The Faculty Mentor Program [photos] attempts to integrate the academic and social lives of students living in the halls, through faculty and student interaction at floor meetings, lunch meetings, and other programming opportunities.

Research has shown the presence of faculty in residence halls benefit students and the University as a whole. Students who have contact with faculty outside the classroom have higher retention rates leading to graduation (Astin, 1977; Bean, 1980), are more satisfied with college (Astin, 1977; Pascarella, 1980), and exhibit higher levels of achievement (Centra and Rock, 1971). Faculty members involved with students in out-of-classroom experiences also benefit from the interaction. Faculty will gain a greater understanding of students’ needs, expectations, strengths and weaknesses, which can lead to enhanced structured academic expectations and challenges, and a reduction of misunderstandings (Pascarella, 1975). Faculty who participate in the program receive a unique perspective on student life, to be sure.

GOALS OF THE PROGRAM ARE:

• To increase faculty presence and role modeling in the residence halls
• To provide opportunities for faculty and students to interact outside the classroom
• To provide a transition between the classroom and the residence hall environment
• To increase personalization of the residence halls, and ultimately the university community, leading to higher student retention, satisfaction, and success

WHY ORL IS DOING A FACULTY MENTOR PROGRAM?

• Support the academic mission of the University
• Facilitate interaction between faculty and students
• A belief that experiences shared outside the classroom are a valued part of student learning
• A belief that student learning is greatly enhanced when it is shared, collaborative, and active
• Support the principles of a learning community

PROGRAM  ASPECTS  WHICH APPEAL TO FACULTY

• This program is offered at no cost to faculty members or their departments
• This program provides easy access to students
• This program offers an additional dimension for student interaction for faculty members outside the classroom structure
• This program offers faculty members with an established means to interact with students on a personal level
• This program offers faculty members the opportunity to assist students in the learning process, broaden their outlook, and thus increase their learning potential
• This program offers faculty members the opportunity to interact with students as they are making educational decisions about fields of study.  This is particularly true for students in the residence halls as many of them are first year students with undeclared majors

“The effectiveness of the undergraduate experience relates to the quality of campus life.  It is directly linked to the time students spend on campus and to the quality of their involvement in activities.” Boyer 1987