Harvard University Mentoring Program 2012

Apply to be a Mentor and Mentee

We are delighted to announce the 2012 mentoring program for the Harvard University Club of Houston, to be launched in January 2012.  We invite you to participate in this program and apply to become either a mentor or mentee.

Candidates for mentors and mentees will be chosen by the Mentoring Committee from those Harvard Club members who apply to participate in the program.  The program will last one year and will have a new target class of approximately 15-20 mentor-mentee pairs, depending on the number of qualified applicants.  The expected time commitment for the program generally runs 4-5 hours per quarter for the duration of the year.

The goal of the program is to foster relationships between (a) Harvard Club members over a certain age/experience level (i.e., mentors) and (b) Harvard Club members who are (i) recent graduates (up to five or so years out of a Harvard program), (ii) young alumni who are at a critical juncture in their careers and in need of guidance on how to move forward or position themselves to take advantage of future opportunities, or (iii) current juniors and seniors at Harvard College, provided that they or their parents are Harvard Club members (i.e., mentees).

The Mentoring Program will be on a volunteer basis.  To qualify as a mentor candidate, you must be a Harvard Club member (although that may be waived if determined appropriate by the Mentorship Committee) and have graduated from a Harvard program for at least 5 years.  To qualify as a mentee candidate, you must be a recent graduate of a Harvard program (graduated 5 years ago or less) or qualify under criteria (iii) in the preceding paragraph.

If you meet the mentor qualifications, we ask that you consider nominating yourself to be a mentor candidate.  There are many benefits to serving as a mentor, including giving back to your community, developing effective communication and leadership skills, and facilitating personal development.

If you meet the mentee qualifications, we ask that you consider applying to be a mentee candidate.  The benefits of participating as a mentee include higher career satisfaction, professional networking, increased confidence and sense of direction, improved networking capability, and an enhanced perspective of your profession.

Both mentors and mentees may, if the Mentorship Committee determines, be required to complete a brief training as a part of the program requirements, including a Mentoring Workshop.  Mentees are encouraged to act as mentors themselves in some mentorship program of their own choosing, but this is not a requirement for the program.  Mentees and mentors will be paired by the mentoring Committee based on the goals and interests of the mentee and will typically be of the same gender, and final selection of mentors and mentees will be based on criteria as the Mentoring Committee in its sole discretion deems appropriate.  For the program to be a continued success and have value for the participants, the mentor and mentee must be able to make a personal commitment to his program both in terms of time and interest.  While the expected commitment for participation in the formal program is one year, in many cases the mentor and mentee relationship will continue beyond the program duration.

If you believe that this program may benefit you, we urge you to complete and submit an application.  To apply to the mentoring program, please complete the appropriate attached application and email a copy of it to the following committee member(s) and our club administrator:

Christina Chen:
chchen@postharvard.edu

with a copy to Maureen Garnett at
HClubHouston@att.net.


The deadline for submissions for inclusion into the January 2012 to December 2012 program is November 30, 2011.  Due to limited resources, not all applications may be accepted for the program for 2012.  The Harvard Club reserved the right to accept or reject applicants in its sole discretion and each submitted application constitutes acceptance of the foregoing terms and of the sole discretion by the Harvard University Club to accept or reject applicants and pair applicants.

Please call Christina Chen at 281-615-3085 or Maureen Garnett at 713-660-9137 before 8 p.m. if you have any questions about the program.

MENTOR APPLICATION       MENTEE APPLICATION


Hoang Quan Vu,
President
The Harvard University Club of Houston



Harvard University Club of Houston

Mentoring Program

Mentee Selection Process


Role of a Mentee

The role of a Mentee is to take responsibility and ownership for his or her own career development and mentoring process, be receptive to feedback and coaching, be open to learning, and have a positive attitude toward work and the organization.


Requirements of a Mentee

Mentees will be selected by the Mentoring Committee from Harvard Club members who have graduated from a Harvard program no more than five (5) years earlier or is a junior or senior (or equivalent) at a Harvard program and who apply for participation in the program.  Participation in the program is voluntary.  Mentees may be required to complete training as part of the program requirements, including any Mentoring Workshop determined appropriate by the Mentorship Committee.  The expected commitment for participation in the formal program is one year, although in many cases the mentor and mentee relationship continues beyond the program duration.  Listed below is an estimate of the amount of time a mentee would be expected to dedicate to the program. 


Months 1-3

·          Training (if deemed appropriate by Mentorship Committee)

·          Mentoring Workshop (if deemed appropriate by Mentorship Committee)

·          Initial Meetings or contacts (via telephone and/or email) with mentor


Next 9 months

·                Regular Scheduled Meetings or contacts (via telephone and/or email) with mentor



Mentee Profile

Below are some words and phrases that describe a mentee and the role he or she fulfills:

     
    A mentee is a:
  * Listener
  * Team Player   

     
    A mentee:
  * Cares about direct reports & others
  * Values diversity
  * Values personal learning
  * Understands others
  * Learns quickly
  * Enjoys new challenges
  * Manages time effectively                  
 

   
     A mentee has:
  * Good communications skills
  * Interpersonal skills
  * Career ambition
  * A positive attitude
  * Perseverance
  * Compassion
  * Composure
  * Good peer relationships                                      


    A mentee is:
  * Values oriented
  * Self motivated
  * Fair
  * Patient

  * Open to receive & process constructive
     feedback
  * Approachable
  * Open to change
  * Proactive
  * Able to stand alone                                            
                              

 







Mentee Application

All Harvard University Club members that have graduated from a Harvard program not more than five (5) years are eligible to be mentees.  Mentees will participate in the program on a volunteer basis and will be selected by the Mentoring Committee.

The applicants should complete an application by November 30, 2011, and email a copy to the following committee member(s) and our club administrator:


     Christina Chen
     chchen@postharvard.ecu

with a copy to Maureen Garnett at HClubHouston@att.net

If there is not enough room provided to answer a particular question, feel free to attach an additional page and make sure to include your name on it.  Due to limited resources, not all applications may be accepted for the program for 2012.  The Harvard University Club reserves the right to accept or reject applicants in its sole discretion and each submitted application constitutes acceptance of the foregoing terms and of the sole discretion by the Harvard University Club to accept or reject applicants and pair applicants.


Harvard University Club of Houston

Mentoring Program

Mentor Selection Process


Role of a Mentor

The strategic role of a mentor is to create a nurturing and supportive environment that fosters the growth and development of the mentee.  It is important that the mentor understand that he or she is not a substitute for performance and reporting responsibilities, but fulfills the value-added, objective role of teacher, guide, advisor and role model.  The mentor plays a non-threatening role and focuses on the development of the mentee, providing him/her with knowledge and skills as opportunities and needs arise, and enabling him/her to sharpen skills and hone his/her thinking.

Requirements of a Mentor

Mentors will be selected by the Mentoring Committee from Harvard Club members with at least 5 years experience in an industry after having completed a Harvard program or some level of experience that would enable the mentor to add value to a mentee, on a volunteer basis only.   Mentors may be required to complete training as part of the program requirements, including the Mentoring Workshop, if determined appropriate by the Mentorship Committee.  The expected commitment for participation in the formal program is one year, although in some cases the mentor and mentee relationship may continue beyond the program duration.  Listed below is an estimate of the amount of time a mentor would be expected to dedicate to the program.

Months 1-3

·          Training (if deemed appropriate by Mentorship Committee)

·          Mentoring Workshop (if deemed appropriate by Mentorship Committee)

·          Initial Meetings or contacts (via telephone and/or email) with mentee

Next 9 months

·                      Regular Scheduled Meetings or contacts (via telephone and/or email) with mentee



Profile of a Mentor

Below are some words and phrases that describe a mentor and the role he or she fulfills.  These are not meant to be requirements.  There are many other qualities that a successful mentor may have.

                A mentor:
 * Provides constructive feedback
 * Encourages exploration of ideas
 * Provides support and encouragement
 * Knows how to manage conflict
 * Knows how to manage through systems
 * Understands others
 * Values diversity
 * Understands work / life balance

 

           A Mentor is:
 * Able to share and inspire vision
 * Able to share organizational knowledge
 * Able to stand alone
 * Willing to help others learn and grow
 * Values oriented
 * Able to give time unselfishly
 * A personal learner
 * Fair
 * Patient
 * Approachable
 * Comfortable with personal disclosure                   



 

 






























Mentor Application

If you would like to volunteer to be a mentor and have at least 5 years experience in an industry or other valuable experience or both, please complete the Mentor Personal information form and the Mentor Selection Competencies form and email one set of copies to each of the following committee members:

Christina Chen
chchen@postharvard.edu

with a copy to Maureen Garnett at HClubHouston@att.net


The number of mentors will be determined by the Mentoring Committee.  A member of the Mentoring Committee will contact you.

If there is not enough room provided to answer a particular question, feel free to attach an additional page and make sure to include your name on it.





The Club is only as good as its members: click 'HERE'  and join us today for a fascinating 2011 season, or for a hard copy club application, click MEMBERSHIP (you will be required to login with your HAA credentials when joining or renewing club membership).  For questions or assistance, contact club administrator Maureen Garnett at hclubhouston@att.net