Faculty Mentors

Utica University Faculty Mentor Program

Introduction
The Faculty Mentor Program seeks to support the greater mission of the Utica University along with fostering the NCAA Division III philosophy of integrating athletics and academics on campus. Over the years, several models of collaboration between athletic teams and faculty have been developed at Utica University. Non-coaching faculty have served as mentors for many different athletics teams. The athletics mentors do not serve as substitutes for the regular academic advisors.

Philosophy

Faculty mentors are a group of faculty and staff who are interested in furthering the integration of the student-athlete within the ideals and mission of Utica University.
Faculty mentors believe that athletics play an integral role in the mission of Utica University, and that athletic participation is meaningful and valuable, and meets essential needs in the health and development of the whole person.
Faculty mentors provide an additional resource across all areas of Utica University – faculty, administration, staff, students and coaches – in encouraging and reinforcing the ties between the athletic and academic pursuits of the student-athlete.
Faculty mentors are role models who willingly connect to the student-athletes to provide support through additional counsel and advice when specific issues arise, particularly in the areas of social issues and academics.
Faculty mentors are dedicated to the idea of building a connection between the academic, athletic and social cultures of our campus.

Role of the Faculty Mentor

The mentoring relationship between the faculty mentor and team will develop according to the individuals involved. The faculty mentor could consider some or all of the following as guidelines:

To build relationships with student-athletes, coaches, and athletics support staff.
To encourage student-athletes as they balance their sport and academic learning.
Attend as many matches/games as possible (home and/or away).
Serve as an informal adviser to team members; to assist student-athletes in the development of their athletic experience and their academic pursuits.
To promote understanding and communication between athletics and academics on campus.
Collaborate with other faculty mentors and coaches to bring together academics and athletics in more concrete ways.
Get together with other faculty mentors and coaches approximately once a term.
Serve as a resource for recruits when they visit campus.
Get to know parents of student-athletes.

Team Involvement of the Faculty Mentor

Plan to occasionally attend practices and team events.
Be in attendance at as many home contests as possible, with the opportunity to be a part of pre-game meals and locker room, and to participate on the sidelines during competition.
Attend special team functions – cookouts, banquets, service projects, team movie nights, holiday parties, etc.
Experience a road contest. Travel with the team.

Benefits for Faculty Mentors

Enjoy free team gear!
Invest in Utica University students beyond the classroom setting.
Gain a greater insight into how student-athletes balance achieving success in both athletics and academics.
Follow a student’s development over of a longer time period, not limited to a semester.

Additional Items to Consider

There is no exact way how to be a faculty mentor. We are mostly looking for faculty members to be a presence in the lives of the team. This can be accomplished in any number of ways.
“Adopting” faculty mentors should be entirely voluntary on behalf of the coaches and teams.
Many coaches and mentors emphasize the “two-way street” beyond faculty mentors’ attendance at games, that is, that coaches are welcome to attend academic classes, while professors are welcome to consider athletics as a resource for classes (e.g. a statistics class).

Selection of the Faculty Mentor

Let us know which team you would like to mentor.Feel free to email the coach directly or mdavis@utica.edu
Meet with the head coach to discuss opportunities to be involved with the team, including the mentor’s role and expectations.
Plan a time to formally be introduced to the team and talk about the role of the faculty mentor.

Faculty Mentors

Sport

Coach

Email

Faculty

Dept

Number

email

Baseball

Joe Milazzo

jmmilazz@utica.edu

Dr. Tom Rossi