Leaders with Tomorrow’s Visionaries

NAGAP Mentorship Program: Connecting Today’s Leaders with Tomorrow’s Visionaries

By Kandice King, University of Rochester’s School of Medicine & Dentistry

It was Chicago 2010. A seasoned graduate enrollment management (GEM) professional and NAGAP member was having a conversation with an industry newcomer at a NAGAP event gathering. That simple dialogue inspired what would become the NAGAP Mentorship Program. Program Co-Founder Kittie Pain, director of graduate admissions at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, said the program was created as a means to formally connect industry veterans and rookies in a knowledge transfer. The purpose is to equip the next generation of GEM professionals to be successful industry contributors and future leaders. “For those just starting out, it’s a great way to build a network. For those who have been doing this a while, consider it your way to give back and to impart your knowledge as well as continue to learn,” she says. Fast forward to the present, and the NAGAP Mentorship Program continues to provide a safe space to swap war stories about office life. With the 2020-21 cohort, those conversations took on new meaning as the entire industry tackled together what it means to be a graduate enrollment professional in a pandemic, with unprecedented challenges. Industry veterans rewrote their playbooks as the mentor/ mentee relationship took on new meaning. The merits of industry experience took a backseat to how matched mentorship pairs might be able to innovate with creative solutions to their respective roles and obstacles during COVID-19. Here are a few of their stories.

Mike enjoyed a powerful mentoring experience years back, which equipped him with the skills and passion

Mike Marshall, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing & Communication, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY

2021 Mentor of the Year

to pay it forward. While at Texas Christian University, he became the chancellor’s leadership intern as part of a program that was modeled after the ACE Fellows Program. The experience required his full commitment to the role and had a profound impact on him academically and professionally because it required that he obtain his EdD in Higher Ed Leadership. He received robust mentoring through a full shadowing experience, which ultimately led to a professional role as the university’s interim chief government affairs officer. That experience shaped the future of his mentoring style, which has now benefitted several professionals whom he has mentored since serving in that capacity. For the 2020-21 Mentorship Program year, Mike was matched with Melanie Steele, graduate admissions director at Ursuline University in Cleveland, OH, who wasn’t new to higher education but wasn’t very experienced on the nuances of graduate enrollment specifically. For mentors like Mike, mentorship is a means to invest in the future of rising industry professionals in the same way that others first invested in his own success and future.

What was your mentoring experience like?

It’s one thing to think that a mentor is always the one giving advice. The beauty of it is that you can give and receive advice… I gained so many insights because Melanie offered a perspective that I didn’t recognize. The program is a reminder of the true benefit of being able to connect with others in this profession.

Were there any specific outcomes from your mentoring relationship?

Yes. We met once a month whereas the program asks for four total meetings. We still meet periodically even now. There were three tangible outcomes from our discussions: 1. I gave feedback on a conference proposal that my mentee ultimately submitted incorporating my comments; 2. My mentee developed strategic marketing via an annual plan for her organization that I gave feedback on; 3. Through our conversations my mentee learned that

I had developed a graduate assistantship program at two different institutions. She ended up developing a model informed by our discussions.

Jessica Linke, Manager of Graduate Admissions, School of Professional Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

2021 Mentee of the Year

Jessica has been working in higher education for a decade, but her work wasn’t always focused on admissions. She joined NAGAP and signed up for the mentorship program last year as the result of taking on a new leadership role, her first one in an admissions domain. Jessica’s mentor was an admissions director in the Chicago area, and she found that connection invaluable in the absence of traditional networking opportunities. Jessica said she is grateful that her mentor always had other resources, solutions, or industry connections to offer which widened her network, especially of those in similar roles in her immediate area. Jessica cited tangible benefits from the program including knowledge gained in budgeting, trend forecasting, and the future of social media platforms in higher education marketing.

Can you share some details about your mentorship experience?

Last year was so different because I had to consume everything digitally. I tried to participate in a lot of those events as much as possible together with my mentor. My mentor and I went to the digital PDI [Professional

The mentorship program makes an open call for interested participants in late summer each year.

A great deal of time is spent carefully matching the pairs based on location, backgrounds, commonalities, and the mentee’s stated objectives for their participation. The pairs are then introduced to one another in early fall at an event kickoff, and they are asked to meet four times throughout the academic year. Topic prompts are provided to foster dialogue.

Interested to get involved? Brett offered the following advice, which sums it up best: “It’s just a matter of jumping in. You don’t have to have any particular experience. Just let your natural personality shine through.”

Throughout the program, participants in the class worked with seasoned GEM professionals who volunteer their time as coaches providing guidance to cohort members.

Development Institute] event together. Having that catalyst gives you the space to think about things that are beyond the proposed mentorship program. We met twice a month and actually still do. He is a fantastic sounding board.

How does it feel to win the “Mentee of the Year” honor?

I was really surprised. I just came with questions. I had so many questions to ask. The inquisitiveness was recognized as a good thing. It gave me confidence to ask questions and be unafraid. You can be anywhere in your career and can still find someone to mentor you. There’s something useful in that.

How has this experience shaped your professional development?

My mentor encouraged me to apply, and I received admission to a PhD program in higher education as a result of my mentor’s involvement. I’ve really enjoyed all the programming that I’ve participated in with NAGAP, but the mentorship program has undoubtedly been my favorite.

Brett DiMarzo, Director, Graduate Enrollment Digital Strategy, Boston College, Boston, MA Mentorship Program Moderator

Have you been a mentor before?

Yes. It’s important to be able to give back to the next generation of professionals. I love to provide insight and guidance to help people navigate higher education and graduate enrollment management, which is a unique aspect of the industry. I have learned a lot from the people that I have mentored. Mentees have helped me think of things in new ways.

How has the mentorship program changed over the years?

The traditional model has been a veteran paired with a newcomer. I want to expand on it so that we can provide mentorship for seasoned veterans who want to be mentored by other seasoned veterans.

What’s next for the Mentorship Program?

I feel mentorship and mentorship programs are going to be crucial for us as an industry, specifically in graduate enrollment management. I think that we all know that the industry is rapidly changing, the landscape is evolving. It will continue to be really challenging for all of us to do our jobs as GEM professionals, and we’re going to have to look for opportunities like the mentorship program to find those support resources. n

Kandice King is the director of graduate enrollment in University of Rochester’s School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her career in higher education spans 16 years in graduate enrollment management and university advancement. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Evansville and a master’s degree in organizational and change management from Rochester Institute of Technology.

NAGAP Volunteer Opportunities

NAGAP is a member-driven association, and there are many ways to get involved!

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

The Annual Call for Volunteers occurs each spring after the GEM Summit.

For more information, or to talk to someone about ways to become more involved with NAGAP, you can email a member of the Leadership Cultivation & Elections Committee. We hope you will take the time to consider the opportunities for volunteer participation, and that you will discover a way to become more involved in NAGAP.