Graduate Faculty Mentoring

Effective mentorship of graduate students begins with clear, shared expectations. This interactive session explores strategies to establish and revisit expectations between mentors and mentees, helping set a foundation to prevent miscommunication and foster mutual understanding. Faculty will reflect on their own mentoring style, learn practical tools for initiating expectation-setting conversations, and leave with templates and approaches to support productive, aligned mentoring relationships.

This is the foundational session of the seven sessions in the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty. Faculty are recommended to start with this session if possible.

Mentors play a key role in supporting the professional growth of their graduate student mentees. This session provides faculty with tools and strategies to actively engage mentees in career exploration, skill development, and goal setting. Participants will learn how to tailor guidance to individual mentee needs, connect mentees with resources, and foster a culture of continuous development across diverse career paths.

This is one of seven sessions of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty.

Strong mentoring relationships with graduate students rely on clear, consistent communication and mutual understanding. This session helps faculty develop skills to assess mentee comprehension, give and receive feedback, and navigate challenging conversations. Participants will explore techniques to enhance communication, reduce assumptions, and create a supportive environment where mentees feel heard and understood.

This is one of seven sessions of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty.

Effective mentors guide graduate student mentees toward increasing independence while modeling and reinforcing ethical practices. This session equips faculty with strategies to balance support and autonomy, promote responsible research conduct, and encourage ethical decision-making. Participants will explore ways to empower mentees to take ownership of their work while upholding integrity and accountability.

This is one of seven sessions of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty.

Mentoring relationships with graduate students thrive when well-being is supported. This session helps faculty recognize the importance of supporting mentee mental health, promoting balance, and modeling healthy work-life integration. Participants will explore strategies to create inclusive, supportive environments that encourage self-care, resilience, and sustainable success for both mentors and mentees.

This is one of seven sessions of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty.

Effective mentorship of graduate students requires awareness, empathy, and adaptability across lines of identity, experience, and perspective. This session supports faculty in developing inclusive mentoring practices by exploring how differences—such as race, gender, culture, and background—shape the mentoring relationship. Participants will gain tools to build trust, address bias in diverse mentoring contexts, and foster engagement and a sense of belonging by strengthening professional networks.

This is one of seven sessions of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty.

In this capstone session, faculty will synthesize insights from previous modules to articulate their personal graduate mentoring philosophy and draft an action plan. Through guided reflection and peer feedback, participants will outline goals, strategies, and practices that align with their values and mentees’ needs—creating a roadmap for intentional, effective mentorship.

This is the final session of the UGA Graduate School’s Mentoring Certificate series for faculty. Prerequsite: completion of all six modules of the series.

Graduate students and faculty members may find it beneficial to use mentorship compacts to communicate goals and expectations for working together. The Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) maintains a list of example mentor-mentee compacts that can be adapted for use in graduate mentoring relationships.

• Examples of Mentor-Mentee Compacts (CIMER)

There are numerous free resources that you can use to facilitate career planning and exploration. Examples include ImaginePhD and MyIDP. These sites will allow students to create an individual development plan (IDP) – a tailored professional development itinerary for your graduate career based on skills, interests, and goals.

Students and faculty interested in structured mentoring conversations may consider using Individual Development Plans (IDPs) as a way of guiding interactions with their mentor/mentee.

Click here to submit the IDP and  here to submit the MMC.

Resources from the Council of Graduate Schools

NRMN focuses implementing and disseminating innovative and evidence-based mentoring practices in research settings. Visit their website for resources for students, faculty, and researchers at all career stages.