Mentoring Graduate Students
Faculty Professional Development Resource
The Graduate School has developed an interactive on-demand professional development tool for faculty to enhance the mentoring of graduate students. The online modules can be completed in any sequence and the included resources can be referenced at any time. The modules include information, resources, and case studies on the topics of connecting students with campus resources, supporting mentees, navigating mentoring challenges and culturally aware mentoring.
Graduate Student Mentoring Agreement
The Graduate School created the Student Mentoring Agreement, an online tool designed to articulate the goals and plans of the unique mentoring relationships between faculty and graduate students. The Mentoring Agreement is customizable to fit the needs of a variety of mentoring contexts, including the ability to add as many of the below modules as desired:- Mentor & Mentee Profiles (getting to know one another)
- Communication Plan (to identify preferred contact info, meeting frequency & methods)
- Project Planner (to develop goals, milestones, and target dates of a project)
- Mentoring Contract (to clarify expectations of both parties)
- Individual Development Plan (to articulate mentee’s career goals and a collaborative plan for skill development)
- Document Review (to facilitate review of professional documents such as a resume, cover letter, interview videos, portfolio docs)
The Mentoring Agreement can be initiated by either the mentor or the mentee in the Kuali Build system. Once submitted, it will be routed to the other party for review, completion, and approval. Following a final approval by the mentor, both parties will receive a PDF copy of the Agreement via email.
Letter of Recommendation Request Form
The Graduate School created a form that can be used by SIUE faculty or staff to collect information to compose a letter of recommendation requested by students, based on the work of Drs. Sarah Conoyer and Carlee Hawkins. Asking students to complete the Letter of Recommendation Request Form when they request a letter not only streamlines the communication process but also allows for the recommender to reduce unconscious bias by collecting standard information for all letter requests.
Helpful External Resources
- Empowering Mentees & Supporting Mentors: Statement of Principles and Practical Actions, published by the Council of Graduate Schools in 2023
- Tips to Keep Graduate Students Motivated & Productive from the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
(If you have not yet activated your NCFDD membership to view this article, visit the Center for Faculty Development & Innovation.) - Equitable Research Collaborations Between Faculty & Grad Students from the ADVANCE Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Georgetown University's Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship resources on Inclusive Mentoring.