Honors Peer Mentor
Honors peer mentors are usually the first point of contact for honors students whether by email, appointment, drop in, or informally. Mentors help students to understand the honors program requirements, opportunities, and ways to get the most out of an honors experience.
Students get out of the honor program what they put into it. Focusing on meaning-making and purpose, mentors can help students optimize their experience and move beyond fulfillment of requirements to have a fully engaged academic and co-curricular Iowa experience. Mentors help student discern what experiences they’ll pursue, get connected to resources, and reflect along the way.
Mentors are part of a team of 12, -15each with caseloads of ~175 mentees. The position, which is paid through a scholarship, generally requires 5-8 hours of work, including regular staff meetings. The workload each week will fluctuate but be prepared to be available for the full 8-hour commitment each week.
Mentoring:
- Advise/mentor students during drop-in hours (4 hours a week)
- Advise/mentor during appointment times (2 hours a week)
- Meet with prospective honors students during drop-ins or by special appointment
- Respond to emails from mentees in your caseload
- Email your caseload every week or two as directed by the advising director using templates provided by the team
- Read and provide feedback in the form of comments on experiential learning narratives in the Honors Program Portal in ICON
- Support and staff honors program events (welcome sessions, Hear from a Peer, Experiential Learning Fair, social programs, etc) as a peer mentor representative
Administrative
- Attend weekly staff meetings (50 minutes most weeks)
- Plan and manage scheduling, timely communication and messaging, and updates to content of mentoring meetings
- Help generate ideas for communication to students and share with the mentor team
- Track student attendance at mentoring meetings or equivalent interactions online or by email, and report to honors analytics as directed.
- Identify outstanding narratives for possible sharing on honors program blog
- Assist with recruitment, selection and training of new peer mentors in coordination with the advising director
- Provide feedback about program impacts and suggest innovations
- Other tasks as assigned by the advising director or mutually determined by the staff
Contact: holly-yoder@uiowa.edu
Honors Admin
Position duties/expectations:
Looking for a campus job that’s never boring and puts you at the heart of the Honors Program? As an Honors Admin, you’re the friendly first face and voice students, staff, and visitors encounter at the Blank Honors Center, helping keep everything running smoothly day to day. You’ll manage the front desk, answer questions, and jump into projects that match your interests. Whether that’s creative engagement, outreach, process improvement, or something totally your own. The role also includes helping with events, supporting Honors projects, keeping spaces welcoming, and contributing to social media, web, or blog content. No two shifts look the same, and you’ll work closely with professional staff on meaningful behind-the-scenes work. It’s a great fit if you’re organized, curious, and enjoy being part of a collaborative, student-centered team.
- Provide administrative support for the Honors Program and manage reception desk activity on the 4th floor of the Blank Honors Center.
- Serve as the first point of contact to anyone who calls, emails, or walks in.
- Develop a focus area utilizing your skills and interests to serve a need for the program such as outreach, assessment, development, process improvement, or creative engagement.
- Assist with social media, website, and blog materials.
- Maintain tidiness of honors spaces.
- Work on various projects for professional staff.
- Assist student event planning.
- Other duties as assigned.
How to Apply:
The application for honors student admin will be periodically released during the semester during hiring periods. Keep an eye on our social media and weekly newsletter for more information on how to apply.
Contact: veronica-sanchez@uiowa.edu