In response to a growing number of EIA members who voiced an interest in receiving valuable, business-growing advice from their fellow members, the association has launched the EIA Mentoring Program.
The Program, now in its pilot stage, already has a number of “mentees,” each of whom has been paired with a “mentor” with specific experience, perspective and interest to share. But EIA Mentoring Committee Chair Beverly Stewart and EIA Membership Coordinator Clare Sladic both expect the number of mentoring relationships to take off this year.
“I’ve been delighted in the response so far, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised,” said Stewart. “Mentoring is truly a win-win-win situation. Our mentees are gaining momentum and achieving success, our mentors have re-energized and are creating a personal focus of their own, and EIA is advancing its goal of adding value to the membership by creating and serving a well-rounded, knowledgeable association of professionals.”
Sladic added, “Our mentors are experienced veterans representing many parts of the education industry. Our mentees are successful business owners who want to grow their businesses and receive guidance on how to reduce the number of pitfalls they may encounter. Both are motivated to learn for the sake of their students and the effectiveness and efficiency of their companies.”
The EIA Mentoring Program was launched at EDVentures 2010 in Chicago, where EIA President Jim Giovannini and Program Chair Tom Schnabel facilitated a workshop to explore options and create guidelines for the pilot program.
The Committee has ensured that the EIA Mentoring Program is easy to access and participate in:
The Program, now in its pilot stage, already has a number of “mentees,” each of whom has been paired with a “mentor” with specific experience, perspective and interest to share. But EIA Mentoring Committee Chair Beverly Stewart and EIA Membership Coordinator Clare Sladic both expect the number of mentoring relationships to take off this year.
“I’ve been delighted in the response so far, but perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised,” said Stewart. “Mentoring is truly a win-win-win situation. Our mentees are gaining momentum and achieving success, our mentors have re-energized and are creating a personal focus of their own, and EIA is advancing its goal of adding value to the membership by creating and serving a well-rounded, knowledgeable association of professionals.”
Sladic added, “Our mentors are experienced veterans representing many parts of the education industry. Our mentees are successful business owners who want to grow their businesses and receive guidance on how to reduce the number of pitfalls they may encounter. Both are motivated to learn for the sake of their students and the effectiveness and efficiency of their companies.”
The EIA Mentoring Program was launched at EDVentures 2010 in Chicago, where EIA President Jim Giovannini and Program Chair Tom Schnabel facilitated a workshop to explore options and create guidelines for the pilot program.
The Committee has ensured that the EIA Mentoring Program is easy to access and participate in:
- Members of EIA in good standing who are interested in being either a mentor or a mentee should contact Clare Sladic in the EIA main office for initial documents regarding the program. These documents explain how the program works and what the mentor and mentee commitments are. The package also includes blank journals to be filled out by mentors and mentees once they begin, as well as an agreement between the parties.
- Mentees then determine their most pressing issues, and complete the mentee information form. Mentors are sent the counterpart checklist of strengths.
- Once both sets of documents are received by EIA, matches are created by pairing mentee needs with mentor strengths.
- Mentors are given their assigned mentees’ information, and contact their mentees to set up the first phone session. Sessions occur approximately every 3 weeks (although mentors and mentees decide specifically in each case), and the duration of the mentee-mentor relationship is decided by the two parties.