Mentoring Guidelines and Activities
Both mentors and mentees need to understand their responsibilties in the mentoring relationship. Since this is a two-way relationship, both parties need to be accountable for their actions or neither party will benefit. Below are the general mentoring guidelines that mentors and mentees should follow:
- Attend mentoring training workshop(s)
- Contact each other on a regular basis
- At each contact, schedule your next phone call or meeting
- Cancel any appointments you are unable to attend
- Inform each other and CWD of any changes in address, e-mail or phone number
- Share good news and accomplishments together instead of just calling when you have a problem or a question
- Follow through on agreed upon responsibilities
- Verbally end the relationship if it does not work, notify CWD office
Program Events
The Faculty and Graduate Student Mentoring Program provides several formal and informal opportunities for mentors and mentees to meet each quarter. Throughout the year, CWD also hosts seminars and workshops related to graduate student development. These are excellent opportunities for mentors and mentees to meet on a regular, but not too demanding basis. Here are some examples of our past events:- Annual Mentoring Welcome Session
- Stress and Depression in Graduate School
- Forming Your Committee Strategically
- Family and Academic Careers
- Managing Your Relationship with Your Advisor
- Preparing Materials for an Academic Job Search
Program Emails
The Faculty and Graduate Student Mentoring Program also provides mentors and mentees with informative emails throughout the school year. These emails contain information about how to be a good mentor or mentee as well as links to articles about the personal and professional development of graduate students and scientists and engineers. This helps to:- Improve mentoring relationships
- Spark conversation between mentees and mentors
- Inform participants about the latest research on graduate education
- Provide information about how to be an effective mentee/mentor
Suggested Activities and Conversation Topics
Mentees and mentors do many different things together. You might do the following as part of your mentoring relationship:- Attend professional society meetings
- Join lab tours
- Have breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, etc.
- Communicate via phone calls or e-mails
- Choosing a thesis topic
- Selecting a graduate committee
- Writing a thesis or a grant proposal
- Pursuing an academic career vs. industry
- Attending conferences
- Funding and funding agencies
- Balancing family and career
- Dealing with issues of isolation, self-confidence, and discrimination
- Tricks of the trade
- Publications including books, journals, and magazines
- Protocol for vitas, resumes, and web homepages