When 290 first-year students gathered at Rackham Auditorium Sept. 4 for an introduction to their new faculty, staff and peer mentors, they had a chance to hear from one new volunteer who hopes her participation will inspire others to become involved.

President Mary Sue Coleman has agreed to be a mentor to four freshmen, all pre-med students majoring in biological sciences. The students are: Elizabeth Campbell, Brighton; Lynn Eckert, Mt. Clemens; Sylvia Cho, Barrigada, Guam; and Michealle Zhao, Starkville, Miss.

“Mentoring is not a formal process—it is an exchange of ideas, and it is a tool for inspiration. And inspiration is a two-way street,” Coleman told the audience during a kickoff event for the mentorship program. “As I met with students across campus this week, it became clear that they are looking for inspiration, but I wonder if they know how very much they are inspiring all of us who teach them.

“I am looking forward to everything I will be learning from my group of students this year—and it will not surprise me at all if I learn more from them than they learn from me.”

The president will be assisted by a peer mentor, Lisa Yang, who is majoring in biology and economics and plans to attend medical school next year.

“She was very open-minded in terms of what she’d be willing to do with the mentees,” says Yang, who met with Coleman prior to the kickoff to discuss potential activities. “We talked about apple picking, the DIA [Detroit Institute of the Arts] and even a Halloween party. She does put students in the forefront of her mind.” Yang says the first event will be a get-together at the president’s home.

“For her to take the time once a month to mentor students is quite exciting,” says Ayanna McConnell, University Mentorship Program coordinator. “We hope faculty will take notice. I hope she gets a lot out of it, too.”

Coleman encourages more faculty and staff members to become mentors. Enrollment in the program is limited at present because there are only 70 faculty and staff members involved and only four to five students assigned to each group.

The goal of the University Mentorship Program is to assist students with their transition to college life. The focus is both social and academic.

“I joined so that I could meet people with similar interests who were also going through similar experiences in their first year of college,” says Eckert, one of the students Coleman will mentor. “I am hoping to not only use my mentorship group as a support group for academics, but also to forge new and long-lasting friendships.”

Mentors are asked to schedule an event with their students once a month and to be available to them by phone or e-mail. The program runs through the fall semester, the time McConnell says is most critical for acclimating students to the large university environment.

Cho sees a mentor as someone who will be involved in “protecting, teaching and advising.” She is most excited about who will fill that role as she begins her U-M career.

“When I first received notice that I was accepted into the mentorship program I was excited, but when I found out my mentor will be the president of the University, Mary Sue Coleman, I was thrilled,” Cho says. “I am elated to be one of the fortunate people to be chosen to participate in this marvelous program.”

For information on becoming a mentor, visit http://www.onsp.umich.edu/mentorship .