UA News

Arizona Assurance scholars - first-generation, in-state students - met their mentors Tuesday in the first of many visits to help them acclimate to the UA and excel as students.

Nearly 1,000 University of Arizona freshmen gathered to meet their mentors Tuesday in the first of many opportunities to ease their transition to University life.

The freshmen are Arizona Assurance scholars – first-generation students from Arizona who are paired with 500 campus faculty and staff mentors who aid in student retention with the goal of increasing the state's university graduation rates.

The Arizona Assurance program was created in 2008 to provide financial assistance and retention programs for in-state students who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Students in the inaugural class are now juniors, and each year the program has grown.

The program was launched by UA President Robert N. Shelton, who strongly supports the mentorship component: "The students that come into this program are smart – good, solid students that work hard – but sometimes they can get a bit at sea in a complicated organization like this."

His support is backed by solid retention numbers. Of the nearly 590 Arizona Assurance scholars enrolled during the 2008-09 academic year, 96.1 percent remained in school from the fall to the spring semester, and 80.1 percent stayed into the fall 2009 semester.

The program is available for Arizona residents from families with an annual gross income of up to $42,400 and who apply and are accepted at the UA during their senior year of high school. Scholarships cover tuition, fees, books and room and board, and students work campus jobs to help cover costs.

To help ensure the students' success, Arizona Assurance recruited 500 UA mentors over the summer and provided them with training that included an overview of the program, mentoring basics and crisis intervention. And the program is still recruiting more mentors.

Mary Irwin, UA coordinator for student retention and Arizona Assurance representative, works to pair students with mentors who share similar interests or are working in the field of study in which the student would like to major.

Mentors are paired with two or more students, and they meet at least twice during the semester to share career and degree information or advice.  

"The initial meeting is special because it is the first step in what will hopefully be a meaningful and lasting relationship between the new UA students and their mentors," Irwin said.

Scholars participate in the program's Focus on Success, which highlights the various services available on campus to help them succeed at the University. Students attend workshops on money management, learning strategies and the benefits of internships as well as the importance of the required enrollment in first-year transition programs such as the UA's MERITS program – Maximum Educational Results in Two Semesters.   

The Arizona Assurance program is funded with $9 million in private gifts, including a leadership gift of $2 million from the Helios Education Foundation. The UA has a long-term goal of building a $100 million endowment to support the program in perpetuity.