Cogswell is the academic services coordinator for Rosen College’s Office of Student Services and the creator of its award-winning , which pairs struggling students with peer mentors who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. She shared her expertise with colleagues on a national stage when she was selected to present on the topic of peer advising and mentoring at NACADA’s 36th Annual Conference in 2012.

Under Cogswell’s leadership, this award-winning mentoring program has consistently produced impressive results since its inception in the fall of 2011. From Spring 2012 to Fall 2013 (not including summers), POMP helped 97% of participating students improve their Â鶹ԭ´´ Cumulative GPA with an overall retention rate of 98%. It also attained a 42% overall success rate in helping students who were on academic probation obtain good standing by the end of the term in which they participated in POMP.

“We’re incredibly proud of Vanessa’s contributions to Rosen College and this recognition is very well-deserved,” said Lori Ashby, director of student services at Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “Her work with POMP has positively impacted many students’ lives and this award is further proof of the amazing difference she’s making at Â鶹ԭ´´.”

Mentors and mentees convened for the first time in September for a Meet and Greet event.    Eleven students were in attendance to include: Alexis Altamirano, Albert Cummings, Ryan Dowling, Stephanie Ford, Megan Joyce, Leanna Karpf, Jasmine Kouly, Ruth Prewitt, Alicia Strout, Diana Wechsler and Rachel Williams.

Participants were introduced to the program’s vision, mission and goals, and the mentor-mentee relationship, with the underlying message being that both mentors and mentees will get out of the program what they put into it.  All students involved were encouraged to take the initiative to regularly meet, communicate and work together when needed.

Cogswell shares, “The Peer Mentor Program provides Rosen students with the opportunity to give back as well as improve leadership and team skills.  I am very excited to be a part of this retention initiative and the students involved in the program have amazing attitudes.”

During the meet and greet, mentors facilitated ice breakers to practice leadership skills.  Activities included “who has the most items,” “question ball,” and “create your tattoo,” among others.

In addition to one-on-one sessions between mentors and mentees, Cogswell has organized meetings and activities throughout the semester.  Program participants recently embarked on a “Know Your Rosen Resources” scavenger hunt in early October, which encouraged visits to offices/areas at the Rosen campus to learn about the college’s student resources.

Cogswell hopes that the program will continue to grow, resulting in increased retention and graduation rates.  “Mentoring truly matters and the Office of Student Services is happy to offer this type of program to our students at Rosen.”