Programs

Graduate School Mentorship Program

In January 2005, the Graduate School and the Honors College initiated a program that matches undergraduate and graduate students in mentoring relationships. The purpose of the program is to expose undergraduate students to the graduate experience as they make decisions about post-baccalaureate study and transition from undergraduate to graduate student status. In addition, the mentorship program provides graduate students with the opportunity to develop mentoring skills as they share personal experiences with undergraduate participants in the program.

Mentors must be in at least their second year of graduate study and will receive a stipend, payable upon completion of the program. Students selected as mentors will be expected to participate in a combination of formal and informal activities, including:

  • A day-long mentorship training session [PowerPoint] at the beginning of the semester.
  • Weekly interactions of one to three hours with undergraduate participants.
  • Participation in a program evaluation at the end of the semester.
  • Providing shadowing opportunities for their undergraduate partners.

Mentors and faculty members are encouraged to review several resources, such as the Mentoring at VCU Handbook [PDF], a manual developed by the University Graduate Council to address mentoring issues relevant to graduate and post-graduate training at the university. Additional resources include The Margaret F. King’s “On the Right Track: A Manual for Research Mentors,” produced by the Council of Graduate Schools, and The Virginia Mentoring Partnership.

Congratulations to the 24 undergraduate student mentees and 24 graduate student mentors selected for 2007-08’s Graduate School Mentorship Program.

Call for applications for 2008-2009 GSMP

Review the announcement and call for applications. [PDF]

Applications are due by Monday, April 14, 2008 at 5 p.m.

Please contact the office if you have any questions about the program or the application process at gsmp@vcu.edu. Thank you for your interest in the GSMP.

Undergraduate and graduate applicants must be in at least their second year of studies at VCU while participating in the GSMP. This means that a first year undergraduate would apply in the spring of their first year to be a mentee in their second year. Accordingly, graduate students who wish to apply to become mentors in their second year of graduate studies would apply the spring of their first year.

For additional information or answers to questions relating to any of these initiatives, contact:

Graduate School Mentorship Program
1001 Grove Avenue
P.O. Box 843051
Richmond, Virginia 23284-3051
E-mail: gsmp@vcu.edu