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Muma College of Business Launches Mentoring Program on USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus
SARASOTA (December 13, 2021) -- The USF Muma College of Business launched a mentoring program on the Sarasota-Manatee campus that matches students with business executives.
The Muma College of Business Mentor Program allows any USF business student to meet and talk with executives about their career choices, industry and hiring trends or simply to seek advice as they prepare for their careers.
The new initiative adds another layer of mentoring services available to business students. The Tampa campus offers the Corporate Mentoring Program, which is exclusively open to students who are the first in their families to attend college.
On the St. Petersburg campus, Leadership Connect through the Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership is a six-month program that pairs undergraduate business students with local community leaders.
This latest mentoring program, which launched Dec. 1, is based on a pilot project two years ago on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. USF business student Mateo Stacey is coordinating the effort.
鈥淲hile it鈥檚 always important to be successful in your studies and internships, it鈥檚 also important to network, learn how to communicate on a professional level and to develop interviewing and other workplace skills,鈥� Stacey said.
Mentors are drawn from the campus鈥� business partners, the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Muma College of Business Executive Advisory Council and the Sarasota and Manatee chambers of commerce. Students and mentors can meet in person or virtually on a monthly or weekly basis, depending on their mentoring relationship.
About six students are signed up for the program, though Stacey said he expects that number to increase next semester as more students learn about the program. Mentors will be matched with students based on the student鈥檚 area of study. Students must fill out an application, submit a resume and provide a reference letter from a faculty member.
鈥淥ne of our goals for the 2021-2022 academic year is to build a strong mentor program,鈥� said Jean Kabongo, campus dean of the Muma College of Business on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. 鈥淎 strong mentor program will provide our students with an exciting and challenging opportunity to connect with business leaders, increase their knowledge and build underlying skills for their future rewarding careers. The mentor program is a significant part of student success.鈥�
鈥淢y hope is to see the program grow and have every student who graduates with a business degree equipped with practical skills and knowledge acquired through the mentor program,鈥� Kabongo said.
For more information about the mentoring program, contact Stacey at mateostacey@usf.edu.