Rogers LEAD WT Program Seeking Alumni Mentors

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University alumni are sought to be mentors for students in one of the University’s most prestigious academic programs.

Officials with the Rogers LEAD WT program and the WT Alumni Association are seeking 50 volunteer mentors to work with the current cohort of Rogers LEAD WT students.

The Dyke and Terry Rogers Leadership Education and Development Program, or Rogers LEAD WT, was created in 2012 to challenge high-achieving students to further develop their leadership potential; the Rogers endowed it with a $1 million gift in 2014. It is located within WT’s Division of Academic Affairs.

“By partnering with the Alumni Association to develop an alumni mentor program for Rogers LEAD WT, I believe it can have a three-fold effect on the program: the creation of an alumni association for LEAD, a mentorship program for the scholars, and an internship database specifically for LEAD WT,” said Kimberly Cornelsen, Rogers LEAD WT executive director. “Ultimately, I believe this program will create lifelong relationships between scholars and alumni and be the key to helping scholars find internships, ultimately making a significant impact on the program for years to come.”

Having an alumni mentor is a proven way of helping a young person grow professionally and personally, said Abby Waters, assistant director of the WT Alumni Association.

“When a current student can meet with a former student, they are able to not only learn from them about their professional career, but also gain insight into the alumni’s time at WT—what their favorite class was, what resources helped them the most, and more,” Waters said.

The new mentor program was inspired by a similar one initiated by Waters for her freshmen interdisciplinary studies students in 2020.

“Abbie Coffee, who graduated in May as a Rogers LEAD WT student, suggested that a mentor program would be a good fit for LEAD,” Waters said. “She is still in close contact with her IDS mentor, Lindsey Eggleston, who has been a consistent resource to Abbie for questions, advice and confidence boosting.”

The program will match current Rogers LEAD WT students with alumni who graduated at least three years ago and either had the same major as their match or are in a career the student wishes to pursue. Preference will be given to LEAD alumni, but other alumni will be considered.

Up to 25 students annually are accepted as LEAD WT scholars following an extensive application and interview process. The program is completed in two years, with students taking leadership theory courses, working as a team on service projects, and completing internship experiences and taking part in other real-world activities including networking events and public speaking opportunities.

The 2024-25 Rogers LEAD WT cohort was announced in May, made up of students from five of WT’s six Colleges.

Offering students intellectually challenging, critically reflective and regionally responsive academic programs is part of the mission laid out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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