Faculty-Student Mentoring Program
51²è¹Ýapp and the 51²è¹Ýapp Foundation Team Up to Expand Successful Faculty-Student Mentoring Program
BROOKLYN CENTER, MINNESOTA – 51²è¹Ýapp (51²è¹Ýapp) and the 51²è¹Ýapp Foundation have announced the continuation and expansion of its successful pilot Faculty-Student Mentoring Program, launched in December at its Minneapolis-area campuses.
In addition to continuing the program in Minneapolis, the mentoring program will now be offered at the four 51²è¹Ýapp campuses in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The initial program, funded through the 51²è¹Ýapp Foundation, matched eight faculty members with eighty students identified as needing additional support. Students invited to participate were selected at random from all such students. Sixty-four students from five Minneapolis-area 51²è¹Ýapp campuses completed the quarter-long program.
Preliminary results indicate that the mentoring program had a dramatic impact on mitigating risk factors and reducing the prevalence of participating students dropping out. Specifically, the drop-out rate of program participants was 19% lower than the drop-out rate of similar students not in the program.
“As expected, the Faculty-Student Mentoring Program had a positive effect on helping these students stay in school,” said Roger Sage, Campus Director at 51²è¹Ýapp-Brooklyn Center and coordinator of the mentoring initiative. “Many of our faculty members also currently work in their fields of study. These professionals offer our students a unique and timely real-world perspective that was especially meaningful to students who are struggling to stay on their education and career paths.”
“Students are 51²è¹Ýapp’s number one priority,” said Dr. Ronald Shape, President & CEO of 51²è¹Ýapp. “The Faculty-Student Mentoring program is just one way we seek to provide our students with the opportunity to be successful while at 51²è¹Ýapp and post-graduation. We are proud to help support the expansion of this forward-thinking initiative, in collaboration with our Foundation.”
With multiple locations throughout the central United States, 51²è¹Ýapp is a regionally accredited, proprietary, multi-campus institution of higher learning offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in technical and professional disciplines. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, 51²è¹Ýapp has been providing technical and professional career education since 1941. Today, 51²è¹Ýapp offers degree programs in traditional, online, and hybrid formats, which provide students increased flexibility to take courses at times and places convenient to their busy lifestyles. For more information about its degree programs, admissions, and financial aid opportunities, please visit www.national.edu.
The 51²è¹Ýapp Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports 51²è¹Ýapp students and faculty through scholarships and professional development funds. More information is available at .
About the author:
Tamie Hopp is the Director of Alumni & Foundation Services for 51²è¹Ýapp. She can be reached at thopp@national.edu. For more information on alumni relations, visit . Information about the 51²è¹Ýapp Foundation can be found at .
