SMART Program

The Office of Residence Life SMART (Students of Color Mentoring, Aiding, Retaining, and Teaching) Program is a mentoring program designed to offer social, cultural, leadership, and academic support to first-year students of color living in the residence halls at Bowling Green State University.

We believe that one of the best ways to teach our students is to provide them with opportunities to learn from other students on campus. Our program allows first-year students to work very closely with successful upper-class students who care about and are committed to helping students of color be successful here at BGSU.

The ultimate goals of the SMART program are:

• assist first year students of color with their transition to BGSU
• increase the number of students who return to the University for their second year
• provide a forum for discussion of the residential experience in order to make it positive and rewarding

Who are the SMART Mentors?

The SMART Mentors are upperclass student leaders who live in the residence halls. Each mentor is assigned a small group of three to five first-year students. The mentors help their mentees make the transition from high school to college by offering resources and guidance to their mentees, as well as motivating them to feel comfortable navigating around BGSU's campus. The mentors go through on-going training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to give their mentees appropriate resources.

The SMART Creed

As a SMART mentee, I will strive to achieve academic excellence, participate in SMART sponsored events and make an earnest effort to get to know other students in my residence hall community.

• Agree to actively participate in the mentor relationship
• Agree to attend monthly workshops, activities, programs or events scheduled by the SMART program
• Agree to complete evaluations/questionnaires about your mentor or the SMART program
• Agree to meet weekly with mentor
• Agree to reside on campus