OLLI at BCC Mentoring Program
at Berkshire Community College
Application Forms: Click here if you are a BCC student or here if you are an OLLI at BCC Member.
Mission of Mentoring for Success: The free Mentoring for Success Program offered by OLLI at BCC supports the development of ongoing, personal relationships in which OLLI members (mentors) share knowledge, skills, information and perspective to encourage the personal and professional growth of highly focused BCC students (mentees) who have specific plans for a career and/or continuing their education at a four year college.
What is Mentoring? It’s someone to talk to, someone who listens. The power of mentoring is that it creates a unique opportunity for students to develop valuable personal and professional life skills through the active support and assistance of mentors.
What is OLLI? OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College, is an organization of more than 1,200 Berkshire residents over age 50, predominantly retired and ready to give back to the community. OLLI members have spent decades in careers including medicine, law, business, technology, finance, engineering, photography, politics, diplomacy, education, social work, writing and other fields.
Benefits of Mentoring: Participating in a mentoring relationship has the potential to make a strong positive impact on student success.
Students who are mentored:
- Show an improvement in academic performance.
- Are more likely to persist and graduate from college.
- Benefit from building a strong connection with a supportive and positive role model.
- Report that they develop and cultivate valuable social and professional skills necessary to succeed in life.
Those who serve as mentors:
- Share a lifetime of professional skills with a student at the beginning of his/her professional career.
- Have the opportunity to reflect on their own professional practice.
- Build an enriching connection with their student by developing a meaningful mentoring relationship.
- Experience personal satisfaction by supporting the personal and professional growth of a student.
Description of the Student (Mentee) responsibilities: As as student mentee at Berkshire Community College, you will be committing to:
- Participating in the program with your mentor until the end of the academic year.
- Being in regular contact with your mentor by phone, email or text.
- Meeting with your mentor in person at least once (preferably twice) per month.
- Attending the Mentoring for Success luncheon at the end of the academic year.
- Communicating regularly and openly with program staff.
- Completing a mentoring program evaluation form at the end of the academic year.
Description of the Mentor Responsibilities: As a mentor at Berkshire Community College, you will be committing to:
- Participating in the program with your mentee until the end of the academic year.
- Being present in the Berkshires consistently; mentors may not be absent from the Berkshires more than one month at a time.
- Attending two 2 hour mentor orientation/training sessions.
- Initiating contact regularly with your student by phone, email, or text.
- Meeting with your student in person at least once (preferably twice) per month.
- Meeting with other mentors and program coordinators to discuss mentoring issues about every 6-8 weeks.
- Attend the Mentoring for Success luncheon at the end of the academic year.
- Completing a mentoring program evaluation form at the end of the academic year.
Application Forms: If you are interested in participating in the OLLI/BCC Mentoring for Success Program at Berkshire Community College, please complete the appropriate student mentee or mentor application form. If you have further questions about what is involved in participating in the mentoring program, please contact one of the following:
Thank you for your interest in the Mentoring for Success Program at BCC!
OLLI: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College |
