The Nature of Graduate StudentMentor Relationships - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: The Nature of Graduate StudentMentor Relationships


1
The Nature of Graduate Student-Mentor
Relationships
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What should ideal graduate student mentor
relationships be?
3
Graduate student-mentor relationships must be
Professional.
These relationships are formed to train students
to become competent, creative and independent
scientists and teachers.
The mentor is responsible for providing the
training environment that will foster these
traits. Hallmarks of that environment are rigor,
hard work, support, accomplishment, and
enjoyment.
Within that environment, students and mentors are
not peers . The mentor is the supervisor /
trainer / advisor, the student is the person
being supervised / trained /advised.
Excessive familiarity or outright fraternization,
whether initiated by the mentor or by the
student, is a bad idea as it can lead to
professional and personal problems.
4
Graduate student mentor relationships ought to
be Mutually respectful.
The mentor is in charge of the lab, but the
graduate students in that lab are not indentured
servants.
It is also essential to remember that
students and mentors may be from different
cultures, adhere to different religious beliefs,
have different political positions, have
different personal attitudes and values, or have
different lifesyles and commitments. Such
diversity can be enriching assuming the
differences are respected and not imposed on
others.
5
Graduate student mentor relationships ought to
be Mutually trusting.
Students should be able to trust their mentors to
provide them with the very best and rigorous
training possible doing so with fairness and
objectivity.
Mentors should be able to trust their
students to do their very best to learn their
discipline and work as hard as possible on their
chosen area of science doing so with honesty and
with the goal of becoming an independent
scientist.
6
Graduate student mentor relationships should
be Cordial.
Mean-spirited, adversarial relationships are
never productive.
Maintaining a good sense of humor makes
addressing serious matters a little less
destructive to the gastric mucosa.
On the other hand, cordial and friendly
interactions should not morph into
inappropriate familiarity or outright
fraternization.
7
Graduate student mentor relationships can be
Enduring.
When the student-mentor relationship properly
matures, an enduring collegial relationship
forms.
The collegial nature of the post-graduation
relationship can lead to scientific
collaborations and lifelong personal friendships.

Even when you become colleagues with your mentor,
elements of the student-mentor relationship
continue.
8
Graduate student mentor relationships require
Frequent and rational discussions.
Irrational, screaming sessions have no
place in science, but good communication does.
With all the scientific problems and issues
regarding course work and other requirements of
graduate school that must be discussed, there is
no time for arguments about petty issues.
9
Graduate student mentor relationships will
involve Disagreements.
It is said that without controversy there
would be no science.
Therefore, disagreements about scientific issues
are expected.
On the other hand, disagreements of a personal
nature are counterproductive.
Finally, all disagreements have two sides and
both sides should be understood to produce
resolution.
10
Graduate student mentor relationships will
certainly requireCompromises.
Neither the student nor the mentor will be
right all the time.
Mentors have a harder time accepting this than do
students.
11
Graduate student mentor relationships will
sometimes not develop as they should.
When this happens, it is best that the
student and the mentor recognize this early and
go their separate ways doing so with as little
resentment, bitterness and anger as possible.
Even when a student-mentor relationship breaks
down, both the student and the mentor should
behave like the professionals they are.
12
Graduate student mentor relationships sometimes
will end very badly.
When this happens, the cause(s) must be
determined by someone with objectivity and the
authority to handle such matters (e.g., the
Graduate Officer or the Department Chair).
Resolution of the problems usually involves hours
and hours of emotion filled discussions at many
levels of the University and can produce
lawsuits, punitive actions and damaged careers.
To avoid all of this unpleasantness, students and
mentors must work very hard to identify problems
early, have rational discussions, involve the
members of the Dissertation Committee and others
if necessary, and above all maintain an adult and
professional attitude.