MentorPRO
MentorPRO and the University of Massachusetts Boston are partnering to expand access to high-quality, personalized student support through AI-enhanced peer mentoring.
This initiative will integrate an AI-assisted tool, MentorAI, into the existing MentorPRO platform—an evidence-based mentoring solution created by UMass Boston Professor Jean Rhodes. The project will pilot the enhanced platform with approximately 480 UMB students, focusing on first-generation and historically underserved learners. By combining trained peer mentors with AI-informed guidance, the partnership aims to improve student retention, academic performance, and overall well-being.
The partnership represents a significant step toward scaling innovative, student-centered support services. With UMB serving as a testbed for design and evaluation, the project will examine how AI can enhance mentor response quality, improve student engagement, and support early identification of mental health or academic risks. The initiative will also generate valuable research and shareable insights that can inform similar efforts at other institutions. Technical implementation is grounded in rigorous privacy, ethical AI, and equity frameworks—drawing on UMB’s deep research expertise and the collaborative efforts of its Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring and Paul English Applied AI Institute.
This work builds on MentorPRO’s momentum, including its recent recognition as a Transform-level winner in the Tools Competition, which celebrates breakthrough innovations in education. The award affirms MentorPRO’s leadership in developing scalable, human-centered mentoring solutions and underscores the growing potential of AI-human collaboration in education. Axim Collaborative is proud to support this meaningful partnership and help advance equitable access to high-impact learner support systems.
COLLABORATORS
Jean Rhodes, PhD
Co-founder, MentorPRO, Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology, UMass Boston
Co-founder, MentorPRO
Nancy McNamara
Director of Product Success, MentorPRO
Ania Sanchez
Director of Research; Associate Director, Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, UMass Boston
