MentorPRO News Archive

Webinar Series - Webinar Series: A Conversation with Dr. David Yeager on the Mentor Mindset

September 5, 2024 - We were joined by Dr. David Yeager - who just published 10 to 25: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation—And Making Your Own Life Easier - for a conversation about the mentor mindset. Learn more.

Hear from UMass Boston’s CLA First! program director, Rachel Puopolo:

August 26, 2024 - Transitioning to college can be an overwhelming experience for first-year students, especially those attending a large university like the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). Many students struggle to adapt to the academic rigors, navigate the campus resources, and build a supportive social network during this crucial period. The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) at UMass Boston recognized this challenge and established the CLA First! Learning Community program to provide a comprehensive support system for incoming freshmen. Learn more.

Bridging the Gap from College to Career: The Career Opportunities Initiative

August 9, 2024 - In 2023, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), a nonprofit committed to supporting low-income students, first-generation students, and students with disabilities, partnered with MentorPRO to launch the Career Opportunities Initiative (COI). Learn more.

University of Chicago’s Expanding Diversity in Economics (EDE) program has just completed its initial MentorPRO pilot.

July 30, 2024 - The University of Chicago’s Expanding Diversity in Economics (EDE) program, an initiative by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) and the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, has just completed its initial MentorPRO pilot. Designed to broaden diversity within the field of economics, EDE's Summer Program supports undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, offering an intensive "economics boot camp" where they can learn professional development skills relevant to the field. Learn more.

MentorPRO’s Megyn Jasman Earns Master’s Degree in Community Psychology

July 15, 2024 - MentorPRO is proud to announce that Megyn Jasman, Director of Partner Success, has earned her Master of Arts in Community Psychology from Central Connecticut State University. Learn more.

MentorPRO Co-Founder’s Peer-Reviewed Article Among Most Cited in Leading Journal

July 11, 2024 - An article co-authored by Dr. Jean Rhodes, Co-founder and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at UMass Boston, and Dr. Alex Werntz, Director of Research at MentorPRO, has been recognized as one of the top 10 most cited papers in the American Journal of Community Psychology over the past two years. Learn more.

Press Release: Desireé Robertson joins MentorPRO as Senior Training and Program Development Specialist

June 26, 2024 - We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Desireé Robertson as Senior Training and Program Development Specialist. Desireé brings extensive expertise in mentoring, program management, curriculum development, and professional development to the organization. Learn more.

Press Release: MentorPRO Welcomes Ramya Ramadurai as Research and Implementation Specialist

June 24, 2024 - MentorPRO is thrilled to announce that Ramya Ramadurai has joined the team as Research and Implementation Specialist. In this role, Ramya will spearhead research initiatives and drive the dissemination of findings to enhance MentorPRO's offerings. Learn more.

Press Release: Professor Elizabeth Raposa and MentorPRO Launches Groundbreaking Online Course: “Self-paced Mentoring for Youth Mental Health”

June 21, 2024 - It is becoming increasingly common for youth referred to mentoring programs to be struggling with a wide variety of mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, aggression, or attention difficulties. Dr. Raposa's new course covers evidence-based techniques that can be infused into mentoring practices to more effectively address these kinds of mental health concerns. Learn more.

Research on MentorPRO Presented at the Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting

May 31, 2024 - Yesterday, Dr. Alexandra Werntz, MentorPRO's Director of Research and the Associate Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, presented the latest findings on MentorPRO at the annual meeting in Washington DC. Learn more.

Webinar Series - Unpacking the Complex Dynamics of College Belonging and Academic Help-Seeking

May 28, 2024 - A sense of belonging and help-seeking are often thought of as key drivers for college students’ academic success. In this webinar, Dr. Carlton Fong discussed the complexity of research findings through several large syntheses of research studies. Learn more.

Dr. Alexandra Werntz to be featured speaker at 2024 Summer Mentoring Institute on Youth Mentoring

May 6, 2024 - MentorPRO Research Director, Dr. Alexandra Werntz, will be a featured speaker at the 15th annual Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring will be held in-person at Portland State University July 22-25, 2024. The upcoming Summer Institute will address the intentional focus of activities within the mentoring relationship. Sessions with leading scholars will explore how the choice of activities is influenced by needs, goals, and attitudes at the participant level and also by priorities and outcomes emphasized at the program level. The Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring offers an intensive four-day seminar for experienced mentoring professionals to engage in highly interactive discussions providing an in-depth view of theory and research and examining implications for program policies and practices. Ideal participants have several years of experience in the field of youth development and are seeking an advanced professional development opportunity. The Summer Institute is co-sponsored by MENTOR and MENTOR Canada.Featured speakers for 2024 will include Allison Cloth (University of British Columbia), Kristian Jones (University of Washington), Davi Lakind (Mercer University), Michael Lyons (University of Virginia), Sam McQuillin (University of South Carolina), Manolya Tanyu (American Institutes for Research), and Alexandra Werntz (Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring and MentorPRO). To learn more and to apply, please visit the Summer Institute website (http://www.pdx.edu/youth-mentoring/) Space is limited, and the application deadline is May 10, 2024. Learn more.

MentorPRO co-founder Jean Rhodes receives 2024 American Psychologist Association Distinguished Contribution to Theory and Research in Community Psychology Award

May 2, 2024 - MentorPRO is excited to announce that Dr. Jean Rhodes has been chosen to share the 2024 Award for Distinguished Contribution to Theory and Research in Community Psychology. The Award for Distinguished Contribution to Theory and Research in Community Psychology is presented annually to an individual whose career of high quality and innovative research and scholarship has resulted in a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in Community Psychology. This award was initiated in 1974. Jean has devoted her career to improving the practice of both natural and assigned mentoring. Learn more.

MentorPRO Co-Founder, Professor Jean Rhodes, Appointed to Editorial Board of the Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition

April 10, 2024 - Boston, MA – MentorPRO, a pioneering, evidence-based platform dedicated to enhancing student success through mentorship, is thrilled to announce that our co-founder, Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology Jean Rhodes, of the University of Massachusetts Boston, has been appointed to the editorial board of the Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, a leading publication that focuses on the challenges and opportunities of the first-year college experience. Professor Rhodes' expertise in mentorship and her innovative perspective on student success will greatly contribute to the journal's mission of promoting effective strategies to support students during this pivotal time. Learn more.

Co-founder Jean Rhodes to deliver keynote address at the European Mentoring Summit

April 24, 2024 - Mentoring is among the most popular forms of volunteering in the world. But how can programs expand their reach while retaining quality and effectiveness. Striking this balance is not easy—and there has been a tendency, particularly in the US, to privilege rhetoric and growth over reality and rigor. The truth is that mentoring programs have the capacity to be enormously effective, and to bridge service gaps in ways that democratize wellness and opportunity. Nonetheless, far too few programs are sufficiently grounded in science to deliver on this promise. This talk will provide an overview of past failures and successes and provide a blueprint for expanding effective mentoring without sacrificing quality. Learn more.

New insights on mentor-mentee matching

February 21, 2024 - At the First Year Experience conference in Seattle, Washington, MentorPRO presented findings on mentoring and student outcomes when mentors and mentees were matched based on different characteristics. Matching based on underrepresented minority status, first-generation status, and international student status predicted higher student GPA. Matching may be a valuable practice generally for promoting GPA. Learn more.

Webinar Series - Recognizing and Supporting Immigrant Origin Students

February 8, 2024 - Immigrant Origin students are the fastest growing student population in higher education, now making up 31% of our students across the U.S. Yet, they are often unrecognized and lost in other overlapping, distinct, and incomplete designations (e.g., first-generation to college; racial-ethnic groups; undocumented students). In this webinar, Dr. Suárez-Orozco discussed new data about immigrant-origin students in higher education. Learn more.

Jean Rhodes is a plenary speaker at the Mentoring Institute’s recent conference

February 5, 2024 - Dr. Rhodes' session, titled Supportive Accountability Mentoring: A New Model of Improving Connections and Outcomes, discussed how mentoring relationships can pull from supportive accountability models, and provided insights on how mentoring programs can incorporate such practices. She also discussed how MentorPRO can help facilitate supportive accountability models for mentoring programs serving young adults. Learn more.

MentorPRO team co-leads a workshop on best practices and innovations for mentoring underrepresented college students

January 26, 2024 - Megyn Jasman and Dr. Alexandra Werntz co-led a workshop (at the 2024 National Mentoring Summit) alongside Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring alumni and colleagues Drs. Matthew Hagler, Sarah Schwartz, and Elizabeth Raposa titled “Degrees of Success: Best Practices and Innovations for Mentoring Underrepresented College Students.” The workshop presented research demonstrating the challenges underrepresented students face in understanding colleges’ “hidden curriculum” and the key role mentors can play in demystifying it. Best practices and cutting-edge innovations in this area were highlighted, such as using mobile technology and youth-initiated mentoring strategies to facilitate mentee engagement and help-seeking. Sample slides can be found below. Learn more.

Webinar Series - Entering the World of Work: Strategies for Mentoring Immigrant-Origin Latino/a College Graduates

December 7, 2023 - This talk explored how college-educated immigrant origin Latino/a young adults transitioned into the world of work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Longitudinal qualitative data was used to underscore how immigration policies, COVID-19, education-occupation mismatches, and low socioeconomic origins complicate the workforce transitions for college-educated Latinos/as. Implications of the research were discussed. Learn more.

Mentor Minute – New report highlights disparities in access to mentoring

November 23, 2023 - A new report from Gallup and Amazon sheds important light on the pivotal role mentorship plays in the career trajectories of young adults, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. Researchers polled 3,792 adults aged 18-40 about their adolescent experiences with career education and role models. Learn more.

Mentor Minute – Preventing students’ early challenges from escalating

October 6, 2023 - At the heart of MentorPRO's student-facing experience is the Check-In feature–a simple slider that lets students indicate the severity of any weekly challenges–from academic, career, or financial struggles to well-being, connections, and physical health. Learn more.

Jean Rhodes and Joan Becker speak at a Mentoring Europe event

October 5, 2023 - In this special webinar for the European mentoring field, Drs. Jean Rhodes and Joan Becker provided an overview of the use of MentorPRO with the Career Opportunities Initiative, a program designed to prepare students for and connect them to career exploration, career development, and competitive employment opportunities. Learn about Mentoring Europe. Learn more.

Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring presents new findings on MentorPRO

October 2, 2023 - The study (presented at the 2023 National Conference on Students in Transition) sought to examine initial effects of engagement with MentorPRO on student outcomes using data from the 2nd year of MentorPRO’s implementation at a large private university. Findings demonstrated positive student academic and wellbeing outcomes associated with MentorPRO engagement. Learn more.

Mentor Minute – What is motivational interviewing and how can it improve student success?

September 10, 2023 - Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling technique that involves exploring students’ ambivalence towards positive changes and assisting them in overcoming their obstacles. Learn more.

Webinar Series - “They Helped Me Fill the Gaps”: Promoting First-Generation College Students’ Help-Seeking Attitudes and Behaviors

September 21, 2023 - In this talk, Dr. Hagler presented findings from his longitudinal, mixed methods research on first-generation college students’ transition to higher education. Based on the findings, Dr. Hagler presented actionable strategies by university stakeholders that can promote first-gen students’ help-seeking, including addressing stigma, leveraging near-peer mentoring, and improving awareness and accessibility of services. Learn more.

Dr. Jean Rhodes receives the APA Urie Bronfenbrenner Award

February 5, 2024 - Co-founder, Dr. Jean Rhodes, receives the American Psychological Association Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society. Learn more.

Mentor Minute – Can chatbots improve student support? Yes, and no…

August 20, 2023 - AI is a useful tool for college-based chatbots and other forms of student support, but it has its limitations. It may be able to answer questions about campus parking, but It's much less effective at managing complex interpersonal interactions. Learn more.

Megyn Jasman’s article is highlighted in The Community Psychologist’s Summer Issue!

August 18, 2023 - We are so proud of our Director of Customer Success, Megyn! Asked about her article, "Research in Higher Education: Examining Ways to Support Students Through Mentoring", Megyn said "I am thankful for the opportunity to share my inspirations for my pivot to community-level prevention models, and further discovering innovative ways we can best support college students by leveraging technology, particularly among marginalized communities." Learn more.

Mentor Minute – Meta–analysis highlights the benefits of peer mentoring, but there’s a catch…

August 12, 2023 - Our research has shown that cross-age peer mentoring programs are significantly more effective than intergenerational mentoring. Learn more.

Webinar Series - Supporting College Students with Minoritized Identities Through Mentoring

August 10, 2023 - In this talk, Dr. Raposa shared findings from clinical science and community psychology that suggest ways we might leverage mentoring relationships to better support these youth, with a focus on innovative approaches to supporting youth using informal or naturally-occurring mentoring relationships. Learn more.

MentorPRO Partners with COE for Innovative TRIO Career Development Program

July 25, 2023 - MentorPRO today announced a strategic partnership with the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). The collaboration aims to enhance career opportunities for TRIO students through a dynamic new program, the TRIO Career Development Program. Learn more.

Mentor Minute – Meta–review shows how mentors can improve students’ engagement in mental health tools

July 23, 2023 - The MentorPRO research team’s systematic review of meta-analyses suggests the promise of mentor support in digital mental health interventions (e.g., HeadSpace). Learn more.

Scaling mental health services through technology-enhanced mentoring

June 6, 2023 - Jean Rhodes and Alex Werntz presented to the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's CBITs Digital Mental Health webinar. See the recording. Learn more.

Teaching Students to Recruit Mentors and Build Networks of Support

July 20, 2023 - This presentation, led by Dr. Sarah Schwartz, covered strategies to help college students to identify, recruit, and maintain relationships with mentors and to build networks of support. Learn more.

Scaling Mental Health Services through Technology-Enhanced Mentoring

June 6, 2023 - Drs. Rhodes and Werntz presented on recent history of the Center’s research on mentoring. They shared recent evidence on what makes peer mentoring effective, and described evidence from the initial trials of MentorPRO, a novel multi-sided technology platform for student success mentoring. Learn more.