Mentoring Matters: A Training for Mentees
Mentoring Matters is a one-day workshop for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars designed in collaboration with the Office for Faculty Excellence (OFE). The reason for this collaboration is so that the Graduate School and OFE are offering mentor/mentee training to their respective constituencies so that similar information, tools and strategies are shared, thus helping both mentors and their mentees learn similar ways to undertake the mentoring relationship.
The goal of Mentoring Matters is to equip mentees with strategies that foster more productive and successful relationships with their mentors. Case studies, tools (such as SMART goals worksheets, IDPs, etc.) and interactive discussions are utilized to provide participants with a better understanding of the mentor/mentee relationship. The one-day workshop focuses on expectations for the mentoring relationship, how to engage in effective mentoring, the mentoring cycle, and ways to work towards a fulfilling mentoring relationship.
The one-day workshop for the spring semester is Friday, January 10. Registration is currently closed. Be sure to check back for information about the next Mentoring Matters training.
Please Note: As of May 2024, the National Science Foundation has New Mentoring Requirements for Graduate Students. NC State’s Graduate School provides a Mentoring Plan to help NSF mentees and mentors establish appropriate guidelines to fulfill the NSF requirement. The Mentoring Plan guidelines can be used for any mentoring relationship involving a faculty member and their graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars.
Questions? Contact Rhonda Sutton, Assistant Dean for Professional Development.
Prime the Pack
Promoting Research Improvement through Mentorship Education (PRIME) the Pack
PRIME the Pack meets on a biweekly basis over the course of a semester to discuss key topics in mentorship. During intervening weeks, participants are given short reading/writing assignments to encourage self-reflection and to prepare for the following week’s discussion. Topics covered include: developing a mentorship philosophy, aligning expectations, fostering independence, promoting diversity, and other key aspects of mentoring.
Anyone is welcome to sign up for PRIME the Pack (graduate students, postdocs, faculty, staff, even friends of NC State)!
Graduate Students & Postdocs Pursuing the Teaching Certificate:
*Postdocs and graduate students are strongly encouraged to apply PRIME the Pack towards completion of the Graduate School’s Teaching Certificate program. To do so, participants must successfully complete the PRIME the Pack series, followed by one semester of mentoring an undergraduate with guidance from the Office of Undergraduate. This must occur within a year of finishing PRIME the Pack. Note: successful completion of the PRIME the Pack is defined as completing all assignments and missing no more than one in-person discussion. For more details on PRIME the Pack, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Research, Dr. Janet Goins, who directs the program.
PRIME the Pack is offered every fall, spring, and summer (times and locations will vary). Undergraduate mentorship opportunities are available at any time (please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR)). To register for the next PRIME the Pack series, please fill out a brief intake form and the OUR will be in touch with you shortly before the start to confirm attendance and to add you to the program’s Moodle site. If the intake form is not active, please check that deadlines have not passed and if not, please reach out to Phil Tietjen, Director of Teaching Programs.
PRIME the Pack is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all participants. Requests for reasonable accommodations can be made by individuals with disabilities by contacting undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu. Students at NC State can also go directly to the Disability Resources Office. Please note, requests can be served more effectively if notice is provided at least 10 days prior to the start of PRIME the Pack.