Tips and tricks for the most effective student staff mentorship from campus rec professionals.
In campus recreation, programs and facilities often get the spotlight, but it’s the people who bring those spaces to life. For many campus rec professionals, the most lasting impact isn’t found in a new building or innovative class but in the relationships they foster with their teams.
Mentorship is a pivotal part of that impact. Whether it’s by guiding a student employee toward a future career, embedding leadership into daily experiences or helping students navigate everyday life experiences, mentorship strengthens both individuals and the department as a whole.
Jodi Hawkins, the director of Campus Recreation at the University of Rhode Island (URI), said mentorship there happens both intentionally and organically.
“By being intentional in our hiring practices and supporting our professional staff’s well-being, we strive to create an environment where they can flourish,” said Hawkins. “Ultimately this allows them to then pour into their students.”
Through programs like Group Exercise Mentorship and Train the Trainer, students are prepared to become nationally certified instructors and trainers. The programs create great opportunities for peer mentorship — through evaluations and regular check-ins — and help students become integrated with professional staff.
EXTRA CREDIT: Read this column on the benefits of campus rec mentorship programs.
Aside from structured mentorship programs, URI also aims to embed mentorship into daily experiences. The goal, Hawkins said, is not for mentorship to be transactional but relational, emphasizing collaboration and shared experiences. Through staff meetings, leadership roles and their Student Leadership Committee, her goal is to transform the facility into a “leadership lab where students learn through real-world practice.”
Positions such as program assistants or student building managers create tangible pathways for student growth. These roles give students hands-on responsibility while being guided by professional staff. Hawkins pointed out that most student employees won’t end up in campus recreation long-term, which makes it essential to instill values, skills and confidence that translate to any career.
This is a common theme for mentorship, with Elon University also stressing the importance of providing students with a universal skillset. Cam Adams, the director of Campus Recreation at Elon, noted how some students initially see campus recreation just as a job or a way to be involved.
“It’s not until later they realize they need tangible skills to be successful,” said Adams. “Students are learning when they’re ready for it and not when we’re ready to give it to them.”
Adams believes skills like professionalism or how to interact in difficult situations could be a key factor in a student being hired or promoted in college or in the future. He shared an example of this with a previous student.
“She was always pushing the boundaries of being professional, but she did her job,” said Adams. “When she wasn’t promoted to be a student supervisor, we talked and I let her know I didn’t trust she would make the right decision in a difficult situation. In one semester she turned around and eventually became one of my best supervisors. Once she graduated, she worked for a Fortune 500 company and within the first year was promoted three times.”
EXTRA CREDIT: Listen to this podcast about building a collaborative team of student and professional staff.
Elon’s “Take a Student to Lunch” program exemplifies their mentorship philosophy of personalization. Campus rec professional staff can connect with student staff over casual meals, creating space for authentic conversations, life lessons and trust-building that may not happen in formal training sessions. These small, intentional moments can open the door to mentorship that feels personal rather than procedural.
Another way campus rec departments are finding intentional mentorship moments over planned sessions is through their time. Adams said relationship building is pivotal for his team and for effective mentorship. He ensures from the start that all campus rec professionals know their priority is getting to know the students.
“During the day I make it a point to interact with different students from all of our teams,” explained Adams. “Over time that builds a relationship so I can be a mentor when I need to be. You don’t want the first and only conversation with a student to be when they’ve done something wrong or when they graduate.”
The Campus Recreation department at DePaul University also values spending time with students as well as building a safe environment. Scott Vandermoon, the director of Campus Recreation, said the best ability is availability.
He believes spending time with student staff in informal situations is one of the most valuable aspects of a campus rec leader and one of the strongest tools for connection — whether that’s by taking them for coffee or just walking around campus.
Vandermoon also emphasized the need for pushing students out of their comfort zones. “Mentors have a responsibility to help students recognize their blind spots and broaden their worldviews,” he said. “Growth happens when perspectives are stretched, broadened and challenged — and mentorship is a powerful tool to guide that process.”
EXTRA CREDIT: Check out these best practices for retaining student employees.
When it comes to challenging students, Schyler Horton, the assistant director of Student Employment and Development at DePaul, finds it important to create a safe environment for everyone. As a previous student employee herself, she said she’s seen the vitality of bringing current students strong mentorship and developing an environment where they thrive.
Hawkins and her department emphasize a safe environment for impactful mentorship as well. “What worked five or ten years ago still holds true today,” she said. “Creating an environment where individuals feel valued for who they are and what they do, and where they’re encouraged to pursue shared goals and make a difference, remains the cornerstone of effective mentorship across all generations.”
Between each of these examples of effective mentorship across departments, several key themes emerge. First, being intentional is key. Leaders set the tone by modeling mentoring behaviors, carving out time for personal connection and embedding guidance into everyday work. Simple gestures — checking in after a shift, offering encouragement or giving thoughtful feedback — build up, ultimately creating an environment where students feel seen and valued.
Second, mentorship is a reciprocal process. Mentors can learn as much as they teach and need to be open to feedback to make their mentorship better. Successful leadership and mentorship can contribute to department and community growth.
“Mentorship turns into a community, helping students strengthen leadership, communication and problem-solving skills,” said Hawkins. “When people are mentored well, they’re more likely to mentor others — creating a ripple effect of accountability, care and leadership that continues to shape the culture of campus recreation and our communities for years to come.”
At its core, mentorship in campus rec is about service, growth and community. By prioritizing relationships, embedding leadership into everyday experiences and equipping staff to guide effectively, campus rec leaders create environments where students thrive, all staff feel supported and the culture of mentorship spreads outward. In these spaces, the department becomes a hub for personal and professional growth, and the lessons learned carry far beyond campus buildings.
