Mentoring Student Veterans

Overview

Mentoring Student Veterans prepares staff and faculty to better support student veterans, especially around mentoring in the context of military-to-campus transitions and strengthening belonging on campus. Through interactive learning, participants examine how military-connected experiences may shape perception, navigation, and help-seeking. Experiences include skill-building workshops, a Veteran Voices panel with guided dialogue, applied mentoring practice, and the creation of a mentoring philosophy statement. The endorsement strengthens individual and institutional capacity by developing intentional mentoring approaches, increasing resource awareness, and widening our community of practice.

Who it’s for: 

Open to all faculty, staff, and administrators who mentor or work with student veterans.

How to earn the endorsement: 

Complete all five of the following milestones. 

Milestone 1:
Mentoring Foundations (Workshop - 3 Hours)

• Details: 
  This milestone establishes a shared foundation in effective mentoring. Participants clarify what mentoring is — and how it differs from other roles — and practice developing mentoring agreements that promote clear, consistent relationships.
  
  
• Delivery Method
  In-person or synchronous online workshop
  
  
• Topics Covered
  
  • Defining mentoring (purpose, scope, boundaries)
  • Core principles: trust, student agency, aligned expectations
  • Structuring mentoring conversations
  • Mentoring agreements/compacts and philosophies

Milestone 2:
Mentoring Student Veterans (Workshop - 3 Hours)

• Details: 
  This interactive workshop builds skills and fluency through scenarios, role practice, and discussion to strengthen veteran-informed mentoring across units, examining how military-connected experiences can shape perception, navigation, and help-seeking.
  
  
• Delivery Method
  In-person or synchronous online workshop
  
  
• Topics Covered
  
  • Student veterans as a heterogeneous population — strengths, transition points, common pressures
  • Resource pathways, incl. referral to Veterans Programs/VA and campus supports
  • Veteran-informed mentoring moves that build agency, clarity, and belonging
  • Scripts for setting expectations, naming impact, making requests respectfully

Milestone 3:
Veteran Voices Panel (Discussion with OVP Students - 1 Hour)

• Details: 
  Attend one session from a series featuring panel discussions with student veterans, each paired with facilitated dialogue to translate insights into mentoring practice.
  
  
• Example Topics
  Transition Challenges · Identity, Belonging & Purpose · Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide · Navigating Campus · What Helped Me Persist · Mentoring Across Experiences

Milestone 4:
Mentoring Practice with OVP (Applied Practice - 3 Hours)

• Details: 
  Complete three hours of applied practice mentoring, facilitated through the Office of Veterans Programs and Veterans Affairs and Services.
  
  
• Topics Covered
  
  • Building rapport and trust in mentoring relationships
  • Respectful engagement in communication, assistance, and resource referral
  • Supporting student-driven goals, timelines, and decision-making
  • Supportive communication strategies and clear boundaries
  • Connecting students to opportunities and supports as needed

Milestone 5:
Mentoring Philosophy Statement (Asynchronous, In Canvas- 2 Hours)

• Details: 
  Draft a mentoring philosophy statement that conveys the mentoring values, commitments, and practices you'll apply in your unit or role.
  
  
• During Creation, You'll
  
  • Reflect on assumptions and prior mentoring habits
  • Articulate your mentoring practices, values, and commitments
  • Identify how veteran-informed support shows up in communication, expectations, and support

For more information contact: Tamara Lucas