Partners in Persistence (PIP)

Given the success of the Bronco “Male Initiative on Leadership and Excellence” (MILE) as well as "Boosting Bronco Brothers" (B3) Transition Initiative, more high impact involvement is needed with students. The Bronco MILE, which is comprised of upper-class students, are peer-mentors and principled leaders, while B3 is a cadre of first-year students who entered FSU through the Fall 2012 cohort, particularly 66 young men who were engaged in a three-day intensive pre-orientation experience. All together, the nearly 200 FSU undergraduates, that encompass the MILE and B3all share common academic and co-curricular experiences. Through the support of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jon Young, we are able to offer a mini B3 experience for students who were unable to do so on August 8-10, 2012, as there are considerable numbers of interested first-year students. (Such details are forthcoming.) An important next step, however, is providing quality and consistent mentoring this academic year. This is where help is needed through “Partners in Persistence” (PIP Mentors).

In the past, the University's male initiative-related mentoring model has focused on a one-to-one mentor-protégé relationship. While such a model is encouraged, a "team approach" to mentoring will be implemented, which entails multiple faculty, staff, administrators, and external friends and/or alumns contributing to the success of students. In practice, students can select a mentor based on his background for either short- or long-term mentoring. For example, in the event a student seeks to model the way of a faculty member for the purposes of better preparing for graduate study in, let’s say, criminal justice while at the same time the student may require legal guidance on a certain issue; accordingly, he may ask for either short- or long-term mentoring from the appropriate faculty member and (perhaps) an off-campus attorney. That said, the new team approach model encompasses on- and off-campus partners.

Meet the Mentors

If you are interested in joining a cadre of mentors for our B3 and MILE students--a PIP Mentor--please send an email to Dr. D. Jason DeSousa at ddesousa@uncfsu.edu or Ms. Carolyn Newman at cnewman@uncfsu.edu OR by calling (910) 672.2686. All PIP Mentors are required to participate in a half-day mentoring workshop.

Together let’s help students persist to graduation!