SJSU Salzburg Mentoring Program

One important component in the SJSU Salzburg Program is a Mentoring Program that links SJSU Salzburg Fellows with SJSU Salzburg Scholars to work together on projects to globalize the campus during their year of service.  These projects can range from the introduction of new global elements into existing courses to the development of training modules about global issues for resident advisors.  They can also include the creation of a campus speaker series on global education or help manage an aspect of the SJSU Salzburg Program as a whole.  Each Scholar works with one or more Fellows during the school year on a joint project, during which time the faculty member or administrator is also expected to mentor the student about his/her life and career plans in general.  Fellows and Scholars meet on a regular basis (formally and informally) so they can serve as sounding boards and enhance their mutual development as global citizens.  In addition, all participants in the Mentoring Program convene for several group meetings during the academic year to coordinate their efforts and share results.

Fellows suggest potential SJSU Salzburg Projects at the start of each Fall semester.  Scholars choose which Fellow to work with during the academic year, based on the initial ideas for those projects, and then they collaboratively shape the scope and focus of their work – including clear expectations regarding student workloads, schedules, and deliverables.  Scholars enroll in a 3-unit independent study in the Fall semester to support their work in this Mentoring Program.  All Fellows and Scholars are expected to submit individual reports at the end of the Spring semester that briefly summarize the highlights of their year as a Fellow or Scholar (including their session in Salzburg), describe the nature and results of their joint projects, reflect on the major lessons learned from their experience as Fellows and Scholars, and suggest how that experience has affected their plans for the future.  The reports are presented at a meeting of participants in the SJSU Salzburg Program as a whole in late Spring semester.