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CAFNR Connections February 2006: Vol. 1, No. 1

Fall 2005 in Review

Mentor: a wise and trusted counselor, a loyal adviser, a guide.

Since the program's inception in July 2005, nearly 120 alumni and friends of the College have registered to provide career assistance to current students. Unlike other mentoring programs, the CAFNR Connections Program is designed to be flexible — for both mentors and students. Mentors have the opportunity to participate in career programming, develop a relationship with one or more students or simply answer career questions from students.

To date, almost 60 CAFNR students have initiated contact with mentors, and 68 percent of the mentors have been actively involved in the program through career events and student interactions. Several students from other colleges have inquired as to how they could access the Connections program — a testament to good word-of-mouth advertising and our students' positive experiences!

Kickoff: Mocktails with Mentors

The CAFNR Connections mentoring program was formally introduced to students during the September 26 kickoff entitled Mocktails with Mentors. More than 80 students and mentors attended to learn networking tips and enjoy meeting each other.

Chef Leslie Jett demonstrates the art of balancing plate, glass and napkin with one hand.

Mentor Lane McConnell visits with Ag Journalism major, Sarah Jackson.

Mentors who attended the kickoff event:

David Baker, MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Charles Barr III, Clay Co. Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites
Ginger Berry, Missouri Ag Industries Council, Inc. (MO-AG)
Robert Bockserman, Conatech Consulting Group, Inc.
Luke Burbank, Missouri Cattlemen's Association
Glenn Chambers, Missouri Department of Conservation
Mark Claypole, Regions Bank
Zach Crews, Slater Public Schools
Julie Deane, Tierney-Deane Restaurant Services
Derrick Deneke, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Michelle Devlin, Principal Financial Group
McKenzie Keedy Disselhorst, Missouri Cattlemen's Association
Jessica Duffey, Kforce, Inc.
Darla Eggers, Missouri Cattlemen Foundation
Stephen Ellis, self-employed
Dan Engemann, Missouri Department of Agriculture
Jody Foutch, Syngenta
Tony Francis, USDA Farm Service Agency

Sarah Gehring, Missouri Department of Agriculture
Colleen Griswold, Eldon Career Center
Rachel Hardecke, Monsanto
Anna Hardecke, Monsanto Company, Redwood Falls
Dana Haynes, MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Cathy Herren, MU Alumni Association
George Kastler, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Jessica MacArthur, MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Lane McConnell, Learfield Communcations
Sam McCorkle, Morton-McCorkle & Associates, Inc.
Doug Mertens, NK Brand Seeds
Jeff Moore, Learfield Communications
Roger Morrison, Cargill
Mike Norwald, Ray-Carroll Grain Growers, Inc.
Leigh Nutter, City of Columbia
David Perkins, MFA Oil Company
David Rapoff, NK Brand Seeds
Gina Riekhof, Gilmore & Bell, P.C.
Cara Riekhof, KMZU
Jaime Steiner, Central Bancompany
Alan Weber, MARC-IV
Jeff Windett, Circle A Angus Ranch

Etiquette Dinner

This year's record-setting attendance at the Etiquette Dinner actually required last-minute additions to the seating by Chef Jett's capable Hotel and Restaurant Management crew. Was it the valuable instruction, excellently prepared beef medallions or a chance to meet Connections mentors that drew the crowd? Probably all three! In any case, 75 people attended — 17 of them Connections mentors.

A big thanks to Dana Henke (USDA, Farm Service Agency), Daryl Oldvader (Farm Credit Services), Steve Ellis (self-employed), Jaime Steiner (Central Bancompany), Ginger Berry (Missouri Ag Industries Council, Inc.) Nathan White (Farm Credit Services), Narin Tipsrisukond (Biosyntropy Solutions, LLC), Lisa Strek (Monsanto), Doug Mertens (NK Brand Seeds), Leslie Lehenbauer (MFA, Inc.) Jennifer Bloss (Cole Co. R-I School District), Kyle Search (Central Bancompany), Mark Claypole (Regions Bank), Cathy Herren (MU Alumni Association), Kristen Ellis (law student), McKenzie Keedy Disselhorst (Missouri Cattlemen's Association), and Dawn Shellabarger (Central Bancompany).

The mentors met with students before and during dinner sponsored by the Missouri Beef Industry Council — and may have learned a few dining tips as well. Evaluations indicated that students enjoyed meeting mentors and felt that the career development opportunities were much greater than at past etiquette dinners. The main request for next year's program: Include more time for mentors and students to visit!

Success Stories

Senior HRM major Jessica Williams is the type many would call "a real go-getter." Interested in a career in the hotel industry, Jessica has contacted several mentors. Her results with the program are outstanding. In Sue Barr (Marriott International), Jessica has found a long-distance adviser on topics ranging from resume writing to networking in the industry. More recently, Jessica met with Connections mentor Doug Dean (Marriott) in St. Louis. Their "brief" meeting over coffee ended after an hour and a half and included more resume tips and an offer to help with job search. When asked what she would recommend to other students, Jessica enthusiastically stated, "It's not just what you know, who you know is important, too. Take advantage of the Connections program!"
Ag Journalism graduate Adam Buckallew (December 2005) jumped at the invitation from mentor Doug Mertens (NK Brand Seeds) to attend the Mid-America Croplife Association (MACA) meeting in St. Louis. Adam stated that he met many communication professionals, and that it was a great opportunity to learn more about communication roles in the industry. Already this semester, Doug has invited students to attend the spring meeting with him.
How many of us have received a job offer as a result of effective networking? Megan Fox, an Agribusiness Management major, heard from a friend that one of our mentors was looking for an intern to complement his work as a consultant. An application and some follow through later, Megan was interning with Alan Weber (MARC-IV). She says it has been valuable to learn more about how classroom knowledge translates into real world skills — and each new experience helps her to narrow her career focus.
Several students have used the Connections program to complete class assignments. Ashley Mitchell was required to interview a professional for a class assignment. She states, "My mentor was terrific. Emily Dahlbeck (archer>malmo) helped me by answering all my interview questions, but also told me a lot about her job and career — I would recommend her to anyone."
Although Connections is fairly new, one "mentee" has recently become a new mentor! Sarah Henderson (Farm Credit Services), a December 2005 graduate, used the Connections Program to learn more about career possibilities and to network in her field. She has recently registered to help future grads.

John Brown and Dickinson Scholars

January 2006

Already this year, mentors in St. Louis and Kansas City have been busy! On Sunday, Jan. 8, Connections mentors Doug Dean (Marriott), Rick Meyer (Meyer and Black Real Estate), Bob Bockserman (Conatech Consulting Group, Inc.), Sam McCorkle (Morton-McCorkle and Associates, Inc.), Lisa Sisco (Aramark), and Cheston Easter (Anheuser-Busch) joined former John Brown Scholars and alumni in kicking off the John Brown Scholars Program 2006.

Sam presented a program on communication styles titled, "I Speak Your Language." Alumni Lise Herren (Anheuser-Busch) and Doug Dean (Marriott) spoke during dinner on the value of mentoring and networking and how to use the week-long internship program most effectively.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, alumni gathered on the other side of the state in Kansas City to meet the 20 Dickinson Scholars and cheer the Tigers on to victory against Oklahoma. Connections mentor Nancy Yates (AFA — Agricultural Future of America) spoke to the group of 20 Scholars, emphasizing the importance of networking and connecting with professionals during the week-long program.

Connecting to the Future

You May Be Famous

One helpful suggestion from our December student survey was to increase program publicity on campus. Although career services promotions focused on Connections during the fall, as a relatively new program, many faculty, staff and students are still learning about the program.

Congruent with the philosophy of the program, Ag Journalism student Sara Muri is helping with this goal. Sara will spend this spring semester profiling at least ten mentors to highlight career paths. She may be contacting you in the near future. Mentors will be featured in our alumni publication, Momentum, on the CAFNR Web site and through other communication venues on campus.

Connecting with the CAFNR Curricula

Jan Dauve, agricultural economics professor, together with Scott Brown and Lori Wilcox of FAPRI (the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute), taught a new course last fall on agricultural policy. Primary goals of the course are to generate awareness of legislation, its effects on agriculture and modes of influence. A discussion of both the course and the Connections program led to an idea: Why not match students in the course with mentors who have similar interests in Washington, D.C.?

This program is being developed and will serve as a model for the future!

Events and College-Wide Workshops

Finance for the Future — TBA
Experience Counts: Intern! — TBA
Hotel and Restaurant Management Career Fair — March 8, 2006
International Etiquette and Dining — March 22, 2006, Eckles Dining Hall
Life Sciences Career Quest — April 18, 2006, Life Sciences Center

Tips for E-mail Mentoring Success

Mentors

Students are sometimes apprehensive about contacting a professional. Be prepared to ask the student questions about his or her interests, classes, goals and activities to help initiate the online conversation.
Share information about yourself. Students are interested in knowing what you enjoy — professional organizations, activities, hobbies and how you balance work life with family and other interests.
You may have a college experience in common with many students. Don't hesitate to ask your students about college experiences — perhaps you can both share stories about class with Dr. Bullock or forestry summer camp.
Offer students the chance to interact with your colleagues if appropriate. For example, if you are in sales and think that a student would benefit from corresponding with the trainer in your department, try to make this connection.
Keep in touch with your student. Send an occasional e-mail to ask how he or she is doing and offer encouragement. Sometimes students worry that they may be bothering you with constant e-mails. Your interest alleviates this fear and encourages the development of a mentoring relationship.

Good advice from a current mentor:

"Keep your options open. Most opportunities only present themselves once. This doesn't mean you need to jump at everything, but be willing to take a chance every now and then."

— Stephen Parsons (JPMorgan EFS)