The following points are not designed to be exhaustive or to establish regulations that would govern mentoring relationships. The Graduate School understands that there are many ways to mentor and that the best mentoring often responds in unquantifiable ways to the needs and personal characteristics of students. Nonetheless, the Graduate School stresses certain points that seem to provide a crucial foundation for mentoring relationships.

The best faculty mentors

• Know the proper sequence of courses and requirements that students must complete to move satisfactorily through a program; remain current on the department’s course listings

• Keep professional norms and expectations in mind and do everything possible to introduce their advisees into professional practice in the discipline

• Indicate clearly how work will be evaluated; read and return work promptly with appropriate comments

• Help students to develop research skills and methodologies that will enable them to become capable, independent scholars

• Talk with students about preparation for qualifying examinations; help them to create realistic reading lists

• Pay attention to the development of skills such as writing, conceptual analysis, statistics, and oral presentation

• Pay attention to the development of teaching skills; provide advice and support to their advisees as they begin teaching undergraduates

• Help students think about the ethical implications of their research; make sure they receive and understand appropriate professional, federal, and University guidelines

• Clarify collaborative issues of scholarship such as ownership and sharing of data and laboratory notebooks, attribution of contributions to the research, and policies on patents and copyrights; acknowledge students’ contributions fairly

• Treat students as apprentice researchers, teachers, and colleagues, not as technicians or advanced undergraduates

• Help students think about how to prepare abstracts for conferences and manuscripts for publication

• Work closely with students to define meaningful, up-to-date, and professionally viable dissertation topics

• Create appropriate dissertation committees for their students

• Provide timely, thoughtful, and specific letters of recommendation for students

• Provide encouragement and active support for students seeking positions when they complete their degrees

• Bear in mind that the Ph.D. is a research degree and teach in a manner that encourages students to undertake rigorous, creative, and independent projects

• Facilitate networking for their students at conferences and other professional gatherings

• Maintain a positive attitude toward the diverse range of career opportunities open to new Ph.D.s; learn about nonacademic job opportunities for students in their disciplines and provide advice for students interested in these opportunities

• Continue to provide active support beyond graduation