Faculty Mentorship Program Interview with Dr. Andrew Spieldenner

Faculty Mentorship Program

For this interview, we discussed what the Faculty Mentorship Program is and how it can
deem beneficial for first-generation college students. Yes, this program is dedicated to the
growth of CSUSM students but is prioritized for first generation college students specifically.
The responsibilities of the faculty mentors is to help assist and guide students to a
successful college and post college experience. What Dr. Spieldenner and I discussed was
how he got involved and how much he has enjoyed mentoring CSUSM students. Dr.
Spieldenner is also a first generation college graduate so he can identify and relate to those
in this program. His understanding is correlated to “Mentoring and undergraduate academic
success: A literature review”, where the author mentions how mentors serve as emotional
support, appraisal support, and informative support. (Jacobi, 1991) As a current mentee, I
can attest to say that this program has been nothing but a beneficial factor to the guidance
and support in my time at CSUSM. The faculty truly cares and wants to help those stay on
track to their goal of graduating and setting up a future after graduation.