on campus - Article - Manhattan College

The Mentor Program:
A Window to the Working World
With a new faculty advisor in place, the mentor program is
growing by leaps and bounds.
Choosing what to do with your life is a huge decision, and for
a lot of students, it’s one fraught with guesswork. What does a
chemical engineer really do all day? What’s it like working at a
public relations firm? What can you do with a degree in English?
With so much on the line, getting a window into a future career
is invaluable — as is making a potential contact in the field you
want to pursue. It’s no surprise, then, that the center for career
development’s mentor program has been growing steadily since
its inception in the 1998-1999 school year. In fact, last year
the program grew by almost 35 percent. At this year’s kick-off
dinner, held in February in Smith Auditorium, 270 were in
attendance, including students, mentors and faculty and staff.
The mentor program pairs interested Jaspers with mentors in
their fields. After a kick-off mentor/mentee dinner, mentors and
mentees arrange a program for the semester that works for both
of them. In future meetings, mentees might go on site visits,
sit in on meetings, have lunch with the mentor or shadow him
or her at work.
They also have the opportunity to listen to lectures from
professionals who have something to share with both the
mentors and mentees.
Christopher Ward, managing director of the American Contractors
Association, was the featured speaker at this year’s mentor
dinner. He has served as commissioner of the Environmental
Protection Agency of New York City and as an adjunct professor
at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia
University, among other roles. During his lecture, Career Paths:
Core Elements and Personal Growth, Ward used examples from
his own career to describe how challenges in the workplace can
be opportunities for personal development.
With so many options open to participants — and so many
advantages to participating — the program’s growth is no
surprise to Brother Ralph Bucci, F.S.C., the center for career
development’s mentor program coordinator, a position created
this year.
“An important reason for increase, I believe, is that students
want more information about careers and career options.
They are not always sure what a major may prepare them to
do,” Bucci says. “A connection with someone already in the
career can help them clarify their thinking, either, ‘Yes, I want
to continue in this direction,’ or ‘No, this isn’t what I thought it
may have been.’ They want to explore possibilities.”
The program draws students from the schools of engineering
(historically the most populous group, this year the school of
engineering saw 80 student participants matched with mentors
from 30 different companies), business, arts and science, and
mentors from more than 80 companies who are willing to share
their time and experience with students.
From left to right: Ray Finnegan ’70, project director/consultant for Parsons
Brinckerhoff; speaker Chris Ward, managing director of the American
Contractors Association; Andrea Giorgi-Bocker ’80, an engineer for the Port
Authority; and honorary Jasper Frank Lombardi, chief engineer for the
Port Authority, at the mentor dinner.
“We’ve seen significant growth in the number of alums who
enjoy participating, and non-alums who hear about the program
from colleagues or from recruiting on campus who think the
program is a good idea, and who find participating rewarding
for themselves and their companies,” he says.
Bucci, who joined the center for career development in August,
came to Manhattan with more than 30 years of education in
experience behind him. He was most recently the dean of the
class of 2005 at La Salle Academy in Providence, R.I. Prior to that,
he had honed his career-development skills as the coordinator
of academic advising for the junior and senior classes at Salve
Regina University in Newport, R.I., where he helped his students
determine and finalize their academic plans. At Salve Regina,
he was an assistant professor of art, gallery director and president
of the faculty senate, too. He was also for several years the
director of the art in public places program for the Rhode
Island State Council on the Arts.
According to Marjorie Apel, director of the center for career
development, having Bucci on staff to concentrate on and
direct the mentor program has been a major factor in its growth
and success.
“Having Br. Ralph here has really helped because having someone
who can focus on the program, which is really detailed-oriented,
is really important,” Apel says.
For his part, Bucci has settled into his role.
“I enjoy meeting students to help them clarify their intentions
with the program,” he said. “The program is in a very good
position right now. We’ve had significant growth this year, and
we’ve balanced student interest and mentor recruitment.”
As the program enters a new year, Bucci says, it will be looking
to encourage mentors and students to maintain contact throughout
the semester, recruit alumni and friends of the College to serve
as new mentors, and increase student interest and participation.
In the meantime, he’s focusing his energy on helping as many
Jaspers as possible explore the possibilities for their future.
“We hope to grow the program to include anyone who wants
to participate,” Bucci says.
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