The Center for Policy Practice

The Mentor Program

Program Description

Initiated by Irving B. Harris in 1988, this unique program matches Harris School students in one-on-one relationships with leading policy professionals in order to "bridge the gap" between students' classroom experience and the practice they plan to enter after graduation. Experienced and interested in public policy issues, mentors are prominent individuals in a wide range of governmental, non-profit, and private organizations and agencies. Approximately 100 volunteer mentors participate in this program. They include:

• Local, state and federal government officials, both elected and appointed
• Corporate executives in financial service, legal, management, and environmental consulting companies
• Directors of non-profit advocacy groups, museums, and research institutions

Through the advice, experience, and insight of their mentors, students are better able to channel their aspirations and interests into definable career goals and to begin building a professional network. Mentors find the program to be a rewarding opportunity to meet young professionals in their fields, and to assist in their professional growth.

Mentor-Student matches typically occur during the summer. Students interested in participating in the program complete an application informing Center staff of their interests and career goals and also provide a resume or CV. Center staff use this information to match mentors with a student who has corresponding interests. Once pairings are complete in late summer, both the student and mentor will receive information about their respective match, although contact between the mentor and student generally does not occur until the start of the academic year.

For more detailed information on the program, please click on the appropriate link below:

• Guidelines for Students (pdf)
• Guidelines for Mentors (pdf)

Get Involved

Students
Students interested in participating in the Mentor Program must complete an online application form and submit a resume along with a cover letter, which is forwarded to mentors upon assignment. Incoming students receive details regarding the application process approximately two months prior to orientation in late September. Admittance to the Mentor Program is competitive, with second-year students matched first followed by incoming first-year students. The matching process occurs during the summer and both students and mentors are informed of the pairings before the start of the Fall Quarter. Students not selected for the program will be notified at this time as well. Students who were not assigned a mentor upon entering the M.P.P. program have the opportunity to apply for one in their second year. These students will have priority over the incoming class.

Participating students are expected to fulfill the following requirements:

• Initiate contact with their assigned mentors within the first month of the program, and participate actively and professionally in the program. Students who have not contacted their mentors within the first quarter of the academic year may be dropped from the program.
• Attend program events including the mentor dinner and any other activities sponsored by the School in which the mentor participates.
• Complete an annual year-end program evaluation.
• Complete a formal, closing communication with their mentors to conclude the mentoring relationship.

If a participating student does not fulfill these requirements, or does not conduct themselves in a professional manner, he or she may be removed from the program. Because there are typically more interested students than available mentors at any given time, the School reserves the program for those students who will actively and professionally engage in it.

Mentors
Individuals interested in becoming mentors to Harris School students should forward a completed information form, current resume, and two references to:

Center for Policy Practice
The University of Chicago
1155 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Fax: 773-702-0926

Once mentors are enrolled in the program, they are matched with students with corresponding interests. The matching process typically occurs during the summer, and both students and mentors are informed of the matches at that time. Mentors who join the program during the school year are matched to students in their field as the students become available.