They point to significant mentors who challenged them at an early age to try leadership positions, and helped them evaluate their options throughout their careers. In the fast-paced nineties, there seems to be less time and resources to develop and maintain networks, and relationships between peers appear to be more superficial than those described by senior leaders. A recent leadership survey indicated that people are not accepting mentoring responsibilities associated with the development of new leaders. This year, through the efforts and initiative of engineering students, and with the support of the Alumni Office and the Engineering Career Office, an Alumni Mentorship Program was initiated. The program matches alumni with engineering students from all programs within the Faculty.
Students select an anonymous mentor from a list and provide their own profile to the alumni office.
This information is then passed on the to the appropriate mentor, who is responsible for contacting the student within the next two weeks to set up a meeting. The response to date has been terrific. The relationships are built on a mutual respect for each other and are as varied as the people involved. And a great mentoring relationship challenges and benefits both participants.