PLUS Handbook
What Mentoring Can Be

Mentoring acknowledges, encourages and honors the uniqueness of each individual and brings something new and exciting to the relationship. It is a sharing relationship in which a mentor and a mentee both are able to:

The nature of mentoring encompasses academic, social, recreational, personal and intellectual characteristics meant to enlighten the students as well as their mentors. Mentoring involves the person as a whole, not simply the cognitive aspect most emphasized in higher education. It is a mutual relationship between two people in which both mentor and mentee can learn and grow from each other's knowledge and experience. It is a dynamic relationship that addresses the constantly changing needs and concerns for both mentor and mentee. A mentor-mentee relationship gives a mentor the opportunity to relate to a student in a different, less formal manner than usual. For example, professors can relate to their mentees on a more personal level without the teacher-student roles that may exist between faculty and their students. Student mentors benefit by maintaining and exploring new campus activities with the mentee. Furthermore, given the varied life experiences and cultural background that mentees bring, mentors can learn a tremendous amount about the realities of young people's lives and the difficulties of returning to college or adapting to a new culture.