To: Deans, Directors, Department Chairs and Administrative Officers
Dear Colleagues:
As you know, UCLA’s Professional Development Program (PDP) is a fundamental resource for developing UCLA’s s future leaders. A key component of the program’s success is the mentorship relationship between the participants and members of the UCLA community who generously volunteer as mentors.
Since PDP launched nearly three decades ago, more than 600 UCLA staff members have graduated from the program and more than 100 mentors from a wide variety of departments have contributed to their accomplishments. The annual cohorts are comprised of high-performing staff who complete several experiential learning activities, including participation in monthly management development seminars, working on a process improvement project for their department, receiving career and performance coaching, and engaging in mentorship with program alumni and senior leaders.
To accommodate the growing number of applicants to the program—and ensure a diverse cohort—we are expanding the number of participants this year to 35. With that said, the number of mentors for the program will need to increase as well. We are keenly focused on recruiting leaders at the Director-level and above, with diverse backgrounds and skillsets.
The total time commitment of a mentor is approximately 15 hours, which includes a one-hour monthly one-on-one meeting and three special events taking place between October 2020 and June 2021. Guidance for maximizing the mentorship experience is provided throughout the year and there is flexibility on schedule and structure.
Participation in a mentorship experience is a highly effective way to cultivate the staff’s leadership potential while also providing a meaningful experience for the mentor.
We hope you will consider supporting staff retention by volunteering to be a mentor this year. To do so, please complete this Mentor Interest Form by Monday, October 19, 2020. If you are matched with one of our 35 participants (see the list of participants (PDF)), you will be notified and receive program documents and event invitations.
For more information about the Professional Development Program please visit our webpage. For questions regarding this opportunity, contact Megan Eigenbrod, Professional Development Program Manager, at meigenbrod@chr.ucla.edu.
Thank you for your ongoing support of staff development at this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Lubbe Levin
Associate Vice Chancellor
Campus Human Resources
