PHILADELPHIA – The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania and the team at Athlete Network have partnered with the goal of engaging all current and former Penn student-athletes with available services and resources. Specifically, through the launch of the Red & Blue Network in August 2022, Penn Athletics has established a new platform for the Penn Athletics Mentor Program.
 
The Penn Athletics Mentor Program is an innovative program that matches undergraduate Penn student-athletes with former Penn student-athlete alumni in a mentor/mentee relationship. This relationship provides student-athletes with insight into career possibilities and the job procurement process, networking opportunities, and acts as a sounding board for additional life decisions. For mentors, it is an opportunity to stay involved with Penn Athletics and establish a relationship with current student-athletes that share a similar Penn experience.
 
The mission of the of Penn Athletics Mentor Program is to enable student-athletes to succeed in life after graduation, increase alumni involvement with their sport and Penn Athletics after graduation, strengthen our recruiting efforts in attracting prospective student-athletes, and build upon our extensive alumni network.
 
"One of the first priorities of the Red & Blue Network was to implement a strong and successful mentor program. The mentor program began 15 years ago due to the effort and support of Rick Bowe, C'74," Alanna Shanahan, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation said. "Rick was the driving force behind implementing a mentoring program at Penn. We are beyond appreciative for Rick's dedication, knowledge, and enthusiasm over the past several years. As we look to the future, the Red & Blue Network and the Penn Athletics Mentor Program will provide our student-athletes with a unique experience to connect and learn from former Penn student-athletes."
 
"Athlete Network has designed a platform that will allow us to expand our mentor program and provide a streamlined online experience to our current mentors and mentees," Matt Valenti, Associate Athletics Director, Pottruck Center for Student-Athlete Success said. "A special thank you to Rick Bowe, C'74 for his dedication and effort in building the Penn Athletics Mentoring Program. This initiative would not have been possible without the foundation created by Rick."