You and your PhD mentor share the responsibility for establishing a relationship that contributes to the successful pursuit of your graduate degree. Your mentoring relationship should reflect mutual respect, academic rigor, integrity and open communication. The following guidelines outline the ideal responsibilities of each party in the mentoring relationship.
The Ideal Mentor:
Reads and returns work promptly, with constructive comments
Develops with the student a list of short- and long-term research and professional goals
Clarifies expectations and policies
Communicates regularly about research progress,scheduling changes, and workshops or seminars that will aid in the student’s professional development
Provides students with opportunities to develop and practice professional skills required for research, teaching and service
Helps students develop an innovative dissertation topic
Helps students develop a marketable job dossier
Supports the variety of professional interests a student may have in research, industry, teaching and service
Facilitates networking
Knows course and milestone requirements
Treats students respectfully as future colleagues
Acknowledges that students have responsibilities outside the academy.
The Ideal Student:
Chooses his or her mentor thoughtfully and wisely by becoming familiar with the professor’s research and professional interests
Has developed short- and long-term professional and research goals, and shares these goals with his or her mentor
Is aware of his or her own strengths and weaknesses
Submits work promptly and comes to meetings prepared with specific goals, questions and tasks to be accomplished in that meeting
Communicates regularly with faculty about his or her progress, changes in focus, and professional needs
