This report presents a picture of the emerging mentor role, its concomitant satisfactions, and problem areas, based on interviews with and observations of 46 full-time mentors at Empire State College (Saratoga Springs, New York); completion of the Mentor Questionnaire by 38 mentors; and interviews with deans, associate deans, and support staff at four regional learning centers. A description of Empire State College as the setting precedes an analysis of the characteristics of mentors and examination of their daily activities. Emerging roles are explored in relation to advisement, intellectual development, evaluation, professional development, and college development. Problem areas are also discussed, focusing on mentors' concerns about their role in decisionmaking and concerns about workload. A theory is proposed which suggests that mentors progress in five stages of development: anti-traditional; estrangement; personal confrontation; turnaround; and commitment. An appendix contains a copy of the mentor questionnaire, and a bibliography of approximately 75 items concludes the report. (JDD)