The Faculty Mentor Program at Gordon State College is a cornerstone of the institution’s student success and retention initiatives, designed to provide holistic, sustained support for first-year students as they transition into college life. The program pairs first-year students—those with fewer than 30 credit hours—with faculty mentors in their major or area of academic interest. These mentors offer professional and career guidance, encouragement, and meaningful connections to campus resources, complementing the proactive support of the College’s professional academic advisors.
This dual-support model ensures that all students under 60 credit hours have at least two dedicated individuals on their success team: a professional advisor who provides academic planning and registration guidance, and a faculty mentor who focuses on academic engagement, personal growth, and career exploration. Once students surpass 60 credit hours, their faculty mentor typically transitions into the role of faculty advisor, maintaining continuity of support. In cases where a student changes majors, a new faculty mentor and/or advisor may be assigned to ensure alignment with the student’s new academic path.
KPIs:
KPI 1. The number of uses of the "mentoring" service is listed in Navigate appointment summaries. (Discontinued Fall 2024)
KPI 2. A student survey question asked students to identify their mentor.
KPI 3. A student survey question asked students if they received one or more communications from their mentor.
KPI 4. A faculty survey question asked faculty if they reached out to their mentees at least three times (the question will ask how faculty reached out to students, too).
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Enrollment Terms: Fall 2025 | Max. Credits Earned: 60 | Assigned To Faculty Mentor: Any
Baseline measure (for each KPI):
KPI 1. One "mentoring" service per mentee (Discontinued Fall 2024)
KPI 2. Each student respondent who can identify their mentor
KPI 3. Each student respondent who responds that they received one or more communications from their mentor
KPI 4. Each faculty respondent who responds that they reached out to their mentees at least three times
Current/most recent data (for each KPI):
KPI 1. As of Fall 2024, this KPI is discontinued
KPI 2. Fall 24: 26.315% (of survey respondents could name their mentor)
Fall 25: 32.143% (of survey respondents could name their mentor)
KPI 3. Fall 24: 28.205% (of survey respondents received at least one
communication from their mentor)
Fall 25: 29% (of survey respondents received at least one communication
from their mentor)
KPI 4. Spring 24: 39% of respondents reached out to mentees three or more times (31 responses).
Fall 24: 55% of respondents reached out to mentees three or more times (34 responses).
Fall 25: 61% of respondents reach out to mentees three or more times (20 responses – survey still on-going)
Goal or targets:
KPI 1. One-half of the "mentoring" services listed for the total number of mentees. (discontinued)
KPI 2. One-half (50%) of student respondents identified their mentor.
KPI 3. One-half (50%) of student respondents stated that they had received communication from their mentor at least one time
KPI 4. One-half (50%) of faculty respondents reported that they contacted mentees three or more times
Since its full launch in Spring 2023, the Faculty Mentor Program has continued to evolve through ongoing assessment and feedback from both students and faculty. Each semester, survey data are collected to evaluate participant experiences and identify opportunities for improvement. Overall, results indicate that students consistently express interest in the program and a strong desire to connect with faculty mentors. Many first-year students appreciate the individualized attention and additional layer of support beyond professional advising. However, a small minority report feeling that an assigned mentor is unnecessary, particularly when they already have a close relationship with their professional advisor.
Faculty feedback, while positive in recognizing the program’s intent, highlights several challenges. Many faculty mentors note that assigned mentoring relationships often feel less organic than naturally formed connections. Faculty also express concern that their efforts to engage students—through emails, invitations, or meetings—often go unreciprocated, leading to frustration and uncertainty about how best to sustain communication. Students, conversely, report that they do not hear frequently enough from their mentors, suggesting a two-sided communication gap that has emerged as a primary area for improvement.
To address these concerns, the College has maintained its structured approach to the program for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025, while implementing targeted strategies to improve consistency and ease of engagement. Faculty continue to receive pre-written email templates distributed three to four times each semester. These templates are designed to simplify outreach, reduce faculty workload, and ensure that students receive regular, meaningful communication. In addition, the number of pre-designed engagement activities has been expanded to help mentors connect with mentees in manageable, purposeful ways.
The College’s transition to a 60-credit-hour professional advising model in Fall 2024 further refined the program’s structure and continuity. Under this model, students now remain with their professional advisor for their first two years, while also maintaining a relationship with their faculty mentor throughout that period. This adjustment extends the mentoring phase, providing a longer window for relationship-building and a smoother handoff when students transition to faculty advising after completing 60 credit hours.
Institutional processes continue to support these efforts. The Argos report developed by the Information Technology Department remains a key tool in ensuring timely mentor assignments, typically within the first or second week of each semester. The formal reassignment process established in 2023 also remains in place to guide transitions when students change majors or progress beyond 60 credit hours, ensuring that all students retain a clear point of contact for academic guidance.
Overall, the Faculty Mentor Program continues to strengthen Gordon State College’s culture of personalized student support, even as it faces ongoing challenges related to communication and engagement. By combining structured processes, extended mentoring periods, and continuous feedback loops, the program is steadily enhancing the quality and continuity of faculty-student connections—key contributors to student persistence and success.
Looking ahead, Gordon State College will focus on strengthening communication, collaboration, and engagement within the Faculty Mentor Program to enhance the quality and consistency of student support. Guided by ongoing feedback and assessment, several key initiatives will be implemented during the upcoming academic year to promote better alignment between faculty mentors, professional advisors, and students.
A central priority will be increasing the use of Navigate for note-taking and documentation. Faculty mentors and professional advisors will be encouraged to record interactions, outreach efforts, and student concerns within the Navigate platform. This shared resource will enable both mentors and advisors to maintain a clearer picture of each student’s progress and challenges, fostering a more coordinated and responsive support system. Consistent documentation will also allow the College to monitor engagement patterns and identify students who may benefit from additional outreach.
To further strengthen collaboration, professional advisors and faculty mentors will be encouraged to communicate more directly and frequently about shared students. Advisors will be asked to connect students with their mentors more intentionally and, when appropriate, to copy faculty mentors on select communications—particularly those related to academic planning, course registration, and major exploration. This approach will ensure that mentors remain informed and can reinforce key advising messages, creating a more unified experience for students.
Another major initiative for the upcoming year will focus on increasing in-person engagement opportunities between faculty mentors and students. Each faculty program coordinator will be tasked with organizing program-specific events that bring together faculty and students within their academic disciplines. These gatherings will provide informal settings for mentorship, academic discussion, and community building, while helping students feel more connected to their program, peers, and faculty mentors.
The long-term goal is to establish two program-level events per semester in each discipline. However, the College will begin by implementing one event per program per semester during the coming year, with the expectation that all academic programs will be hosting these regular meetings by the Fall 2026 semester. These structured engagement opportunities will make it easier for mentors to interact face-to-face with their mentees, promote a stronger sense of belonging among students, and support the broader institutional mission of improving retention and student success.
Collectively, these initiatives—enhanced documentation, improved advisor-mentor collaboration, and expanded program-level engagement—represent the next phase of the Faculty Mentor Program’s development. By deepening cooperation and increasing opportunities for meaningful connection, Gordon State College aims to create a more integrated and effective mentoring experience that continues to foster student persistence, engagement, and long-term achievement.
CHALLENGES:
Despite continued progress, the Faculty Mentor Program faces several persistent challenges that impact its overall effectiveness. The most significant issue remains two-sided communication gaps between faculty mentors and students. While mentors often report limited responses to outreach efforts, students frequently indicate that they do not hear from their mentors as often as they would like. This disconnect underscores the need for clearer expectations, structured communication tools, and more consistent engagement.
Additionally, many faculty note that assigned mentoring relationships can feel less organic than naturally formed ones, making it difficult to establish rapport and sustain regular contact. Balancing mentoring responsibilities with existing teaching, research, and service obligations also presents a workload challenge for faculty participants.
Finally, while program processes have improved, timing and data accuracy during the initial assignment period continue to influence early engagement. Addressing these challenges—particularly those related to communication, relationship-building, and workload balance—will remain a key focus as the College works to strengthen the program and ensure meaningful, sustained connections between faculty and students.
SUPPORT NEEDED:
To enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the Faculty Mentor Program, Gordon State College would benefit from additional support and collaboration from the University System Office. Key areas include providing professional development resources to help faculty strengthen mentoring skills and manage workload expectations. Guidance on best practices from peer institutions and access to shared assessment tools would also help refine program design and strengthen alignment with systemwide student success initiatives.
