Faculty-Student Mentoring at UC Davis
At UC Davis, we believe that mentorship is a priceless investment in student and institutional success. UC Davis Graduate Studies supports and advances graduate faculty-student mentoring through a variety of efforts, most notably the Mentoring at Critical Transitions Seminar Series, the Mentoring at Critical Transitions Fellowship, and the Distinguished Graduate and Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring Awards.
Mentoring Resources
For Mentors
Mentoring at Critical Transitions
The Mentoring at Critical Transitions (MCT) Program is a seminar series offered by Graduate Studies to enhance the preparedness of UC Davis faculty in areas affecting the mentoring, academic socialization, and overall success of our diverse graduate student population. The MCT program also offers an opportunity for faculty to submit proposals for the MCT Wakeham Fellowship, which awards up to five $10,000 fellowships annually to faculty mentors and their grad student mentees.
UC Davis Graduate Council Mentoring Guidelines
Graduate Council recognizes that the mentoring of graduate students by faculty is an integral part of the graduate experience for both. The responsibilities of the faculty mentor are broad and diverse. They include, but are not limited to serving as a role model, advising a student as to course work requirements, and providing formal instruction in a given discipline as well as helping students identify and achieve their individual short and long-term educational goals.
Entering Mentoring
This material from the U of WI provides a valuable framework for mentoring relationships, and has many useful exercises. Their 1st edition is available as a free pdf, and their 2nd edition recently came out.
Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA)
The MCA is a validated instrument for mentors to assess their own mentoring. This can help mentors to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Mentoring Compacts
Faculty mentors may want to consider developing a mentoring compact, which is similar to a syllabus that lays out the expectations and goals for both the mentor and mentee.
For Mentees
GradPathways
GradPathways offers many workshops that relate to mentoring relationships, communication, self-assessment, project management, etc.
Mentee Responsibilities - UC Davis Graduate Council Mentoring Guidelines
Graduate Council recognizes that the mentoring of graduate students by faculty is an integral part of the graduate experience for both. The responsibilities of the faculty mentor are broad and diverse. They include, but are not limited to serving as a role model, advising a student as to course work requirements, and providing formal instruction in a given discipline as well as helping students identify and achieve their individual short and long-term educational goals.
“Mentoring Up: Learning to Manage Your Mentoring Relationships”
Mentoring expert Steve Lee wrote this book chapter with colleagues Rick McGee, Chris Pfund, and Janet Branchaw to equip and encourage mentees to be pro-active in their mentoring relationships. The book chapter is posted online for free at the link above.
Book Chapter: Beyond “Finding Good Mentors” to “Building and Cultivating Your Mentoring Team”
The same set of colleagues (McGee, Lee, Pfund, Branchaw) wrote this book chapter, which touches on mentoring up also, in the book “Advancing Postdoc Women Guidebook” by the National Postdoc Association.
Entering Research by Janet Branchaw
This is a valuable book for undergrads starting research, but some of the topics may be valuable for grad students.
The National Research Mentoring Network
This is a part of a major NIH-funded initiative to enhance the diversity of the biosciences. Diversity Officer Steve Lee is an NRMN master facilitator, and can provide training for mentors or mentees.
