SPDC’s Landscape Architecture Program has officially launched a mentorship program for students
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EmailWith support from the Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board, the MSU School of Planning, Design, and Construction’s Landscape Architecture Program has officially launched a new mentorship program for students.
With support from the Landscape Architecture Alumni and Advisory Board, the MSU School of Planning, Design, and Construction’s Landscape Architecture Program has officially launched a new mentorship program for students.
The purpose of this program is to foster leadership and professional work ethics for members of the MSU Student American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Organization through mentoring with members of the LAAAB.
This program will offer the MSU ASLA Student Chapter opportunities to grow leadership skills, to prepare successful careers, and to understand the work ethics and value of the landscape architecture profession.
As the first year of the program, seven mentoring groups have been assigned with two mentors and three-four mentees per group.
The program is expected to evolve over time. Once mentees graduate, they will become junior mentors. Eventually, each group will have senior members (LAAAB past/current members), junior members (recent gradate mentees) and mentees (current students).
Each group will have various formats of group activities and suggested issues, including steps to become a promising professional, how to prepare job application materials, how to grow leadership skills, resumes and portfolio reviews, how to improve public speaking, reviewing do’s and don’ts when meeting with a client, understanding common conflicts of interest in the profession, how to network with professionals, and more.
Once mentor-mentee groups have been established, mentors will introduce themselves to their mentees. From there forward, mentees are expected to initiate the activities including face-to-face gathering, telephone calls, in-person portfolio reviews, etc.
The groups are expected to meet face-to-face once per semester when the LAAAB meeting is held at MSU campus, but other distance conference calls, Skype calls, etc. taking advantage of technology are recommended.
To learn more, contact LA Program Director Jun-Hyun Kim, associate professor of landscape architecture, at junhkim@msu.edu.
