On Tuesday, October 23, Argyros School Career Services kicked off the annual MBA Mentor program with a welcome reception for mentors and mentees. As part of this program first year MBA students have an opportunity to receive guidance, feedback and direction outside of the classroom from Chapman’s community of business leaders. The mentor program has been a key element of the MBA program at the Argyros School since 2009. This year 30 graduate students and 34 mentors will participate in the program.

The mentors are a highly impressive group with multiple decades of experience at companies of all sizes, making them great resources for students as they progress through their journey. As mentors introduced themselves during the night, the companies and career experiences of the mentors provide students with confidence in the value of the program as they embark. Mentors are leaders and executives from organizations such as Experian, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Shea Homes, Gigasavvy and Taco Bell among others. Not only is their professional experience top notch, but so is their education (about half of the mentors are alumni of Chapman University or are Argyros Board members).

Stacey Moynahan, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Career Services and Joel Pearson, Assistant Director, Argyros School Career Services work closely on the program by recruiting mentors, managing student mentees, handling communication throughout the year and identifying ideal mentor-meetee matches. Tweaks of varying degrees are made each year to improve upon this program and Stacey and Joel do a great job of taking feedback from mentor and mentee experiences at the conclusion of each year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his view of the program, Joel Pearson envisions the mentor/mentee relationships to be one that “Further prepare students to make the most of their advanced business knowledge and skills in their careers moving forward.” If the welcome reception was any indication, the relationships are off to a great start and our newest crop of MBA students will have some outstanding people outside of their direct academic environment to consult with and lean on.