More than 250 mentors, mentees and previous program participants attended the 11th annual Marquette Mentors program Kickoff Breakfast in person or virtually on Friday, Oct. 6. Mentors from nine states – including as far as Florida, New Jersey, Texas and Tennessee – traveled to campus for the kickoff, with others participating virtually from Paris to Los Angeles.
The award-winning program matches undergraduate and graduate students with alumni mentors based on college, major and career interest and is recognized as the gold standard in higher education, according to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
The Marquette Mentors program additionally launched a new pre-kickoff celebration on Oct. 5 at Harley-Davidson University, which was hosted by mentor Gretchen Borden, Eng ’03, Grad ’07, chief engineer at Harley-Davidson, and several fellow mentors. Nearly 240 program participants attended this gathering to network and connect with fellow participants.
Along with the remarkable mentoring support from alumni, philanthropic generosity has exceeded $2 million in support of university initiatives, including a $1.5 million gift in 2022 from mentor Bill Krueger, Eng ’87, to endow the Robert H. Radtke Marquette Mentors Directorship.
Marquette Mentors fast facts:
- Program interest from mentors and mentees continues at an all-time high, with a record number of applicants (370) and an all-time high of nearly 190 mentor-mentee matches, a 23% increase from 2022-23.
- Alumni mentors are from Alaska to London and 25 states in between.
- The program’s annual mentor retention rate is approximately 95%. This year, 98% of mentors returned.
- Over 1,200 mentees have participated in the program since its launch in 2013-14.
