Mentoring Orientation
The mentoring orientation this year takes place in the Benson Earth Sciences building and will be streamed live on zoom for everyone participating remotely.
Mentoring Network
Any kind of success takes mentoring and support from others but not all mentors can (or should) provide support for all aspects of one's life and career. Research shows that people have more resilience and can overcome difficult situations when they have a network of people around them providing guidance, mentorship and support in different situations. We encourage all members of the department to think about who is part of their support network and make a conscious effort to build relationships during their time at CU with others in the department and beyond to support them in their personal and professional lives. Below we provide two forms developed by the Earth Science Women's Network to help visualize one's support network, alternatively in the form of a mind map or support matrix:
Peer Mentoring Program
The Geological Sciences department has a graduate student peer mentoring program that seeks to provide point-of-contact mentors for all incoming graduates students during their first year as well as a mentoring directory for all graduate students in the department. The program is organized by students and faculty on the Diversity & Inclusivity Committee and is made possible by all the graduate students in the department who participate in the program and volunteer their time, experience and expertise to create a more supportive and inclusive community.
- Mentoring Directory (restricted access, grad. students only)
Mentoring Contract
Primary research advisors play an important role in mentoring and student support. Different advisors have different advising styles and it is important to clarify mutual expectations so that everyone is on the same page. Towards this goal, it can be helpful to create an advisor-student contract early on to clarify what the expectations of both the advisor and the student are with respect to their research and mentoring relationship. Below we provide an example template for a contract that students and advisors can modify as needed and discuss jointly.