FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Timothy R. Brown, (817) 272-9208, trbrown@uta.edu

ARLINGTON - The University of Texas at Arlington will participate in a national mentoring program dedicated to helping military veterans make the transition from the battlefield to the business world. 

American Corporate Partners joins military men and women with corporate and higher education mentors. The partnership with IBM, Campbell Soup, General Electric, The Home Depot, URS Corporation, Verizon Communications and The University of Oklahoma was announced Thursday by UT Arlington President James D. Spaniolo.

ACP is a competitive program. It can only accept about 20 UT Arlington mentors annually who will assume a number of roles, including communicator, coach, navigator, developer and adviser to their assigned veteran protégé.

The program targets all veterans who have served on active duty since 2001, including those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spouses of severely wounded or deceased veterans may also apply as protégés.

The initiative is part of UT Arlington's commitment to aiding military men and women returning to college. Military veteran enrollment is up more than 20 percent since fall 2008. UT Arlington's Veterans Benefits Office works daily to assist veterans as they transition to college life. 

As higher education ACP role models, UT Arlington mentors will be able to provide a unique and important community service to veterans.  If you are interested in participating in the ACP program, please apply by Oct. 15, 2009.

Here's how it works:

• Mentors are chosen by ACP staff. The ideal mentor is 35 or older than 35 and has had significant career experience.
• Mentors and protégés are matched one-on-one by their city of residence and according to their mentoring preferences.
• ACP encourages mentors and protégés to meet monthly, engaging in the activities of their choice. (If you can't meet in person, a phone conversation may be suitable on occasion.)
• The mentoring commitment is for one year, but parties may decide to maintain the relationship for a greater period of time.
• Once matched, ACP staff will be in contact regularly to track the progress of the relationship.

If you are interested in participating as mentor, please visit www.acp-usa.org. The mentor application is located under the "Corporate Mentor" tab. The access code is: UTARL.

For more information about the program, contact Emily Taron at etaron@acp-usa.org or by phone at 212-752-0700.

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