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VCU Engineering Professional Development Mentoring Program

Engineers and Software Developers who are alumni or friends of the college are invited to help develop career-ready engineering talent. Our goal is to mentor over 450 engineering students this year with minimal impact on your time and incredible results for our students. 

How it works (overview):

  • Commit to one virtual hour on each of the following days: Feb. 19, Mar. 18, Apr. 15
  • Select the hour that works best for you from these options: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.
  • Join us in person for an optional end of semester Student/Mentors Mixer on April 15 from 4:30–5:30 p.m.

How it works (in detail):

Who is mentored? Students enrolled in the Engineering Professional Development course, which includes all undergraduate engineering and computer science majors at VCU. Year groups include primarily sophomores & juniors.

What do I do? We are asking engineers and software/computer science professionals to mentor a team of four students enrolled in our Engineering Professional Development course. We provide structured modules to guide your conversations and ensure productive outcomes for you and the students.

A typical mentoring session takes place during the class hour, with the instructor placing student groups and their mentor into a Zoom room. The conversation topics are emailed to the mentors a week before the session.

Where? Virtually, of course. You will meet with students via Zoom.

When? One hour on Feb. 19, Mar. 18 and Apr. 15; three hours total. An optional in-person Student/Mentor Mixer is offered on Apr. 15 from 5–6 p.m. in the Atrium of the Engineering Research Building. This is a social opportunity to meet the students in person after meeting virtually all semester.  

How? Simply sign up online. Review the available dates on the signup and select a time slot for each of the three dates, so that you have 3 mentoring sessions for the semester. We prefer that you sign up for the same class time on all three dates if possible, so that you can meet with the same group of students each session.