Connections That Count
At DU, mentorship is more than a meeting—it’s a mindset. Through meaningful one-on-one connections, students find support, direction, and the confidence to move forward and make an impact.
By Heather Hein
In his first year at the University of Denver, Sam Anderson-Lehman sat in an Introduction to International Studies class with about 50 students—large by DU standards. He asked a couple questions. Then a few more. After class, the professor approached him and said, “Want to walk with me?”
As they crossed campus, the professor asked Anderson-Lehman about his interests and his goals at DU, offering advice on how to make them happen. It was a brief exchange, but it stayed with him.
“At the time, I didn’t think of it as mentorship,” Anderson-Lehman says. “But looking back, that’s exactly what it was. And it’s the kind of moment that happens at DU that I’m not sure happens everywhere else.”
Today, Anderson-Lehman—who is now DU’s associate director of 4D mentoring and planning—calls this being a “mentor for a moment,” and it’s one of the many meaningful ways that connections happen on campus. Whether brief or long-lasting, formal or informal, professional or personal, these connections help students not only grow as learners but also find their path and the confidence to succeed.
Sam Anderson-Lehman is DU's associate director of 4D mentoring and planning.
Sam Anderson-Lehman is DU's associate director of 4D mentoring and planning.
Why mentorship matters
Anderson-Lehman isn’t alone. Ask just about any DU alum about their time on campus, and chances are you’ll hear a story about someone—a professor, peer, or other connection—who made a real difference in their life.
“It’s a big part of what makes DU, DU,” Anderson-Lehman says. “We’ve always been great at connecting people.”
Mentorship builds on those connections, benefiting students in myriad ways—improving their skills, expanding their opportunities and networks, giving them a sense of belonging and the confidence to reach their goals. After graduation, students who had meaningful mentoring relationships during college have higher rates of well-being and professional engagement, and they are more likely to stay connected to their alma mater.
And now, when more people are questioning the value of higher education, Anderson-Lehman says mentorship is more important than ever. “Relationships are what make a difference in education,” he says. “You can study on your own, but until you apply that learning in real-world contexts with other people, it’s hard to translate knowledge into action.”
That context is especially crucial for today’s students, many of whom spent key developmental years learning remotely during the pandemic, missing opportunities to practice building meaningful relationships. “You have to remember,” Anderson-Lehman says, “these are students who spent part of their high school education in isolation. Mentorship gives them a safe and supportive way to practice those skills.”
It’s also a powerful antidote to what experts call a national loneliness crisis. “Students could just go to ChatGPT and ask, ‘What should I do with my career?’ and get a perfectly reasonable answer,” Anderson-Lehman says. “But advice from a screen can’t replace a real relationship. Mentorship offers something technology can’t—trust, encouragement, and connection.”
Connection at every step
At DU, mentorship begins before classes even start. When first-year students arrive for orientation, they’ve already been matched with three mentors: a 4D peer mentor, their First-Year Seminar (FSEM) professor, and an academic advisor.
4D peer mentors are returning students who are assigned to an FSEM to guide first years through Discoveries Orientation and throughout the academic year, helping to create a sense of community.
“FSEM is a major moment for every undergraduate student,” Anderson-Lehman says. “From day one, you’re getting to know a faculty member and your peer mentor, in a small group—and you have someone to connect with, go to when you have questions, and help you feel like you belong in the classroom.”
As classes start, students expand their support systems by connecting with their other professors about everything from advice on career goals to working on a research project. One of DU’s key strengths is the accessibility of its faculty, thanks in part to its teacher-scholar model, which offers unique opportunities for collaboration.
Students who work on research teams, for example, get to work closely not only with a faculty member but also with graduate students. “There’s something really powerful that happens when you’ve got an undergrad, a grad student, and a faculty member all working together,” Anderson-Lehman says. “That’s a very specific kind of mentorship ecosystem that you can only really get at a place like DU.”
Small campus, big support
What makes mentorship at DU work so well? Anderson-Lehman believes much of it comes down to size and culture.
“As one faculty member told me before I even started here, ‘You’re going to love DU because it’s big enough that you don’t feel like everyone’s watching you, but small enough that you’ll always see someone you know.’ And it’s true,” he says.
That scale allows for real relationships not just between students and faculty, but between students and staff, alumni, and peers. It also helps foster a culture of care. “We attract people who care,” he says. “That’s not something you can teach, but you can absolutely build systems around it.”
The backbone of DU’s culture of care is the 4D Experience—DU’s holistic approach to student development. Mentorship is one of its three “drivers,” alongside reflection and experiences. Together, they support students as they explore the four dimensions: intellectual growth, character development, well-being, and lives and careers of purpose.
“We wanted to take the great relationships that already existed and enhance them,” Anderson-Lehman says. “To help students connect the dots from their First-Year Seminar to the day they walk across the stage at graduation.”
A constellation of support
To give mentorship structure without losing its organic feel, DU rolled out Crimson Constellation, a digital tool that allows students to chart their own network of support—identifying mentors from across campus life, ranging from coaches and peers to professors and alumni.
“We want students to be able to design their constellation based on what they need,” Anderson-Lehman says. “But we also want to make sure those connections happen.”
Crimson Constellation also can match students with alumni based on shared interests or goals and includes features like mentor mapping, which helps students identify what kinds of support they already have—and where the gaps are.
“Sometimes students have great social support but need more academic or professional guidance,” he says. “Mentor mapping helps them see that, and then we can point them to someone who’s ready to help.”
And help is out there—thousands of alumni have already signed up to be a resource. When students log in, they’re greeted with a welcome message from a DU grad who’s volunteered to connect. “It’s perfect for students who might think, ‘I want to talk to alumni, but I don’t know where to start,’” Anderson-Lehman says. “There are thousands of people ready to talk.”
To support on-campus mentors, Anderson-Lehman leads a workshop series every year called Constellation of Support, which aims to help faculty, staff, and graduate students better support students in whatever role they’re in. The workshops bring in experts from around campus to address topics like having difficult conversations, how to approach identity-based mentoring, and the latest research on mentoring.
He also leads the 4D Mentoring Collaborative, a group of faculty and staff dedicated to expanding and improving mentorship opportunities on campus.
Anderson-Lehman notes that 4D peer mentors and FSEM faculty get special training on how to support students, and that many academic units have their own mentorship programs. For example, the Daniels College of Business offers several programs, including the undergraduate LEAD (Learning by Example, Attaining Distinction) Mentorship Program, which pairs students with industry professionals; the Executive Mentorship Program for graduate students; the Daniels Alumni Mentoring Initiative; and peer mentoring for first-year students.
Structured programs like these go a long way toward getting students comfortable with the mentorship process. DU encourages students to think deeply about why they’re seeking mentorship—what they hope to gain—and to be open to many kinds of support.
“Students don’t always know how to start,” Anderson-Lehman says. “They wonder, ‘Do I need a mentor who’s exactly like me?’ I tell them, ‘No, that person is you. A mentor is someone who helps you become a better version of yourself, not your clone.’”
That kind of guidance can be transformative. Anderson-Lehman says the goal is for students to feel so supported that it seems almost effortless.
“One of my student employees, a first year, once told me something I’ll never forget,” Anderson-Lehman says. “She said, ‘I always thought all this support I was getting—from my RA, my peer mentor, my professors—was just magic. But now I realize it’s intentional. People are working behind the scenes to help us succeed.’”
Want to be a mentor?
Crimson Constellation is a platform where DU alumni can support students as they build skills, expand networks, and gain the confidence to reach their goals. Share career insights and expertise while also connecting with fellow alumni to enrich your own professional path. Learn more at https://crimsonconstellation.du.edu/.
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