Since the program began, the Brother4Brother Mentorship Program (B4B) has provided a lifeline to young men who showed great potential but lacked a support system for navigating a college environment. The program has guided these men through personal, professional and academic growth by consistently focusing on the completion of developmental and college-credit courses, persistence from semester to semester and graduation. Since the founding of the first Brother4Brother group at Ferrum College in 2012, the program has expanded within the state of Virginia to Averett University in 2017, and Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) in 2018.
The Brother4Brother Mentorship Program is a new H-SC initiative, sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, that was brought to the campus in 2018. The program involves a commitment to the mentoring and retention of minoritized students, with a specific interest of individuals from underserved communities (Minority, First Generation, Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds). While the program is focused on minoritized students from underserved communities, enrolled students of any ethnicity can take advantage of the mentoring program at H-SC.
Within the program, upperclassman students provide personal, academic, and social mentoring for freshman students at Hampden-Sydney College. Students learn to conduct themselves in a mature manner, discover ways to engage themselves in the Hampden-Sydney community and beyond, and develop the skills and attitude required to be successful both at Hampden-Sydney and in their chosen career. Along with peer mentoring, the B4B program utilizes an array of advisers to help ensure that program mentors and mentees have advocates in various areas of the college to ensure their well-being, and successful journey while attending H-SC.
Advisor
Dean of Inclusive Excellence, TBD
Brown Student Center, 301
Need for the Program
Continued disparities of educational attainment exist among minoritized males in relation to their counterparts. It is our belief that student success and engagement is everyone’s responsibility. As such, the Brother4Brother Mentorship Program seeks creative ways to address college completion and ensure students have resources that reduce barriers to academic success. The long-term goal is to create strategies that empower our students towards achieving their educational goals. Colleges and universities nationwide are focused on increasing student success by not only focusing on the completion of valuable credentials, but also on preparation for long, productive and rewarding careers in a rapidly changing economy. The new Brother4Brother Mentorship Program will require the establishment of a core team that will be responsible for facilitating the planning and change processes, and specifically identifying how stakeholders throughout the institution will be engaged. By involving stakeholders in the process, institutions may identify and address those processes and areas that affect momentum during the student’s connection, entry, progress and completion within the institution.
Goals
The purpose of the Brother4Brother Mentorship Program is to address and increase the progression and completion rates of minoritized male students at Hampden-Sydney College. To accomplish this mission, our program will:
- Provide integrated and targeted supports and interventions when they are most effective.
- Increase the persistence and progression of first-year minority male students.
- Promote student satisfaction with the college experience, retention and graduation.
- Coordinate personal and professional development seminars for participants.
- Form partnerships with local community-based programs serving the targeted population.
- Develop and implement effective professional development programs, which foster inclusion, sensitivity, and cultural competency.
- Increase minority male utilization of campus resources and services through deliberate and intentional interactions between students and the campus community.
Activities
- Brother4Brother Mentorship Conference in conjunction with Brother4Brother programs at Averett University and Ferrum College
- H-SC Minority Alumni Mentorship Weekend
- Virginia Tech’s Uplifting Black Men Conference
- University of Virginia’s Julian Bond Symposium
- Barbershop Talk Series
- Semester Retreats
- Alumni Spotlight Series
- Fellowship Lunches/Outings
- Moton Museum Events
- Partnerships within the Farmville/Prince Edward County community