Mentoring Information

Connection Opportunities:

Inside Government’s Public Service Alumni Mentoring Program provides alumni with a menu of opportunities to touch the life of a Loyola student who shares their interest in public service. Together, the alumni mentor and their student agree upon a program of Connections for each semester.

1. Attend a Mentor/Mentee kick-off dinner (February 17, 2015)
   While not required, we do strongly encourage alumni and students to come to this launch event. This will be an opportunity to learn more about mentoring, and to begin to get to know each other.
   
   The dinner also represents one “Connection.”
2. Attend Inside Government events together.
   Every semester, Inside Government hosts a variety of programs, some with speakers, some principally social: usually six or seven each semester. Attending an event together is a wonderful way to get to know one another, and of course to meet and network with other Loyola alumni working in government and politics.
   
   A calendar of the semester's events can be found here.
   
   Each event represents one “Connection.”
3. Shadow Day.
   The student “shadows” their mentor during a work-day. Inside Government has sponsored many Shadow Days, and they are very popular for both parties. Students learn a tremendous amount about the workplace during their shadowing experience, and they gain tremendous insights into the day-to-day work of public service.
   
   Because it is a full day, every Shadow Day counts as two “Connections.”
4. Meet one-on-one.
   Nothing takes the place of meeting with someone face-to-face. This is especially important for students, who are becoming more and more dependent upon social media and electronic communications for their interactions. A one-on-one meeting gives the mentor an opportunity to tell their own story and to provide valuable advice and counsel to their protégé.
   
    Each meeting represents one “Connection.”
5. E-mail and phone communications.
   E-mailing exchanges and phone conversations are stock forms of communication in the modern workplace, so they also provide opportunities for mentors to counsel their proteges.
   
   Every substantive e-mail exchange or phone conversation can constitute a “Connection.”

Example Mentoring Programs

Level 100 Mentoring: 1 to 3 Connections per Semester
Example A	Example B
Kick-Off Dinner Attending one Inside Government regular meeting together	Kick-Off Dinner Shadow Day One substantive e-mail exchange
Level 200 Mentoring: 3 to 6 Connections per Semester
Example A	Example B
Kick-Off Dinner A one-on-one meeting in the mentor's office One substantive follow-up phone call conversation Attending one Inside Government meeting	Attending two Inside Government meetings together Shadow Day
Level 300 Mentoring: 6 or more Connections per Semester
Example A	Example B
Kick-Off Dinner A one-on-one meeting in the mentor's office One substantive follow-up phone call conversation Two substantive e-mail exchanges Attending one Inside Government meeting	Attending two Inside Government meetings together Shadow day One substantive e-mail exchange One substantive phone conversation

To learn how to sign up to become a mentor or mentee, please click here.