Mentorship Program for Graduate Students

Alumni & Friends

Professional development program

Members of the CEOE Dean’s Advisory Council have agreed to serve as mentors for select graduate students who are looking for an opportunity to develop an external mentorship relationship with a professional affiliated with the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. CEOE Alumni Mentors have a proven record of professional experience in a variety of scientific fields and/or sectors of employment such as industry, academia, non-profit agencies, and government agencies at all levels.

Department of Earth Sciences graduate student Julia Guimond speaks with her mentor, Ann Masse, a CEOE alumna and vice president of safety, health and environment at Barrick Gold Corporation, at an event on the Hugh R. Sharp Campus.

Program expectations:

The mentor and the mentee will meet virtually at least once per month but more if both parties are able and agreeable. Virtual meeting options can include zoom, skype, go-to-meeting, or phone calls and should be scheduled in advance. 
The DAC Mentor will initiate the first meeting. During this initial meeting, goals and expectations shall be established.
Discussion topics and possible interactions should include, but are not limited to: career development, navigating the advisor/student relationship, networking, tips for interviewing, updates on research project progress and advice about research, searching for grant and fellowship opportunities, etc.
The Mentor/Mentee pairing will last for at least one year with an annual check in from the Assistant Dean for Graduate Services prior to the end of the first year to understand if the relationship should continue in a formal capacity beyond one year.
There will be regular check points with the participants throughout the year and a formal evaluation of the program and pairing at the end of the year.

2020 Mentor Guide >

How to apply for this program

The CEOE Graduate Student must apply to the program by filling out the form linked below. 

Included in the form are three opportunities to provide uploaded responses to questions in the form of a PDF as well as a place to upload a résumé or CV. 

The questions that require short essay responses are: 

What are your short-term career goals/plans upon graduation and what are your goals in 5-10 years beyond graduation and why? Please try to be specific about whether your interests are primarily in academia, industry, government or more than one of these sectors.
Why do you want to participate in this program and what do you hope to gain from a mentor/mentee relationship? 
Have you previously participated in a formalized mentorship program other than the one you have with your academic advisor? If you have, please describe what worked well and what did not work well within this experience.

Pairings will be based on trying to link mentees with one of three mentor choices .

The deadline to apply for this program is Friday, August 21st.  The application form is available here.

Participants and pairings determined by the Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Services, the Dean’s Advisory Council and with possible consultation from the Dean or Deputy Dean.  