Mentor program provides HANDS-ON learning
Graduating from college and starting a professional career can be a difficult transition for many students. While they can study books, take tests, complete a curriculum and graduate with honors, they might find it’s hard to apply their newfound knowledge to real-life experiences.
One Capital Electric Cooperative commercial consumer helps ease the school-towork transition by offering
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Kaeding says he and Dosch talked frequently about graduate retention in North Dakota. While he’s tempted by the bright lights of a metropolitan area, he says he would definitely consider raising his family in his home state. |
Students can choose to take a Professional Skills Series in mentoring through the Harold Schafer Emerging Leaders Academy. In the first training sessions, students discuss their career path and mentoring expectations with Reich. The university then connects each student to a professional in the community for a one-on-one learning experience. Past mentors have included physicians, psychologists, key educators, bankers and business owners.
Once the mentoring partnership is established, the mentee/mentor pair will meet once or twice a month for a semester, giving the students an opportunity to ask questions about their field and the future.
During the 2004-2005 school year, 10 students gained valuable insights from a mentor, and this year seven students are involved. Reich says the program is a terrific opportunity that opens doors.
A junior majoring in business and accounting, student Nathan Kaeding recently applied for the mentoring program. The university arranged for him to be mentored by Vern Dosch, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC). NISC is an information technology company that develops and supports software and hardware solutions for its member/owners.
A former graduate of the University of Mary, Dosch began his career in the utility industry in 1975 with Capital Electric in Bismarck. He then worked for Basin Electric Power Cooperative from 1979 to 1985 as a financial analyst. In 1985, he left Basin to work for North Central Data Cooperative (NCDC) as office manager. In July 2000, the company consolidated with Central Area Data Processing Cooperative and merged to become NISC. Dosch was promoted from office manager to general manager, before eventually becoming president and CEO.
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Vern Dosch, right, says Nathan’s aptitude, attitude, sincerity and professional will serve him well. |
“The first time I met him, I was kind of nervous,” Kaeding says. “Vern made me feel so comfortable. He put all my fears to rest and reassured me that this was going to be such a positive experience. He said I could talk to him about anything and there was no reason to be nervous. It was such an amazing experience.”
Dosch invited Kaeding to NISC, introduced him to the staff and asked him to participate in a new-employee orientation. They met six or seven times over the duration of the mentoring program and visited for several hours. Kaeding says he admired Dosch’s servant-leader approach to management.
“He likes to go out of his way and ask his employees about their family lives. He takes them out to eat, offers to help them and does little things. Even though he is a CEO, he treats his vice president and the secretary the exact same way,” he says.
Dosch agreed to serve as a mentor because he felt it allowed him to give something back to the University of Mary. He also wanted the opportunity to help Kaeding prepare for career choices and future employment. As a first-time mentor, Dosch says the program exceeded his expectations.
“In reality, I received much more than I gave. My sessions with Nathan were an absolute pleasure. I was impressed with the preparation, sincerity and diligence with which Nathan researched his questions and engaged in our discussions,” he says.
Kaeding plans to graduate in May 2007. While the formal mentoring program ended in April, he hopes to keep in touch with Dosch.
“Vern said I should feel free to call him; especially when I start looking for employment. From all the wonderful things I’ve heard about NISC, I would definitely consider it a great business to work for. They hire a lot of graduates, and it seems that if a person works hard and goes the extra mile, there’s room to move up the ladder,” he says.
Kaeding was so impressed with his mentoring experience that he’s considering becoming a mentor for junior high school students. He also recognizes the value of the University of Mary’s ability to create a compatible match and positive experience.
“They choose top professionals in the area who have so much knowledge and life experiences to share,” he says.
“Hopefully, mentors can learn from them.”