Skip Navigation
Search
Stony Brook Graduate School Mentoring Plan
The purpose of this guide is to provide an opportunity for new graduate students and
their mentors to align their expectations for both party’s role in the new relationship.
The prompts included in the guide are intended to inspire individual self-reflection
as well as open-ended conversation for the individuals entering a mentoring relationship.
It is expected that assessment of the relationship using these materials should take place at or near the beginning of the mentoring relationship and about once per year thereafter until the mentoring relationship concludes to account for how the relationship will need to evolve during different career stages and how things like communication preferences or expectations or professional goals may shift over time.
Mentor and mentees are encougared to take an anonymous survey before adopting the mentoring plan.
ALIGNING EXPECTATIONS
Mentor Responsibilities
- Contribute to our scholarly and professional community as well as society by initiating research projects or scholarly activities, writing research or scholarly publications, and writing grants (where applicable).
- Be invested in your future, even after you leave Stony Brook University. I will educate and train you to the highest standards of our professional community, recognizing there are many career paths within this community.
- Help you navigate your program of study. I will be committed to your thesis/dissertation project and its progress; I will help to plan and direct the project, set reasonable and attainable goals, and establish a timeline for completion of the project.
- Be available for regular meetings and informal conversations.
- Commit to being available for difficult, but respectful, conversations. I will help you to navigate these conversations.
- Lead by example and encourage and facilitate your training in complementary skills necessary to be a professional in our field, such as oral and written communication, field-specific pedagogy, scholarly writing, proposal and fellowship applications, research project management, mentoring, ethical conduct of research, use of rigorous and appropriate research methodology, and professionalism.
- Have clear data ownership and authorship policies that I will discuss with you. I will acknowledge your contributions to my research program, and work with you to publish/patent/disclose your research findings in a timely manner. (Remove this if this is not relevant to your field.)
- Encourage you to attend professional meetings and make you aware of funding opportunities.
- Build a relationship that is intellectually stimulating, encouraging, respectful, emotionally supportive, equitable, accessible, safe, and free of harassment.
- Help you to assess your goals, personal strengths, and areas for growth to promote your success in graduate school.
- Advocate for you during and after your degree. I will provide career advice and assist in finding a position following graduation. I will provide honest letters of recommendation for the next phase of your professional development.
- Not require you to perform tasks that are unrelated to your degree program or professional development.
Mentee Responsibilities
- Take ownership of my educational experience, acknowledging I have the primary responsibility for the successful completion of a PhD. I am committed to my graduate education and will demonstrate this commitment by my performance in coursework and research. I will maintain a high level of professionalism, self-motivation, engagement, and ethical standards.
- Develop strong research skills and learn how to plan, design, and conduct high quality research. I will keep up with the literature so that I am equipped to guide my own research.
- Be knowledgeable of the policies, deadlines, and requirements of the graduate program, the Graduate School, and the University. I will strive to meet all requirements in a timely manner.
- Actively cultivate my educational and professional development by regularly attending, and presenting my work at, trainings and meetings such as research group meetings, workshops, colloquia, seminars, and journal clubs.
- Regularly meet with my advisor to provide updates on my progress and results of my research and other scholarly activities. I will be responsive to the advice and constructive criticism of my thesis/dissertation advisor and committee members.
- Commit to being available for difficult, but respectful, conversations.
- Participate in Responsible Conduct of Research training exercises and practice those guidelines in conducting my thesis/dissertation research. This includes acknowledging the efforts of others when collaborating and maintaining detailed, organized, and accurate records of my reading and research, including laboratory records if applicable.
- Demonstrate good citizen practices such as taking on my share of group responsibilities and using resources carefully and frugally. I will maintain a safe and clean research space. I will be respectful of, tolerant of, and work collegially with all research colleagues. (Remove this if this is not relevant to your field.)
- Commit to being a good academic citizen by completing required University training and abiding by their principles.
- Take responsibility for preparing for my career following the completion of my doctoral degree. I will seek guidance from my research advisor, my thesis/dissertation committee, and the Graduate School, as well as other mentors and resources available to me, such as the Career Center.