Are you a new or seasoned professional seeking development opportunities to help you grow in your field? Have you thought about getting involved in SACAC or assisting others to become involved? Are you thinking about who you know that can open a door for you, or perhaps you would like to help open that door? Revived at the April 2003 SACAC Conference in New Orleans, the Mentorship Program is currently seeking participation from colleagues on the college counseling side as well as on the admissions side to become mentors and mentees.

Remember your first trip as an Admissions Counselor when you did everything right but forgot your prospect cards in your hotel room? Remember when you switched from the admissions side to the high school side of the desk thinking, "Now I have to know everything about every college deadline?" If so, you are the ideal candidate for a mentor position with SACAC. The program offers you an avenue to share your experiences by helping others in their transition to the profession.  

Additionally, this may be a great opportunity if you have recently switched professions or are looking for some new ways of doing things in your current position.   By becoming a mentee, you will be able to interact with an experienced professional who can offer insight as you face the challenges of your new position. If you are a Dean or a Director of Admissions, this is a great opportunity for your new staff members to network and learn from professionals outside your office. Please encourage them to get involved and become a mentee.

To participate, please submit the relevant form:

• Mentor Form
• Mentee Form

to one of the co-chairs in your State or Area to get involved as either a mentor or as a mentee. For general questions, feel free to contact the SACAC Chair for State and Area Initiatives.

The program is designed with the following objectives in mind:

• Build networks between new and veteran professionals in the fields of admission and college counseling
• Enrich the individual experience in the field so that more people strive to remain in the profession and continue to share experiences with younger members
• Share knowledge on ethical dilemmas and best practices
• Evaluate professional challenges and situations with viable, proactive solutions
• Support opportunities for volunteerism and leadership within SACAC
• Strengthen ties between SACAC and NACAC by investing in future leaders

Individual matches will be made on a continuous basis. Mentors are encouraged to contact their mentees to introduce themselves. The dialog is encouraged to grow in the form of telephone calls, emails, and face-to-face meetings (if possible) over the course of at least a year.

Once the match is made:

• Exchange personal profiles or resumes
• Exchange professional job descriptions
• Share methods of achieving goals
• Discuss assistance available from organizational memberships
• Discuss workshops which are available
• Share materials which have been helpful to you
• Meet prior to college nights, meetings, or other functions and attend together
• Visit each other at respective institutions
• Mentor should introduce mentee to colleagues in the profession
• Mentee should feel comfortable calling the mentor for assistance or ideas