Mentoring for Success
Mentoring for Success
Mentoring for Success is an annual mentoring program designed to foster relationships that connect employees to the boarder campus community, support their personal and professional goals, and align their work with UofL's Cardinal Principles.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is a relationship where a supportive person (the mentor) shares their knowledge and experience with someone who wants to learn and grow (the mentee). This helps both people in their professional journeys.
Mentoring is all about growth and development. While we often think the mentee benefits the most, mentors also gain a lot from the relationship. Sometimes, people naturally create mentoring relationships without even realizing it. Programs like this one help make these relationships more intentional and meaningful.
Why should I have a mentor?
Having a mentor can be life-changing! Research shows that employees with mentors are more engaged, productive, and happier at work. Having a mentor can also help you:
- Focus on Goals
- Feel More Connected
- Gain New Ideas
- Develop your Personal and Professional Growth
- Learn New Skills
- Build a Professional Network
Oftentimes, employees find that mentoring can help them feel less alone and better able to overcome challenges at work.
Who can participate?
Mentors: Potential mentors can be any UofL faculty, staff member, or retiree who has worked at the university for at least two years. Depending on your role, you might need to get approval from your manager before participating.
Mentees: Potential mentees can be any UofL faculty or staff member who has worked at the university for at least one year. All mentees need to get permission from their managers before joining. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please talk to your manager or contact employeesuccess@louisville.edu. We’ll try our best to match everyone, but we can’t guarantee a match for all applicants.
How Mentoring for Success works
Our mentoring program welcomes participants as a yearly cohort, but it has an informal structure. This allows mentors and mentees to set their own goals, determine their direction, and decide how often to meet. This flexibility enables each pair to customize their mentoring experience to suit their needs.
Support
The Employee Success Center will provide support to the pairs with:
- An orientation session at the start of the year
- At least one development workshop per semester
- Ongoing guidance throughout the year
- A closing celebration at the end of the year
Timing and Application Process
Applications are accepted each fall for the following year. Applicants will be paired with a mentor and invited to an orientation session. While we strive to match everyone with a mentor, we cannot guarantee a match for every applicant due to varying requests. We will communicate with applicants throughout the matching process.
Mentor Meetings
Once matches are made, the mentee and mentor will work together to coordinate and plan their mentorship. Our general guidance for mentoring meetings is to:
- Set your own goals and meeting frequency (recommended at least once a month)
- Meetings can be in person, by phone, or online
- Meetings during work hours count as work time
- Non-exempt staff won’t receive overtime but shouldn’t need to use leave time. Coordinate with your manager to fit meetings into your schedule
- Extra activities like conferences or networking suggested by mentors can be great, but should be done on personal time
Learn More
Join us at a virtual interest session to learn how the program works, hear from past participants, and find out how to apply.
2025 Timeline and Important Dates
- Mentoring for Success Kickoff, January 24th from 9:00am-11:00am
- Q&A Check-in with the Employee Success Center (optional by appointment)
- Bi-Monthly Mentoring for Success Workshops (recommended)
- Mentor/Mentee Networking Event (TBD over the summer)
- Mentoring for Success End of the Year Celebration Event, December 5th from 9:00am-11:00am
Apply for Mentoring for Success
Additional Mentoring Resources
Mentors: through research, in practice, and on reality TV | Dr. Kimberly Griffin | TEDxUMaryland
(From the perspective of someone in higher education, this is a look at the elements of a successful mentoring relationship through the light-hearted lens of reality television)
Mentoring Resources, Free Management Library
How to Be a Great Career Mentor in the Workplace
What the Best Mentors Do, Harvard Business Review
