OUR WORK:

NEW MAJORITY STUDENT SUCCESS: FOSTERING CONNECTION, RENEWAL, AND LEADERSHIP THROUGH PEER MENTORING

CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)

Presenters: Lauren Melendez, Mike Rifino, Estefany Gonzaga

The Futures Initiative advocates greater equity and innovation in higher education at every level of the university. Located at the Graduate Center and reaching throughout the CUNY community. F.I. empowers the next generation of intellectual leaders with bold, public, and engaged teaching and learning. F.I. has an emphasis on non-hierarchical learning structures that emphasize peer learning, peer mentorship, and student agency. Our work is focused on Student-centered pedagogy, technology, leadership, research and advocacy.

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CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED

Challenge: How can we place mentors’ contributions at the center of structuring this program?

Lesson learned: Based on Cathy Davidson’s “Collective Syllabus Design” activity in which you can design any kind of syllabus or in this program structure you desire, the mentors were given full access in planning the structure of the program. The goal was for the mentors to pursue individually and collectively their concepts of what a successful peer mentoring program would be with design and pedagogical experiments that explore new possibilities and creativity. The collaborative activities that they created are still the foundations to this program.

Challenge: How do we keep consistent engagement throughout the year?

Lesson learned: The mentors agreed to contribute monthly online blog posts to their CUNY-wide audience. Themes for blog post topics are collectively decided and focus on college life including how to navigate through departments and strategies to master learning in the classroom.

Challenge: How can we hold the mentors accountable to the activities that were agreed upon?

Lesson learned: To give the mentors a sense of pride and responsibility for their work, we established additional tasks for mentors who were absent for one of the monthly meet ups. These have included additional blog posts and attending the Futures Initiative’s related events. Recently, four liaison-mentors were selected to provide leadership amongst the mentors. Liaisons are responsible for sending out reminders to upcoming meet ups, providing updates in regards to missing blog posts, and “checking in” on mentors with whom we have lost communication.

• The largest urban public university in the U.S., reaching over 500,000 students throughout the five boroughs of New York City

• CUNY has 24 campuses including senior colleges, community colleges, graduate and professional schools

• CUNY students come from a wide range of backgrounds, and

speak more than 190 languages in their homes

• CUNY colleges lead the nation in 2016 Social Mobility Index by enrolling low-income students and enabling them to enter solid careers after graduation.

The Graduate Center fosters advanced graduate education, original research and scholarship, innovative university-wide programs, and public events that contribute to the complex communities of New York City and beyond. The Graduate Center works to provide access to doctoral education for diverse groups of highly talented students, including those who have been underrepresented in higher education.

THE GRADUATE CENTER, CUNY

THE FUTURES INITIATIVE

Special Thanks to the Teagle Foundation, The City University of New York and The Graduate Center.

THE FUTURES INITIATIVE PEER MENTORING PROGRAMThe Futures Initiative Peer Mentoring program is a multi-layered program that reconnects liberal arts teaching and learning with the mission of public higher education and the needs of what has been called the “new majority” of undergraduate college students, while also supporting graduate students’ development as both teachers and learners.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A Handbook for Student-Centered Learning and Teaching Practices

Edited by Hilarie Ashton

The Graduate Center Learning Collective

Structuring Equality: A Handbook

for Student-Centered Learning and

Teaching Practices

Undergraduate Student Editors:

• Sujoy Bhowmik

• David Brandt

• Cherishe Cumma

• Cassandra Castelant

• Yelena Dzhanova

• Brenell Harrison

• Hurriya Hassan

Kingsborough Community College

Brooklyn College

Medgar Evers College

LaGuardia Community College

New York City College of Technology

Queens College

York College

Baruch College

Lehman College

City College of New York

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Hunter College

Borough of Manhattan Community College

Map based on OpenStreetMap but has been edited; icons from Vector Open Stock.

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“As a mentor, not only for FI, but a mentor for

many in my personal life, I believe it is my role to inform others

of ongoing events that may or may not impact

their lives in the future.” Hurriya Hassan, Queens College

“To manage school anxiety, I suggest

freshmen to go into the school environment

without expectations. Not to discredit college,

but rather to relax and be more open to

new possibilities.” Yelena Dzhanova,

Baruch College

“Free Resources that have kept me Sane Post-Elections” Renee McCarthy, Baruch College

“The World of Technology: Email Etiquette”Lesley Fernandez, John Jay College

“Steps to Putting Your Education First”Cherishe Cumma, New York City College of Technology

“Pelo Malo y Pelo Bueno” Lauren Capellan, Lehman College

GRAPHIC DESIGN

TEAM BUILDING

LEADERSHIP

NETWORKING

EVENT PLANNINGEDITING

COLLABORATION

MENTORSHIP

MENTOR BLOGS

MENTORS' BLOG POSTS