justification for his/her selection of mentor. For further information about the Exception process, contact the Mentorship Office.
Mentorship Experience
The student’s mentorship experience is designed to provide actual, in-the-field training within the sports profession. In addition, the mentorship can help build a professional network. Progression through the mentorship is documented as follows:
- Students have one year from the date of registration to complete the required number of mentorship hours.
- During the mentorship, each month the student must submit a brief report summarizing mentorship activities and listing the number of hours accrued for that month. These monthly reports represent 33% of the student’s grade.
- With the first monthly report, the student must submit a photograph of him/herself with the mentor; an action photograph is preferred.
- Each month, the mentor must submit a brief monthly evaluation of the student’s progress and attest to the hours worked.
- After the required number of hours is complete, the student will write a comprehensive paper in APA format about the experience. This paper represents 33% of the grade.
Refer to the Mentorship Handbook for details on how to structure the final paper, but briefly, it should be 12-20 pages in length and formatted according to APA rules. The student must list each learning objective and how it was achieved. The student must also provide an analysis of whether the mentorship prepared him/her for future employment.
- Also, after the required hours are complete, the Mentor will submit a final comprehensive evaluation of the student’s performance. This evaluation represents 33% of the student’s grade.
- To complete the mentorship experience, the Mentorship Advisor will conduct an oral interview with the student via phone. This interview represents 1% of the student’s grade. At this time, the student must also complete an end-of-course survey.
- Mentorship grades are recorded as Pass/Fail.