Ahead of the Curve: Staff Mentoring Program Builds Connections Across Campus

At Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, two university leaders started a brand-new program to help employees grow in their careers. In October, Jesse Tuel and Zeke Barlow — both senior directors of marketing and communications — launched a six-month mentoring program for staff across campus. They hoped to match 20 pairs of mentors and mentees. Instead, 72 pairs signed up, showing just how much people wanted this kind of support.

Mentoring is not a new idea in education. Students get guidance from teachers, athletes learn from coaches, and new college students often get help from older ones. But Tuel and Barlow created something more structured — a formal program built just for employees who work in marketing and communications roles, also called 'marcomms.' Their program was designed to connect people doing similar jobs across different parts of the university.

To get started, Tuel and Barlow sent out a survey asking employees about their skills and goals. Then they spent hours reviewing the answers and used sticky notes on a wall to figure out the best matches. They worked with the human resources department to create helpful tools for mentors, like conversation starters and tips for being a good listener. Group chats were set up so pairs could stay in touch, and the organizers sent out regular reminders to keep everyone on track.

After six months, the program wrapped up with a closing celebration in April. Now, as a new school year begins, Tuel and Barlow are preparing to launch a second group, called Cohort No. 2. The huge turnout for the first round showed them that employees were eager for connection and guidance. 'That response was really satisfying and gratifying to know people were hungry for this,' Tuel said.

One big reason universities run mentoring programs is to recruit and keep great workers. At Virginia Tech, the goal is also to help employees build long-term careers. Barlow himself moved up from a communications manager to a senior director, and he credits mentoring — both formal and informal — for helping him get there. He wants others to have the same chance to grow.

After the program ended, surveys showed strong results. Mentees said they felt more confident and more ready for their careers. They also reported feeling more connected to Virginia Tech as a whole. Mentors had positive things to say as well — 89 percent agreed or strongly agreed that being a mentor was a good experience.

Of course, the program had some challenges, too. Both mentors and mentees are busy people, and finding time to meet can be hard. Barlow pointed out that the program chose high-performing leaders who already had packed schedules. To ease the pressure on mentees, the program asked mentors — not mentees — to set up the meetings, so a junior employee would not feel awkward about reaching out.

Not every mentoring pair worked out perfectly, and the organizers knew that going in. 'We assumed that some of the pairings would be magical and some would just be transactional,' Tuel said. Some pairs might only meet once or twice before things fizzle out. Tuel and Barlow told participants from the start that it was okay to stop if the match was not a good fit.

The word 'mentor' actually comes from a character in an ancient Greek story called 'The Odyssey.' In that epic poem, Mentor was a trusted guide and advisor. Thousands of years later, the value of having someone in your corner has not changed. The Virginia Tech marcomms mentoring program is a modern example of that same idea — using data and planning to help people support one another. As Barlow put it, 'We all need to be challenged in the most positive, professional ways.'