FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences has started a new mentor program to assist incoming honors freshmen in acclimating to the U of A and the college's Honors Program.

The program gives students an opportunity to build relationships and network within the Bumpers College Honors Program.

Seven honors students are serving as mentors this semester: Samuel Goll, a senior from Fayetteville; Victoria Maloch, a senior from Magnolia; Ashley Finney, a junior from Little Rock; Sarah-Beth Delay, a junior from San Antonio, Texas; Rachel Schaffhauser, a sophomore from Little Rock; Emily King, a sophomore from Wichita, Kansas; and Mersady Redding, a sophomore from Marshall.

"In the spring of 2016, current honors students applied to serve as mentors for this mentorship program," said Assistant Dean for Student Programs Leslie Edgar, who is also director of the Bumpers College Honors Program. "They were interviewed and selected for this prestigious program based on their experience, qualifications and willingness to serve in this critical capacity."

Each mentor is responsible for building relationships with the six honors freshmen they are assigned to. Through this relationship, the mentor is expected to provide guidance from a student perspective, clear up misconceptions and engage the students with activities both in and out of the classroom. The mentor is viewed as a support network for the students.

"[The program] provides students with a peer to peer relationship with older students who can easily relate to what they are experiencing as a freshman," said Maloch. "The mentor program hopes to provide not only an older student to help guide them along in the honors requirements, but also a mentor and friend to help them navigate all aspects of college life."

The program provides freshman honors students an additional channel of information and support as they start their college careers.

"We are excited about the program that is being funded by the Honors College," said Edgar. "This program highlights the level of collaboration occurring between our colleges and serves as a critical connection between current honors students and incoming freshman."

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.