• College of Forestry faculty
• Post-doctoral researchers
• Faculty research assistants
• Extension faculty

Any OSU campus (including remote work)

• Laboratory
• Field location
• Online/remote work

Faculty Mentor Expectations:

• Faculty interested in participating in the Mentored Employment Program are invited to attend a Research Ready workshop, scheduled for October 11, 2023 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in RICH 123.
  
• Facutly Mentors and students should agree on goals and projects outcomes at the start of the project
  • Project timeline
  • Required training
  • Meeting schedules
  • Communication preference
  • Learning and professional development goals
• A required mid-program assessment will be administered by Student Services to evaluate project progress
• An brief end-of-year write up about your MEP experience is required and will be used for program assessment and donor relations

How much time should mentors plan to spend with protégés?

• Mentoring is an important piece of this program. Mentors should be prepared to spend 1-3 hours per week interacting with with student mentees (in-person, remote, email, etc.). 

Ideal projects for a MEP experience:

• Research assistance (lab, field)
• Teaching or educational
• Programmatic (develop new programs for a unit/entity/research group)
• Project-based (specific set of assignments for overall team project)

MEP funding information:

Project proposals, which meet mentorship and educational outcomes and program goals, will be considered to receive funds. Because funding is limited, any hours that protégé’s work that exceed MEP funds will need to be redistributed to an alternate index (provided by faculty or department). 

• Funds are available to use during fall, winter, and spring terms only
• Projects will be considered based on the nature of the opportunity and experience provided to a CoF undergraduate protégé
• Projects should meet the duties and qualification posted in the CoF Mentored Employment Program (Student Technical Assistant Pool 2023-24) job posting
• The Student Services Office will reach out to CoF undergraduate students with MEP opportunities. Deliberate outreach to students who enhance a diverse college community and who would benefit from a mentorship will be made
• Monthly funding updates will be provided to assist with planning protégé hours and prevent overspending of MEP funds
• Funding is limited and will only be awarded to one proposal per faculty

Student eligibility requirements:

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student in the College of Forestry
  • Part-time students are eligible
  • Students with only a CoF minor are not eligible
• Good academic standing (not on academic probation or suspension)

Students who may benefit from a mentorship experience:

• Students from underserved and underrepresented communities
• First generation students
• Veterans
• First and second year students (including incoming Transfer students)
• Students who have not previously participated in a mentorship program or worked with faculty

Maximum weekly Mentored Employment Program hours:

• Mentored Employment Program opportunities are announced to students during fall term
• The program runs during fall, winter and spring terms
• Students are allowed to work a maximum of 20 total hours per week. Students working more than one positon on campus will need to split their hours between positions. The most current Employment Eligibility and Maximum Allowable Hours can be found in the Student Employment Manual

Presentation Opportunities

Students participating in the Mentored Employment Program are encouraged to seek out opportunities to present their research. Presenting and sharing your research helps develop communication skills and provides networking opportunities with peers who share interests. There are several programs for undergraduate research presentations.

• MEP students are required to participate in the spring term Mentored Employment Program Research Symposium (date/time TBD)
• Fall Virtual Symposium (FVS)
• Western Forestry Graduate Research Symposium (WFGRS)

Are you interested in applying to be a Mentored Employment Program Faculty Mentor? 

CoF faculty interested in participating in the Mentored Employment Program should submit a proposal submission form detailing your project, how mentoring an undergraduate will impact your research and what type of experience students can expect.