Welcome to the College of Forestry Mentored Employment Program (MEP)! As a CoF student, you have the chance to collaborate with experienced faculty members on exciting (and paid!) research and field projects!

What is a protégé?

A protégé is someone guided and supported by an experienced mentor. In MEP, protégés work closely with faculty mentors in labs or field settings, conduct research, collect data, and analyze findings. 

Benefits of working with a faculty mentor:

Working with a faculty mentor enhances your personal growth and development. You will have the chance to explore potential career paths while gaining new perspectives, broaden your horizons, develop strong, supportive, professional relationships and apply what you are learning in your classes to hands-on experiences.

Who can be a protégé?

• Currently enrolled CoF undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students
  • Students with only a minor in the College of Forestry (majoring in a non CoF program) are not eligible to apply to the Mentored Employment Program.

Where can MEP experiences take place?

• Laboratory
• Field sites
• Online/remote work

Types of Mentored Employment Program projects:

• Research assistance (lab, field)
• Teaching or educational projects
• Programmatic (develop new programs for a unit/entity/research group)
• Project-based assignments within team projects

How much time will you spend with your mentor?

Protégé’s should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week in direct communication and mentoring with their faculty mentor (in-person, remote, email, etc.).

Student eligibility requirements:

• Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student in the College of Forestry, taking at least 6 OSU credits per term.
• Be in good academic standing (not on academic probation or suspension)

Maximum available weekly Mentored Employment Program hours:

Students can work a maximum of 24 total hours per week. Students working more than one positon on campus will need to split hours between positions. The most current Employment Eligibility and Maximum Allowable Hours can be found in the Student Employment Manual. 

MEP Student Expectations:

• MEP students and faculty mentors should agree on project goals and anticipated outcomes at the start of the project
  • Timeline of project
  • Required training
  • Meeting schedule
  • Communication preference
  • Learning and professional development goals
• An end-of-year write up about your MEP experience will be required and used for program assessment and donor relations
• MEP students should plan on participating in the Mentored Employment Program Poster Symposium in spring term (date TBD)

Other Presentation Opportunities

Students participating in the Mentored Employment Program are encouraged to seek out opportunities to present their research. Presenting and sharing your research helps develop your communication skills and provides networking opportunities with peers who share your interests. There are several other programs for undergraduate research presentations.

• Celebrating Undergraduate Excellence
• Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium
• Western Forestry Graduate Research Symposium
• Additional conferences with undergraduate presentation opportunities
• College of Forestry spring term poster symposium

Are you interested in applying for a Mentored Employment Program position?

Please complete the following steps to apply:

1. Review current mentored employment opportunities. 
2. Complete the Student Services MEP interest form to indicate interest in up to three MEP opportunities.
3. Submit your resume and cover letter to the Mentored Employment Student Technical Pool position on the OSU jobs website.
   • Please note that if you would like to send separate cover letters specific to faculty that you are applying to, you may attach them to your OSU application as additional documents.
4. The 2024-25 Mentored Employment Program application and student interest form are now closed. Thank you for your interest.

Questions about the Mentored Employment Program can be directed to the Student Services Office

116 Peavy Forest Science Center

(541) 737-1594

forestrystudentservices@oregonstate.edu