How to set up a peer-mentoring program

Nobody knows for sure what makes peer-mentoring programs work. But as universities increasingly give them a try?linking older students with incoming first-year students?they?re identifying some key ingredients.

According to psychologists Bernice Strauss, PhD, and Tammy Allen, PhD, who help with peer mentoring at Sam Houston State University and the University of South Florida, respectively, taking the following steps will help ensure a successful program:

? Run a workshop on how to mentor?Train mentors-to-be about the role and function of a mentor, what the mentee might expect, how to communicate with the mentee, how to keep the relationship going and how to set boundaries, says Strauss.

? Match pairs on common points?Pair mentors and mentees according to similarities in their research and career interests, faculty advisers, regional and ethnic backgrounds, and possibly their gender, suggests Allen.

?Announce pairs early?Let mentors and mentees know who one another are during the summer, so they can make contact before the program starts. 'They need to feel they know their person when they arrive on the doorstep,' says Allen.

? Bring pairs together when classes start?Plan a meeting, luncheon or other social event for mentors and mentees, says Strauss. Sam Houston keeps it informal with a pizza party.

? Encourage the relationship?s development?Keep a running roster of social events during the year, and urge mentors and mentees to attend, suggest Strauss and Allen.

?B. Murray