Terms to Describe Student-Alumni Engagement Presentation by Trente Arens,Director of Alumni Relations at Benedictine University at the inaugural Faith-Based Institution Summit hosted by Wisr. The event brought together leaders from career services and alumni relations from top-tier faith-based institutions, focused on scaling their mentorship community.

1. Mentoring vs. Networking
vs. Connecting
Terms to Describe Student-
Alumni Engagement
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

2. Background
• 2.5 years ago… started the Benedictine
University Mentorship Program (B.U.M.P.) as a
way to connect students and alumni
• Year-long program connecting one alumni
mentor with one student mentee
• Required monthly communication
• List of activities to complete together
• Variety of on-campus events targeted to them
• #1 Question: What is mentoring?
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

3. Background
• Our definition:
Mentoring is essentially a system of semi-
structured guidance where one person shares
their knowledge and offers advice to assist
another with their personal and professional
growth. Mentoring is all about motivating and
empowering another person to identify their
goals and helping them find ways of achieving
those goals.
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

4. The Transition
• A few problems arose:
• Feasibility
• Accountability
• Personality
• Scalability
• Partnered with Wisr starting in July 2017
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

5. The Dilemma
• What do we call it?
• How do we properly describe/market this?
• Is this still “mentoring?”
• Mentor vs. Network vs. Connect
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

6. Mentor
noun: someone who teaches or gives
help and advice to a less experienced
and often younger person
verb: to teach or give advice or
guidance to
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

7. Network(ing)
noun: a usually informally interconnected
group or association of persons
noun: the exchange of information or services
among individuals, groups, or institutions
specifically: the cultivation of productive
relationships for employment or business
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

8. Connect
verb: to become joined; to have or
establish a rapport
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

9. The Solution
• Use all three but in a very specific fashion
• The BenU Network is a networking and
mentoring platform used to connect
students and alumni with others in the
Benedictine community
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

10. MENTOR
Offer advise from experience
Share personal insights
COACH
Listen attentively
Ask questions
Uncover solutions
ADVISE
Understand the problem
Offer breakthrough input
Present solutions
TRAIN
Transfer knowledge/information
Increase proficiency
Traditional teaching Facilitated learning
Helper sets the agenda
Client sets the agenda
Other Perspectives

11. MENTOR: Creates a relationship based on
long-term benefit driven by know one another
deeply. Mentors are safe, look to develop their
mentees, and have no agenda. They are
passing along their knowledge and
experience. Mentors give a sense of
perspective and history, offer advice, and
share contacts to help students reach goals.
COACH: Works with a student to improve
performance, help establish and meet goals,
understand and resolve challenges, and
focus on growth. The coach doesn’t
necessarily have all the answers or do all the
work, but usually brings an outside-in and
unemotional perspective. Coaches know
how to talk the student through a process of
discovery and skill development, asking
questions to lead to achievements.
ADVISOR: Involves someone with specific
expertise or experience who can help
students in a particular way. The student
asks questions, and the advisor has
answers. They listen a little and talk a lot,
and they are able to help a student get an
urgent problem or need resolved quickly.
TRAINER: Is usually very formal, should have
well-defined learning objectives, and is often
brief compared to coaching and mentoring. A
trainer has extensive experience or knowledge
in a subject that is being delivered in the
training. There is knowledge transfer. How this
happens is variable and can include lectures,
discussions, simulations, case studies, and
other forms of interaction.
Traditional teaching Facilitated learning
Helper sets the agenda
Client sets the agenda
Other Perspectives

12. Discussion
• What terms have best served you in
describing student and alumni
engagement?
• What has Wisr’s research shown to be
most effective in communicating with the
target audiences we are trying to reach?
2017 Faith-Based Institution Leadership Summit

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