Marquette Mentors receives international education award

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has named Marquette Mentors as a 2019 CASE Circle of Excellence award silver award recipient for student-alumni initiatives. In just six years, nearly 500 student mentees and 175 alumni mentors from more than 25 states have participated in the program. Ranging from alumni entrepreneurs, engineers and physicians to attorneys, sports journalists and non-profit executives, this high-touch, goals-driven and structured program has expanded by more than 330 percent.utcomes:

According to the judges, ”This program, something done by many institutions across the country, had such impressive outcomes that we couldn’t pass it over for an award. The satisfaction ratings and quantitative data on their program attendees demonstrate that the program is working.”

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the global association for professionals in advancement—alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society.

2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program Resource Guide

Five Questions With... Ryan Hendrickson, Arts '91 (Lauren Van Kleunen, Communication mentee)

1. Why do you serve in the MUAA Mentor Program? 
I enjoy interacting with Marquette students; it keeps me connected to Marquette in a very meaningful way.  

2. What suggestions do you have for mentees? And mentors?
Mentees do best when they are prepared and have thought about the established goals. Similarly, mentors can have well-directed conversations when the goals remain at the center of the conversation. 

3. You’ve worked with several mentees. What’s one thing you have learned from them?
Mentees, like most mentors, are busy people. Mentors need to appreciate that our mentees have a lot going on in their lives. 

 4. Is there a class you wish you would’ve taken when you were at Marquette? If so, what was it?
I wish I would have taken a course from George Reedy, who served as President Lyndon Johnson's press secretary. It is a MAJOR regret, which is why I advise all of my mentees to pursue these sorts of interests. 

5. What are two things you think a Marquette student should do before they graduate?
Make sure you that leave Marquette with no regrets, whether it is to fully experience Marquette, the campus, Milwaukee or professors in fields that intrigue you. 

Ryan Hendrickson, Arts '91, is dean, vice provost and professor at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. He’s serving in the MUAA Mentor Program for the fourth year.

Marquette Mentors is the mentor program of the Marquette University Alumni Association. For more information, contact Marquette Mentors Senior Director Dan DeWeerdt.