Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Program

 

 

 

 

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CASE District VI Award

The Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Program is an opportunity for 91´ŤĂ˝ alumni and students to foster meaningful relationships that will set the mentees up for success in their future careers and life beyond CU. The program includes both alumni-to-alumni mentorship and alumni-to-student mentorship, enabling alumni to share their professional and personal experience and expertise with current students and young alumni. CU staff, faculty, friends and family are also encouraged to sign up to mentor. The only requirement is that participants register in the . 

Mentors and mentees that complete all the milestones in the program will be eligible for an official and completion badge. Credly badges are offered in partnership with the Office of the Registrar. Learn more about 91´ŤĂ˝-issued Credly badges and micro-credentials, click here.

This year’s mentorship program will also feature subgroup opportunities that offer more specialized community-focused resources and engagement along with all the regular mentorship program benefits. 

2024–25 Mentoring Subgroups:

  • The College of Engineering and Applied Science
  • The College of Arts and Sciences
  • BIPOC Mentorship

Getting Started for Prospective Mentors and Mentees

  1. Register or log in to the .
  2. Update and complete your profile by clicking on “Edit Profile” on the top right.
    1. Upload a professional photo.
    2. Include professional, academic and volunteer experience. We encourage you to include as much additional “Other Information” to ensure you have the most robust profile for creating a mentorship match.
    3. Update the industry, location and mentorship type fields. Please note that BIPOC mentorship is not guaranteed. All mentors and mentees will have access to join a BIPOC mentorship community after the matching portion of the program. The BIPOC Mentorship Community will include regular panel discussions and opportunity for peer-to-peer connection.
    4. Under the “Offer Mentoring” section:
      1. If you are an alum offering mentorship to a student select “Be a mentor/mentee with a current student.”
      2. If you are a student seeking mentorship, select “Be a mentor/mentee with a current student.”
      3. If you are an alum offering mentorship to other alumni or select “Be a mentor/mentee with an alum.”
      4. If you are an alum seeking mentorship, select “Be a mentor/mentee with an alum.”
    5. Make sure to click “Save” at the bottom of the page to save all changes.
  3. Complete the by Sep 30. All matches will be made using the information from this form. You'll receive more details via email.Take note of key dates and review the documents under the . 

Please visit the for resources for both mentors and mentees. If you have questions, send us an email.

Key Dates 2024–25

Fall 2024

Now: Alumni and students log on to the  to indicate that they are offering or seeking mentorship. Update profile settings to ensure high-quality mentorship matches.

Sep. 18: – Program Q&A (Collaborators welcome to attend)

Sep. 30: DEADLINE: Last day to submit

Oct. 1-14: Matching Weeks: Mentors and mentees will be matched. Mentors and Mentees will receive emails as they get matched.

Oct. 21: Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Program officially begins. 

Oct. 23: Zoom virtual kick-off at 11 a.m. or in-person networking at the Koenig Alumni Center at 6 p.m.

Nov. 13: Online mentorship trainings

  • 12 p.m. MT: Mentor trainings
  • 5 p.m. MT: Mentee trainings

Dec. 11: DEADLINE: Mentorship Contract and Fall Evaluations due. 

Spring 2024

April 17: Program closing celebration. 

  • Virtual: 12–1 p.m. MT

  • In person: 6–7 p.m. MT at Koenig Alumni Center

May 12: DEADLINE: Final evaluation due. Program ends.

May 20–24: Credly Certificates sent out to qualified participants.

Who can be a mentor?

If you are a 91´ŤĂ˝ alumn, you are encouraged to participate in the mentorship program, as your story may be one that helps another Forever Buff. As a mentor, you will serve a role in the professional and personal development of your mentees. You will help your mentees navigate challenges, set goals, learn professional behavior and identify the options ahead of them. Through regular connection and intentional interactions, you can have a long-term impact on your mentee.

Mentors are encouraged to connect with their mentees regularly throughout their established mentorship relationship. Your mentorship can help provide structure to your mentee’s life, plan for the next steps in their career and help them build their professional networks. 

If you are a young alum or current 91´ŤĂ˝ student you can be a mentee. As a mentee, your goal is to broaden your professional network and enhance your personal development using strategic planning and effective personal skills. As a mentee, you will gain knowledge from your mentor and must have the ambition to practice and demonstrate what you have learned. Your role is to identify your goals and needs while gauging whether or not you’re getting what you need from your mentor. 

Mentees are encouraged to connect with their mentors regularly throughout their established mentorship relationship. The Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Program begins in October after mentorship pairs are confirmed and runs through May 2023. 

Mentors and mentees will be matched based on the Forever Buffs Network’s unique algorithm, taking into account users’ profile details, including industry, location and the field selected for “What type of mentorship relationship are you seeking?” 

Industry selection for Mentees:

We recommend that you select an industry closest to that for which you are interested in pursuing. This may or may not coincide with your current industry, academic major or degree. For example, if your major is Business Administration, but you are interested in pursuing a career in the film industry, select "Motion Pictures & Film."

Location selection for Mentees:

We recommend that you select your location based on where you are attempting to advance your career. For example, if you currently reside in Boulder but plan to move to New York after graduation, select New York as your location. This will help match you with a mentor in the New York area who would be a more suitable match for your career and networking needs.

BIPOC mentorship:

BIPOC Mentorship pairs will be matched based on industry and circumstance. We cannot guarantee BIPOC mentorship pairs and will do our best to satisfy this relationship type. For those who do not get matched with a BIPOC mentor/mentee, please be encouraged to join the BIPOC Mentorship Community in the Mentorship Group. The BIPOC Mentorship Community will include regular panel discussions and opportunity for peer-to-peer connection.

By joining the program, you are committing to the mentorship relationship for the 2024–2025 academic year (beginning in Oct. 2024 and ending in May 2025). The timeline ensures pairs have adequate time to connect, agree upon goals and work together to complete program milestones. Program curriculum (milestones) and key dates will be communicated through the Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Group to help mentors and mentees stay on track.

The Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Group feature works similarly to other social media platforms. By joining the group, you are formally opting into the program. Through the group, you will receive program communications, information on the next steps, training resources and much more. 

We have mentorship subgroups available for students and alumni of the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences and College of Arts and Sciences. If you have listed either of those colleges in your profile and have joined the Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Group, you will automatically be added to a subgroup. This year, there will also be a subgroup for BIPOC students and alumni. 

We cannot guarantee that everyone who joins the program will be matched. In the instance of an uneven number of available mentors or mentees, some individuals may be left unmatched. Our Forever Buffs staff plan to communicate with any individual left unmatched and discuss steps for future involvement.

Hear from past mentors and mentees

Dr. Joe (Phys’88), past FNB mentor

“Forever Buffs Network Mentorship Program offers tremendous possibilities and opportunities to mentees and mentors to share and learn from each other. I highly recommend everyone get a mentor, and if appropriate, to be a mentor”

Melissa (Art History ‘02), past FBN mentor

“If you would like to meet exceptional individuals and be a part of their journey while at CU, being a mentor is a great way to do that.” 

Molly (Socy‘23), past FBN mentee

“You will never regret being mentored. It is a great growth opportunity, even if you do not match perfectly with your mentor. There’s no doubt you will learn something new.”

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