University Housing and Food Service, CSU, Chico
Faculty Mentor Program
University Housing and Food Service (UHFS) is committed to providing quality out-of-classroom experiences for residence hall students (residence halls and University Village apartments). Recognizing the impact that faculty members have on students, both in the classroom and out, UHFS, in conjunction with the First Year Experience (FYE) Program, is interested in pursuing avenues to increase participation between students and faculty members.
Purpose
The purpose of the Faculty Mentor Program is to provide an open community within the residence halls and University Village for faculty-student engagement. 
This interactive environment would lead to increased dialog between students and faculty. Increased interaction would facilitate a greater understanding for students of the academic process and involve faculty in a new out-of-class room experience with students.
Goals
- To bring faculty mentors and University Housing students together to increase interaction and share perspectives.
- To provide on-campus students with consistent and informal exposure to faculty role models.
- To encourage new students' understanding of the academy’s values and of the faculty’s role in supporting student’s development as intellectuals and professionals.
- To encourage students' use of faculty mentors as resources for information, referral and/or advising.
- To improve faculty member’s understanding of first–year student’s residential experience at the University.
"I really value the faculty mentor program for giving me the opportunity to get to know students outside the classroom. It's always nice to be reminded of what fabulous young people our students are, and having informal conversations with them helps me as a teacher by giving me a better sense of the concerns of and pressures on today's Chico State freshmen. For the students, it means seeing me as more "approachable" and less threatening than they imagined professors might be. That makes it more likely that they will go see professors when they need assistance with classes. I know from first–hand experience with students on "my" hall who are also taking my survey class that they do seek me out more than most students."
— Robert Tinkler, Department of History
"I think the faculty mentor program is a great way for faculty to learn about the kinds of balanced and supportive environments that really exist in the campus residences. Also, it gives students, most often our youngest students, a chance to interact with faculty in a more casual and social environment than the classroom or office hours."
—Teresa Cotner, Department of Art and Art History