PAGSO Mentoring Program
Guidance for mentoring relationships formed through the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Organization (PAGSO) Mentorship Program.
Questions?
The Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Organization manages the PAGSO Mentoring Program. Questions about the program can be directed to the Vice-President of the organization, or to physicsandastro@gmail.com.
Information is provided here with the hope of guiding mentoring relationships that are formed through PAGSO's mentorship program. For mentors, you'll have an idea of what you can do to help your mentee get acclimated to West Virginia University. For mentees who are newly entering the program, this will help you determine what you want to gain from your mentoring relationship within the PAGSO Mentoring Program.
Mentors: After reviewing this information, make sure to communicate with your mentee about their goals in the mentoring relationship. This relationship could be focused around coursework and departmental information, or branch out to social situations, financial questions, and information about Morgantown and the surrounding region.
The key points to keep in mind about the mentorship relationship are as follows:
- Mentors should contact mentees at least once a month. This structure can be altered depending on how often the mentee decides they would like to be checked on. It is up to the mentor and mentee to decide the frequency of your meetings.
- There should be no situation where a mentor does not reach out to their mentee after the initial contact is made. Providing your name and email as contact information does not mentor someone. You are never too busy to send a check-in email.
- Mentors should guide the conversation, or at least provide topics. Not everyone knows what to expect in a new department, especially if it also their first year of graduate school.
Important Reminder
- Mentorship is a professional relationship, not an immediate friendship. It is essential to maintain professionalism in your discussions with mentees. Avoid sharing negative personal opinions about other students, faculty, or staff; instead, allow mentees to form their own impressions. While it is important to discuss, in general terms, how conflicts may arise in academic settings, mentees should not be used as an outlet to revisit, reframe, or revive past disputes. If mentees feel as though this is happening with their mentor, they should contact the chairs of the PAGSO Mentorship Committee or the PAGSO Climate Officer (contact information).
Guidelines and Goals for Mentors
A successful mentoring relationship is one in which mentees reach individual milestones that allow them to move forward to the next stage in their journey to a sustainable and successful graduate student career. Most commonly, mentoring seems to take the roll of academic guidance, but that isn't the only type of mentoring that can happen! Mentoring can take many forms.
Below are the two main ways mentors can support mentees through the PAGSO Mentoring Program, along with examples of how that support might look in practice.
- Career Support
- Career Guidance: Mentor provides support for assessing and choosing an academic and career path by evaluating mentees' strengths, weaknesses, interests, and abilities. Mentor's role includes, but is not exclusive to, reviewing mentee's progress toward goals, helping mentees reflect and think critically about goals, and helping mentees identify professional aspirations.
- Skill Development: Mentor educates, evaluates, and challenges mentees academically and professionally; commonly, this is done through tutoring, training, or coaching.
- Sponsorship: Mentor publicly acknowledges the achievements of mentees and advocates for their advancement.
- Psychosocial Support
- Emotional Support: Mentor encourages the mentee, helps with problem solving, and practices active listening techniques.
- Role Modeling: Mentor serves as a guide for mentee's behavior and attitudes. Mentees benefit from engaging with a mentor who shares values and deep-level similarities.
It is important to think about the type of mentor you want to be. Remember: different types of support arise with different situations. It is important to keep in touch with your mentee in case they desire another route of mentorship. There are many areas in which you can support your mentee, including research skills, interpersonal skills, psychosocial development, cultural awareness, and sponsorship. Below is an overview of each area, along with ways you can help your mentee grow in these skills:
- Research
- Help them develop research skills specific to their area of focus
- Support them in becoming a stronger science communicator in writing and presenting
- Guide them in effective collaboration skills
- Assist them with writing proposals, preparing applications, and identifying funding opportunities
- Interpersonal
- Work with them to define and align the expectations of your mentoring relationship
- Provide constructive feedback
- Communicate honestly and strive to develop a trusting relationship
- Psychosocial
- Help them strengthen their research self-efficacy
- Support them in building confidence in their career development
- Offer encouragement and motivation
- Cultural and Social
- Help them develop a sense of belonging in the department
- Be open to conversations about identity and how it shapes their graduate school experience
- Invite them to address issues of bias and stereotyping
- Sponsorship
- Foster independence
- Facilitate networking with both colleagues and funding sources
- Help them explore ways of reaching better work/life balance
- Encourage them to consider a range of career opportunities
Once your mentee has identified the kind of mentor they are looking for, you can focus on how to best support them. A successful mentoring relationship depends on your ability to adapt, communicate, and guide effectively. Additionally, encourage your mentee to build a mentoring network.
To set the foundation for success, aim to:
- Develop the skills and mindset to...
- Support your mentee's personal and professional development
- Share your experiences, knowledge, and skills in ways that help them reach their individual goals
- Bring the qualities needed to...
- Understand each mentee's unique needs and learning style
- Stay flexible, open-minded, and humble in your approach
- Continuously reflect on and adjust your mentoring style to foster your mentee's growth.
A good mentoring relationship happens when mentors guide mentees, and mentees guide mentors. The mentors gain the skills and the ability to provide guidance, and mentees gain a toolkit of career skills, coping mechanisms, and leadership strategies to deploy in their future mentoring relationships.
Tips for Managing the Mentoring Relationship
- Collaborate on meetings: Ask your mentee if they want to plan and set meeting agendas. Both of you should come prepared with topics or questions to discuss.
- Listen actively: Show genuine interest in what the other person is saying, and make an effort to fully understand before responding.
- Ask thoughtful questions: This helps you get to know your mentee better and tailor your support to their goals and challenges.
- Set clear goals: Work together to identify specific objectives, and provide guidance and accountability as your mentee works towards them.
- Summarize and follow up: End meetings with a brief recap of discussion points and next steps.
Both the mentor and the mentee should approach each interaction with respect, openness, and proactive engagement. When one person disengages or withdraws, the relationship can lose its effectiveness. The goal is to be actively engaged, attentive, and action-oriented to foster mutual growth.
To become a strong mentor and a receptive mentee, it is important to build self-awareness and understanding of the other person's strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles. For example, if your mentor excels at public speaking but struggles with coding, you should focus on seeking support from them for presentation advice rather than technical challenges. This adaptability makes your mentorship more relevant and impactful. It also reinforces the value of having multiple mentors, with each offering unique perspectives and expertise to support different areas of professional development (see: Building a Mentoring Network).
Guidelines and Goals for Mentees
A successful mentoring relationship is one in which mentees reach individual milestones that allow them to move forward to the next stage in their journey to a sustainable and successful graduate student career. Most commonly, mentoring seems to take the roll of academic guidance, but that isn't the only type of mentoring that can happen! Mentoring can take many forms.
Below are the two main ways mentors can support mentees through the PAGSO Mentoring Program, along with examples of how that support might look in practice.
- Career Support
- Career Guidance: Mentor provides support for assessing and choosing an academic and career path by evaluating mentees' strengths, weaknesses, interests, and abilities. Mentor's role includes, but is not exclusive to, reviewing mentee's progress toward goals, helping mentees reflect and think critically about goals, and helping mentees identify professional aspirations.
- Skill Development: Mentor educates, evaluates, and challenges mentees academically and professionally; commonly, this is done through tutoring, training, or coaching.
- Sponsorship: Mentor publicly acknowledges the achievements of mentees and advocates for their advancement.
- Psychosocial Support
- Emotional Support: Mentor encourages the mentee, helps with problem solving, and practices active listening techniques.
- Role Modeling: Mentor serves as a guide for mentee's behavior and attitudes. Mentees benefit from engaging with a mentor who shares values and deep-level similarities.
It is important to think about the type of support you want to receive. Remember: different types of support arise with different situations. It is important to keep an open mind and reevaluate whether you want specific support from your mentor. There are many areas in which your mentor can support you, including research skills, interpersonal skills, psychosocial development, cultural awareness, and sponsorship. Below is an overview of each area, along with ways you can help your mentee grow in these skills:
- Research
- Help you develop research skills specific to your area of focus
- Support you in becoming a stronger science communicator in writing and presenting
- Guide you in building effective collaboration skills
- Assist you with writing proposals, preparing applications, and identifying funding opportunities
- Help you select an advisor
- Interpersonal
- Work with you to define and align the expectations of your mentoring relationship
- Communicate honestly and strive to develop a trusting relationship
- Psychosocial
- Help you strengthen your research self-efficacy
- Support you in building confidence in your career development
- Offer encouragement and motivation
- Cultural and Social
- Help you develop a sense of belonging in the department
- Be open to conversations about identity and how it shapes your graduate school experience
- Invite you to address issues of bias and stereotyping
- Sponsorship
- Foster your independence
- Facilitate networking with both colleagues and funding sources
- Help you explore ways of reaching better work/life balance
- Encourage you to consider a range of career opportunities
Once you have established what you hope to gain from your mentoring relationship and discuss it with your mentor, your mentor will begin to figure out how best to assist you. A successful mentoring relationship depends on your ability to adapt, communicate, and guide effectively. Additionally, you are encouraged to build a mentoring network, as it is unrealistic to rely on a single mentor for all of your needs.
To set the foundation for success, aim to:
- Develop the skills and mindset to...
- Hone your personal and professional skills and knowledge to define your goals
- Gain experience needed for the career you want or goal you wish to achieve
- Progress toward your chosen career or personal goal
- Bring the qualities needed to...
- Proactively navigate multiple relationships within your mentoring network
- Identify and communicate your needs
- Take responsibility to ensure you meet those needs
A good mentoring relationship happens when mentors guide mentees, and mentees guide mentors. The mentors gain the skills and the ability to provide guidance, and mentees gain a toolkit of career skills, coping mechanisms, and leadership strategies to deploy in their future mentoring relationships.
Tips for Managing the Mentoring Relationship
- Collaborate on meetings: Help to plan and set meeting agendas. Both of you should come prepared with topics or questions to discuss.
- Listen actively: Show genuine interest in what the other person is saying, and make an effort to fully understand before responding.
- Ask thoughtful questions: This helps your mentor understand how to specialize the advice and support they provide to you.
- Set clear goals: Work together to identify specific objectives, and take accountability for your role in those objectives.
- Summarize and follow up: End meetings with a brief recap of discussion points and next steps.
Both the mentor and the mentee should approach each interaction with respect, openness, and proactive engagement. When one person disengages or withdraws, the relationship can lose its effectiveness. The goal is to be actively engaged, attentive, and action-oriented to foster mutual growth.
To become a strong mentor and a receptive mentee, it is important to build self-awareness and understanding of the other person's strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles. For example, if your mentor excels at public speaking but struggles with coding, you should focus on seeking support from them for presentation advice rather than technical challenges. This adaptability makes your mentorship more relevant and impactful. It also reinforces the value of having multiple mentors, with each offering unique perspectives and expertise to support different areas of professional development (see: Building a Mentoring Network).
The content provided here was developed by the Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Organization.