Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
HOME OF the BELMONT BRUINS

Athlete Mentoring Program


AMP Logo with Truist

AMP-2023-General

 

Mission Statement

The mission of the Athlete Mentorship Program (AMP)  is to initiate and develop relationships between Belmont student-athletes and professionals from a wide array of industries in the Nashville area.  These connections will provide the student-athlete with guidance and direction in areas such as personal goals, career development, networking, and future employment opportunities as well as offer advice in areas of personal development that will assist the student-athletes as they transition to life after Belmont. 

The program also provides the participating mentors a chance to enhance their leadership and professional skills, while expanding their professional network.  Our hope that the connection between the mentor and mentee will grow and develop into a long-term professional relationship. 

Program Details

  • Open to all junior and senior student-athletes.
  • AMP provides participants the opportunity to connect with a mentor in the Nashville business community in their field of interest.
  • The mentor and mentee are expected to meet at least once a month during the academic year.
  • During the 2023-24 academic year, 49 student-athletes from 14 sports participated in the program.
  • Mentors come from a number of career fields including accounting,entrepreneurship, education, finance, healthcare, law, logistics, music business, publicrelations, sales, and sports.
  • The group of mentors from the 2023-24 academic year, included 19 Belmont alumni,including 13 former student-athletes.

Mentorship Expectations


Relationship Strategy

A student-athlete will be connected with a mentor during their junior or senior year. The mentor serves as a Career Coach, helping the athlete focus on the important steps of the career development process, including personal research, networking, interviewing, and internships.   

Mentor Expectations:

Mentors will:

  • Correspond with your mentees on a monthly basis
  • Provide guidance and education on potential career paths
  • Assist the mentee in preparing for a career in his field of interest
  • Help introduce the mentee to the Belmont network
  • Help the mentee build a network for internship and full-time opportunities

Confidentiality

The knowledge that you have about a student-athlete has been shared with you in confidence. Please respect the privacy of the mentee and do not share private information with anyone. Do not discuss a student’s academic record or personal history in an open area where others may hear.

Mentoring Limitations

As a mentor, understand that your approach to school and learning, your experiences, your personal academic goals, and you support networks may be very different from your mentee. As a mentor, you must maintain an appropriate mentor/mentee relationship. Most importantly, please know that you are not ultimately responsibly for your mentee’s success.

As a mentor, it is critical that you do NOT:

  • Take on more responsibility than appropriate for a mentor.
  • Get involved in a student’s personal problems.
  • Do a student’s academic work, regardless of circumstance.
  • Contact a member of the coaching staff or parent.
  • Advise a student on academic matters (i.e. course selection).
  • Tutor for classes.
  • Discuss your student’s academic and/or personal history with anyone.

Mentor Suggestions

  • Take your own approach to building a relationship with your mentee.
  • Remember that your purpose is to provide personal and professional support.
  • Tell the student what you hope to accomplish during the mentoring sessions.
  • Try to find common ground with the mentee (a mutual interest, etc.).
  • Ask your mentee about his goals and his action plan for achieving those goals.
  • Help him understand how his coursework is relevant to the real world.
  • Offer encouragement and motivation.
  • Attend on & off campus events together.
  • Discuss ways to find appropriate support for career and academic development.
  • Invite your mentee to join you during your regular activities.
    • Ask them to meet you at your office so that they can attend a conference, work related meeting or networking event.
    • Join you for a meal (see compliance section for requirements).

Academic Integrity

It is the responsibility of the Belmont University Department of Athletics to establish and maintain academic integrity. As mentors, you are hereby required to respect academic integrity as well.

NCAA Compliance

The mentoring of student-athletes can be a mutually beneficial experience for all involved. In order to ensure a successful program, there are some important rules that all mentors need to be aware of when working with student-athletes and that student-athletes must adhere to when working with a mentor. Violating these rules can lead to the termination of your involvement with Belmont Athletics as well as cause the student-athlete involved to become ineligible. Sanctions against the entire athletics department can ensue from minor violations.

  • According to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, as a result of a mentor’s involvement in this program he/she is deemed a Representative of Athletics Interest, commonly known as booster.
  • Receipt of a benefit by prospective or current student-athletes, their relatives or friends that is not available to the general student body can result in a violation of NCAA rules. Examples of an extra benefit would include, but are not limited to, the provision of any transportation, housing, clothes, entertainment, recreation, preferential loan terms or free or reduced-cost services. Violations for the receipt of an extra benefit will affect the eligibility of the prospective or current student-athlete and can have devastating results for the athletics department and specific sports program.
  • Mentors are prohibited from tutoring student-athletes in any academic course.
  • Mentors are considered an Athletics Department affiliate, and therefore are not allowed to accept a student-athlete’s complimentary admission tickets for an event or any other benefit from a student-athlete.
  • All mentors and student-athletes are expected to conduct themselves professionally and with integrity at all times.
  • If a student-athlete suggests to you that you do anything that may violate the mentor program, Belmont University, OVC, or NCAA rules, you are required to contact Heather Copeland, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Belmont promptly.
  • Belmont Athletics reserves the right to terminate any mentor’s involvement with the program that seems to operate outside of these guidelines/boundaries.
  • As a participant in Belmont’s student-athlete mentoring program, mentors may provide a meal and/or transportation for a student-athlete mentee as long as it is part of the regular mentoring activities of the program.
Schauer Testimonial

Chastonay Testimonial

About Truist
Truist Financial Corporation is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities. Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country and offers a wide range of products and services through our retail and small business banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, insurance, wealth management, and specialized lending businesses. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is a top 10 U.S. commercial bank with total assets of $555 billion as of June 30, 2023. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.