The Next Generation of the Sigma Nu Mentor Network
Mentorship and networking have long been recognized as important aspects of the fraternity experience. A reality evidenced by research conducted by the General Fraternity:
- 86% of collegiate brothers believe that their membership should be influential in making business contacts for the future.
- 82% believe their membership will prepare them to start their career.
- 81% feel that alumni support through mentoring and advising is important.
- More than half of alumni agree on the importance of acting as mentors and advisors to support the professional and career advancement of collegiate and young alumni brothers.
The Sigma Nu Mentor Network was initially established in response to this research as an online, on-demand mentoring platform focused on professional and career development. Since then, the program and its related resources have evolved to better serve our members.
The new Mentor Network focuses on process and builds a framework to guide collegiate brothers through their membership experience, providing opportunities for professional exploration and development along the way. The Sigma Nu Mentor Network is comprised of three components:
“Careers In…” Webinar Series. This webinar series began in 2021, during the pandemic, to engage collegiate and young alumni brothers and offer them opportunities to learn about different professional fields and industries. Today, the “Careers In…” series targets our youngest initiates (18-20 years), and it intends to help these brothers explore a variety of industries and help them identify their professional interests through panel discussions, industry overviews, and participant interaction.
Navigators. This component of the Mentor Network is intended for, and targeted at, those brothers who believe they have identified their desired career field. The goal of Navigators is to provide participants with some realistic expectations of what it will be like to work in their chosen field. This goal is accomplished through small peer groups, based on anticipated careers, with each peer group being led by one or two alumni mentors who currently work, or did work, in the same field. The nature of the peer groups is intended to create an opportunity for participants to engage in open conversations about their chosen careers, allowing for the development of relationships that can support and guide further professional development.
Brothers Mentoring Brothers. The third component of the Mentor Network is intended to be an opportunity for collegiate brothers, ideally, those nearing graduation, to engage with chapter and local alumni for professional development and one-on-one mentorship. This component will be implemented and managed locally, with the General Fraternity supporting and promoting those local efforts.
Part of Sigma Nu’s Mission is “To foster the personal growth of each man’s mind, heart, and character.” To that end, we have a responsibility to the collegiate brothers and young alumni to provide opportunities to help them be better prepared as they enter an evolving, hyper-competitive job market, making the Sigma Nu Mentor Network mission critical. To learn more about the redesigned Sigma Nu Mentor Network, please visit the General Fraternity’s website at www.sigmanu.org/mentornetwork.
