BRITISH-BASED MENTORSHIP: ADAPTING MICRO-LEVEL STRATEGIES FOR BROAD-SPECTRUM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES

Many institutions of higher learning strive to provide academic and psychosocial support to their students. Fraternities and sororities in medium to large public universities serve the purpose of connecting students from a wide diversity of educational fields, giving them a sense of belonging. Advisers, learning centers, centers for students’ well-being, etc., are other examples of services offered to students by public schools on a macro-scale basis. Small private schools, on the other hand, may not have the luxury of a multi-structural support system for students and search for alternative, non-traditional methods to connect and mentor students. One of these methods is the Academic Families tradition, which is widely used in British Universities. This tradition unites students on the micro-scale of an academic program and bridges the gap between upper- and lower-level students. Its unique feature is a shared, personalized experience of students developing proficiency in one field, a sense of responsibility for peer academic success, and friendship that lasts beyond college. It is a fresh, unorthodox approach to student support that can be utilized by U.S. universities, regardless of their scale. The authors of this paper adapted the Academic Families tradition to the nursing program at Finlandia University, a small private college, and transitioned this tradition to a larger public institution, Michigan Technological University, the details of which are described here.