A broad literature has emerged regarding the role of mentorship in graduate student success. Definitions of the mentor role as well as guidelines for building the mentor-mentee relationship are summarized here.

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What is a Mentor?

 

Mentors, adapted from the Council of Graduate Schools, are people who fulfill multiple roles:

"Advisors, people with career experience willing to share their knowledge; supporters, people who give emotional and moral encouragement; tutors, people who give specific feedback on one’s performance… sponsors, sources of information about, and aid in obtaining opportunities; models of identity, of the kind of person one might be as an academic or professional."

A Professional Relationship

 

In addition to teaching the content of a discipline or profession, then, a mentor commits to attending to the wellbeing and professional development of a mentee. That said, mentoring is a professional relationship that both the mentor and mentee actively create, a relationship that evolves over time.

Moreover, because no single mentor can provide all of the information and support that a graduate student may need:

"Effective mentoring is a community effort."

Graduate students are encouraged to seek out advice from multiple staff members, faculty members, fellow graduate students, and other campus resources. When needed, these resources include the campus's Title IX officer and Ombuds Office, as the university's rules and regulations govern many issues relating to the relationship between mentors and mentees. 

Guidelines for the Mentor-Mentee Relationship

 

Mentoring is a fundamental part of graduate students' education. Underlying all mentoring relationships are some common-sense guidelines that bear repeating. 

  • Participating in a mentoring relationship is voluntary on the part of graduate students. Graduate students retain the ability to choose advisors and committee members while making progress to degree. Graduate students should meet, or communicate regularly, with their mentors.
     
  • Either party has the right to withdraw from a mentoring arrangement, if, despite genuine attempts to make it work, the relationship is not satisfactory. If either party feels unclear about the current status of the mentoring, that party should seek to clarify the views and wishes of the other party.
     
  • Mentors should recognize their limitations and avoid working with a student in ways that exceed those limitations.
     
  • Should either party sense there is a conflict of interest between the mentoring and any other role, this should be made known to the other as soon as it is practicable, with decisions made according to campus regulations.
     
  • While a mentor often will have more experience in certain life or work practices, the participants in a graduate mentoring relationship are partners in which the graduate student is ultimately responsible for their education.
     
  • Meetings should be held in an environment (or environments, for example, telephone meetings or Skype/Zoom) where both parties feel comfortable, and feel that they can speak freely without being overheard. Information shared in mentoring meetings is subject to standard rules of professional confidence.
     
  • Meetings should be long enough and paced so as to allow the two people to communicate effectively. Commitments should be honored. If meetings are canceled or delayed, adequate warning of non-availability or delay should be given. A postponed meeting should be re-booked promptly.