Faculty Guides: A Mentoring Program for Undergraduates
Faculty Guides: A Mentoring Program for Undergraduates
Your future. Your questions. Your conversation.
What could your future in computing look like? Whether you're exploring career paths, considering graduate school, or figuring out where your interests might lead, it helps to hear from someone who's been there.
Faculty Guides is a new undergraduate mentoring pilot that gives students the opportunity to connect with an experienced faculty member for personalized advice, encouragement, and conversations about their academic, professional, and personal growth.
Designed to complement academic advising, peer advising, and career services, the program offers a different perspective on navigating college, exploring opportunities, and preparing for what comes next.
About the Program
Faculty Guides is a mentoring pilot designed to help students explore their interests, ask questions, and gain perspective from faculty with experience in computing, research, and industry.
This first year is an opportunity to learn what works best for students and how the program might grow to include additional faculty mentors in the future.
Meet Your Faculty Guide
For the 2026–27 academic year, Professor Laura Haas, former dean of the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and longtime IBM research leader, will serve as the program's faculty mentor.
Drawing on decades of experience leading teams, tackling complex challenges, and navigating the evolving technology industry, Laura brings a wealth of perspective to conversations about students' academic and professional futures. She's especially interested in hearing students' ideas, learning about their experiences, and helping them explore how their interests and skills might shape their next steps.
Who Can Participate?
This year's mentoring pilot is open to students majoring or minoring in computer science or informatics who expect to graduate in fall 2027, spring 2028, or summer 2028.
Participants are asked to complete three short surveys—before the program, midway through the year, and at the end of the year—to help evaluate and improve the experience.
Mentoring appointments are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible students are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to express their interest. Signing up does not guarantee an appointment.
Two Ways to Connect
One-on-One Mentoring
Meet individually with a faculty mentor each semester to talk through your questions, goals, and interests.
Small Group Mentoring
Join a group of three to five students for a conversation with a faculty mentor each semester. Hear what others are wondering about, share perspectives, and learn together.
Follow-up conversations may also be scheduled, subject to availability.
How to Get Started
1. Look for an invitation.
Eligible students will receive an email through Navigate beginning Monday, October 26, 2026, inviting them to participate.
2. Sign up and complete a short survey.
Follow the instructions in your invitation to express your interest and complete the initial survey.
3. Schedule a conversation.
After signing up and completing the survey, you'll receive a follow-up email with instructions for scheduling an individual or small-group mentoring appointment. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
4. Stay connected.
Participants will be invited to schedule mentoring conversations each semester and complete brief follow-up surveys to help improve the program.
Faculty Chats: Conversations About Computing, Careers, and More
Want to hear how faculty found their way into computing? Faculty Chats brings together small groups of professors to share their career paths, research, teaching interests, and perspectives on where the field is headed—and to answer student questions.
These informal conversations offer an opportunity to connect with faculty, explore different areas of computing, and hear about the experiences that shaped their careers.
Faculty Chats events are open to all CICS undergraduates. You do not need to participate in the Faculty Guides mentoring program to attend.
Join us for the first Faculty Chat on Wednesday, November 4, from 11 a.m. to noon in LGRC A112. Light refreshments will be provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
What could I talk about with a faculty guide?
The conversations are shaped by your interests and questions. Some possibilities include:
- Career exploration: Your interests and goals, career paths to consider, different industry roles, working on teams, work–life balance, and whether or when to pursue graduate school.
- College experiences: Finding community, exploring enrichment opportunities, balancing school and life, and deciding which areas of computing to explore more deeply.
- The bigger picture: Where computing is headed, how education and technology are changing, and how you can prepare for the future and use your skills to make a positive impact.
Can a faculty guide help with academic scheduling, interview preparation, or finding a job or internship?
Faculty Guides complements the support already available through CICS Advising and Careers.
Your academic advisor remains your primary resource for course planning, degree requirements, and graduation progress. CICS Careers can help with resumes, interviews, internships, job searches, and other professional development opportunities.
Faculty Guides offers a different perspective: the opportunity to talk through your interests, decisions, and goals with someone who has navigated many of these experiences.
What if I need confidential mental health support?
Faculty guides are not counselors. For mental health support, contact the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH).
For 24/7 crisis support, call 413-545-HELP (4357). If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
I have additional questions. Who can I contact?
Email cicsfacultyguides [at] umass [dot] edu (cicsfacultyguides[at]umass[dot]edu) for more information about the program.
