News

Baker College of Cadillac recently launched Student-2-Student, a new mentoring program designed to assist new students transitioning into college life. Partially funded by the Helen and Harvey Pell Fund for Education, an endowed fund held by the Cadillac Area Community Foundation, the program was conceived by the academic team at Baker College of Cadillac after the success of its adjunct teaching staff mentoring program.

Kathy Salvatore and Mike Elmore, adjunct instructors at Baker College of Cadillac, are co-administrators of the program, under the guidance of Baker College staff.

The new program will assist new students by:

• Reinforcing the Baker College culture
• Providing tools for self-sufficiency
• Providing accurate and timely information
• Providing support and encouragement
• Relieving anxiety
• Providing opportunities for relationship building through the use of a mentor
• Measurements of the success of the program will include:
• Survey/focus groups at the end of each quarter to assess program satisfaction
• Persistence numbers (measurement of how many of the mentees continue their education as compared to the broader student population)
• Retention numbers (mentees versus broader student population)
• Graduation rates (mentees versus broader student population)
• GPA comparisons (mentees versus broader student population)
• Tracking the number of mentees who become mentors

The Student-2-Student program began on September 21 with a kick-off event held in the Baker College of Cadillac student center. Each of the ten new students attending was paired with a veteran student.

Activities are planned throughout the academic year to keep the students energized and enthusiastic. The first presentation was held on October 20. Called “The Energy Bus,” the one-hour presentation was sponsored by the Student-2-Student mentoring program and Michigan Works! The speaker discussed topics related to professionalism and self-care. The general public is welcome at all future presentations.