UCSF Graduate Student Mentoring Program: Guidelines for Faculty Mentors
THE
NEED FOR GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING
- A good mentoring relationship is crucial to the success of graduate students
as they learn to develop original research ideas and move toward greater independence
and maturity.
- Mentoring is crucial to strengthen networks for graduate students and to
provide advice on becoming integrated within more traditional science networks.
- Mentoring is particularly crucial to retaining the number of women who
have begun doctoral work in science, and to promoting the continuation of
these women’s careers in science.
- Graduate students benefit from the valuable professional knowledge and
experiences of their mentors.
BASIC
OBLIGATIONS OF THE MENTOR
- Building
Trust
- A mentoring relationship takes time to build.
- The mentor is a role model who:
- responds to the graduate student’s career goals and professional
concerns.
- shares personal experiences which address the student’s career.
- inspires confidence and provides encouragement to the student.
- demonstrates professional attitudes and values.
- listens to and communicates effectively with others.
- demonstrates knowledge of the organization’s/institution’s
cultures and systems and passes this knowledge onto the student.
- Interacting
with Rotation Students
- Welcome the rotation student and orient him/her to the lab.
- Allow the rotation student to choose from a number of potential projects.
- Be clear to the rotation student regarding your expectations about
attending group meetings, hours worked and whether s/he will give a
group meeting presentation at the end of the quarter.
- Remember the rotation student has class responsibilities.
- Give the rotation student opportunities to interact with you one-on-one,
to get a sense of your working style.
- Encourage the rotation student to talk to a variety of lab members
(postdocs, other students, etc.) to get a sense of the people and culture
of the lab.
- Interacting
with New Thesis Students
- Make the new student feel welcome in your lab. Give him/her bench
space and supplies to get started.
- Establish a regular meeting time with the student. Remember that
some students may want more frequent meetings than others.
- Brainstorm potential research topics with the student. Give him/her
time to discover his/her personal interests, but help him/her choose
a project that is focused, tractable, and dissertation worthy.
- For each project/sub-project in which the student will participate,
clearly establish the student’s role in the project in terms of
primary areas of responsibility, analyses to be performed, conceptualization
of study, drafting of manuscripts, etc.
- Inform the student of available resources within the lab (e.g. –
co-workers with particular expertise of use to the student) and outside
the lab (e.g. – materials, equipment and expertise in other labs).
- Discuss a timeline for progress in the student’s research project
and periodically adjust/revise this based on the student’s progress.
- Encourage the student to seek other mentors (see Need
for Multiple Mentors).
- Alert the student to support from on-campus resources and organizations
such as the Graduate Students’ Association and the Career Center
(see Links to Graduate
Student Mentoring Resources).
- Assist the student in establishing successful collaborations when
available.
- Involve the student in scientific discussions during lab meetings
and/or on an individual basis.
- Participate in and encourage the student’s participation in
seminars, journal clubs and other educational activities.
- Provide constructive feedback on oral and written communication skills
(presentations, papers, fellowship/grant applications).
- Interacting
with Advanced Students
- Discuss tentative topics for papers on which the student will be
first author.
- Support/encourage the student to present his/her work at scientific
meetings.
- Provide timely feedback on the student’s papers, posters, and
dissertation chapters.
- Encourage regular thesis committee meetings, and help the student
prepare for these.
- Consider asking the student to be a co-author of invited book chapters
or review articles when time permits.
- Provide opportunities for the student to participate in the writing
and reviewing of papers and grants, when appropriate.
- Encourage creativity and independence.
- Discuss scientific conduct in terms of individual and institutional
integrity and ethics in scientific research, including intellectual
property of the student. For more information about intellectual property,
go to the UCSF Office of Technology Management (http://www.otm.ucsf.edu)
- Help the student engage in networking (e.g. – introduce him/her
to colleagues at meetings or by phone/email).
- Play an active role in the student’s job search (e.g. –
give advice on application letters, CVs, interviews, presentations).
- Encourage the student to participate in career development seminars
and activities sponsored by the UCSF Career Center and the Academic
Enrichment Program (for links, see Links
to Graduate Student Mentoring Resources).
- Evaluation
- At the start of the student’s tenure in the lab, meet with
the student to discuss expectations regarding progress meetings and
evaluations. Agree upon the frequency of progress meetings (weekly,
biweekly, monthly) and the format. Consider drawing up a written mentoring
agreement to facilitate initial discussion of expectations and objectives
(see Sample
Mentoring Agreement).
- Topics of review include the student’s progress to date, strengths,
and areas needing improvement.
- The review may include a reasonable set of tasks to be completed
before the next meeting, agreed to by the mentor and student.
- Maintain open communication with the student regarding career goals
and options and alert the student to applicable opportunities (e.g.
– on-campus events/lectures/seminars, professional organizations
and meetings).
- Periodically ask the student if there is anything you can do to further
improve his/her experience.
- Areas
Requiring Sensitivity
- It is of great importance for the mentor to demonstrate willingness
to communicate with and to understand each student as a unique individual,
and to promote inclusiveness within his/her lab group.
- Certain aspects of a student’s lifestyle may require open-mindedness
and acceptance from the mentor, in order to build trust and to create
a comfortable working environment for the student. These include, but
are not limited to:
- minority issues.
- cultural differences, especially pertaining to international
students.
- gender issues.
- sexual orientation.
- disabilities.
- With respect to family responsibilities, mentors should be alert
to students who need extra support when having a child, raising a child
alone, returning to school after child-rearing, caring for an elderly
parent, etc.
- Inappropriate closeness between mentors and students will produce
personal, ethical, and legal consequences not only for the persons involved
but also for the programs or institutions of which they are a part.
Be guided by common sense. Even consensual relationships between a mentor
and student are highly inappropriate. For the UCSF policy on sexual
harassment, go to: http://www.ucsf.edu/oshpr/policies/policy.html.
- Be careful that friendship with a student does not turn into favoritism.
Resolve to treat students in your lab as equitably as possible.
- Be attentive to conflicts that may have developed, or are at risk
of developing, within the lab or between you and the student. For assistance
with strategies to manage conflict and resolve disputes, contact the
Problem Resolution Center (see Links
to Graduate Student Mentoring Resources).
THE
NEED FOR MULTIPLE MENTORS
- Encourage the student to seek multiple mentors, and assist in this process
by recommending potential mentors to the student, or by introducing the
student to potential mentors.
- It is important for the student to have multiple mentors, each of whom
performs one of several mentoring functions:
- advising on scientific, institutional, or departmental matters.
- providing information about specific career opportunities.
- offering ideas and support in balancing family and career responsibilities.
- Finding a diverse group of mentors (male and female, of the same and
other ethnicities, various career tracks, etc.) allows the student to evaluate
advice from a variety of sources and perspectives. This support also helps
to minimize the isolation and separation often experienced by the student.
- Each mentor may feel more comfortable with less responsibility in the
student’s career development and with a smaller time commitment to
the relationship.
TIPS ON
WRITING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
- Make sure you have a current CV and a description of the desired position
before you write the letter.
- Be relevant. Describe qualities or achievements related to the position
under consideration.
- Be honest in your assessment of the student.
- Be honest with readers about the extent of your knowledge based on personal
interaction with the student.
- Be specific about skills, abilities, potential, etc. Be quantitative
when possible. Give specific examples or anecdotes to support your general
statements.
- Keep copies of previous letters to serve as starting points for future
letters.
BENEFITS
TO THE MENTOR
- Personal and professional satisfaction.
- Reputation as a good mentor will attract high quality students.
- Good mentoring facilitates staying on top of your field.
- Being a mentor extends your network.
- Being a mentor extends your contribution to the scientific enterprise.
LINKS
TO GRADUATE STUDENT MENTORING RESOURCES
REFERENCES
Theresa Gamble, Tina Settineri and Renee Willard Spencer, Eds. (1993). Mentoring
Guide published by The Association for Women in Science San Francisco Chapter
1993 Mentoring Program, in collaboration with Women in Life Sciences, University
of California, San Francisco.
UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies (2003). Agreement between Fellow
and Mentor: Expectations and Objectives for Fellowship
|
|
Related Links:
Center for Gender Equity
UCSF National Center on Excellence in Women's Health
Work~Life Portal
|
