Kentucky Convergence Conference

International Peer Mentoring

All Kentucky state universities are looking for ways to increase enrollment and retention. One way is by developing an effective peer mentoring program for international students. This population has traditionally been underserved by universities mainly because it wasn’t seen as necessary to encourage and equip American and international students interaction. With implementation, all newly enrolled international students will have the opportunity to adjust to campus life in regards to academic and social integration. The program consists of twenty one upper class American and international mentors. Working in teams of three, with one mentor being international, helps the program to be consistent. Training is conducted the first week of the fall semester with each student receiving a training manual. When the international student comes to campus, International Student Services assigns the team to the student. E-mentoring by using Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter will take place weekly along with meeting the students for informal encounters.