Beyond Retention: The Design of a New Peer Mentor Program for Transfer Students*

We present the design of the Transfer Experience Mentoring Program (TEMPO) at Michigan State University, which was piloted in the Fall of 2023. TEMPO is designed to support transfer students through the transition between community college and a university such as MSU. Students who first enroll at community colleges are historically undersupported especially through the transition into the bachelor’s granting institution. TEMPO is designed to utilize resources from MSU to support a student’s transition in their final semester of community college and into their first semester at MSU. This program draws from the skills of experienced MSU transfer students as mentors to provide a direct role model and connection to MSU’s transfer student body. The design and implementation of this program are supported by efforts from the Transfer Student Success Center, the College of Natural Science, and financial support from a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute under the Science Education Program.

In addition to the design, we present early analyses of data collected on the program in Fall 2023. This research aims to uncover how relationships between mentors and mentees act as a path for resources and navigational information to support students’ transition. This presentation will explore the development of a framework to support the understanding of this resource translation through relationships. The larger goal is to address how TEMPO supports students in the transition between community college and a university and how students’ experiences are impacted through their participation in the program.