CAPED Communiqué Article:
Title: CAPED’s Mentorship Program – Spring 2018-2019 Progress update
Author: Lucinda Aborn, Ph.D., CRC
CAPED launched the Mentorship program for new DSPS Directors/Coordinators in the community colleges in November 2016. Funding for the program is provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for the 2018-2019 year for the third consecutive year. CAPED’s Mentorship Program (CMP) brings together the expertise of CAPED Leaders, DSPS Solutions/Interwork Institute and the Chancellor’s Office to provide the mentorship pairs with the most current resources, best practices and individualized support.
The CMP 2018-2019 has 20 Protégé/Mentors pairs who represent Regions 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, and 8. Mentors and Protégés meet on a regular basis to provide support and share expertise. Meetings can be face-to-face, phone, Video chat or emails. In addition, all mentorship pairs belong to an online community hosted in a Canvas course. In the course site, other experts from CAPED, DSPS Solutions and the Chancellor’s Office join in the monthly discussions.
Activities– A variety of activities have been conducted since our “Kick-off” at the CAPED convention in October, 2018. These activities have targeted training topics identified by the new DSPS Director Training Needs Assessment during the New Directors Training in September, 2018. The following provides an overview of the activities.
- Mentor/Protégé Pairs and Mentorship Plans: The new Director/Coordinator (referred to as the Protégé) were paired with an experienced Director/Coordinator. The Mentors and Protégés were matched by similar size DSPS programs and are from different regions of the state. Each Mentorship pair worked together to develop mentorship goals and timelines in a formal Mentorship Plan. The Mentor shares their knowledge and experience on Budget, Allocations, Personnel, and campus leadership. The third year welcomes 20 mentorship pairs to the program.
- Monthly On-Line Topic Discussions: A Canvas Online Course was established for all pairs to join. Each month different topics have been discussed such as Leadership, Beginning a New Semester and Regional Coordinators. The CMP Canvas course site provides regular contact with Mentorship pairs through discussion forums and lectures. Each month new topics, questions and issues discussed by pairs and experts in the field.
- “Training Session #1” was held after the All Directors Training in Sacramento on Feb 5, 2019. Mentorship pairs convened for presentations on Gaining Faculty Support through Technology, Service and Emotional Support Animals and OCR. Mentorship pairs also had opportunities to ask questions and become acquainted with one another.
- “Training Session #2” will be held on April 25, 2019 the day before the CAPED Spring “Drive-In” Training seminar on April 26 in Long Beach, CA. Mentorship pairs will meet to gain formal training. In addition, there will be informal sharing and time for questions. The location for the CMP event has yet to be determined. The Spring “Drive-in” will be held at Long Beach City College.
- Progress Benchmarks: Each Mentorship pair has taken an assessment tool which gave input on topic areas for training. The CMP Coordinator works with the Mentorship pairs to evaluate progress toward their established goals.
CAPED Officers Council and DSPS Solutions/Interwork Institute have provided additional support for this partnership with the Chancellor’s office. The data continues to show the value in continuous support for new DSPS professionals.
CAPED looks forward to member support of the CMP. For more information about the CMP, contact Dr. Lucinda Aborn, CMP Coordinator, 310.928.1978; CAPEDmentorshipprogram@gmail.com
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