Effective mentoring can be learned, but not taught. A skilled mentor is guided by a reflective process that examines the unique qualities, needs, and challenges of each mentee and how best to address them.

Good mentors learn by experimenting and analyzing their success and failure.

Effective Communication

Good communication is a key element of any relationship, and a mentoring relationship is no exception. The resources below are a place to start this process.

5 Tips for Being the Adviser Your Graduate Student Needs: From the Desk of Academic Coach Taylor
ProfHacker
Chronicle of Higher Education
September 4, 2019

Great Mentoring in Graduate School: A quick start guide for protégés
Laura Gail Lunsford, PhD & Vicki L. Baker, PhD
Occasional Paper Series Number 4
September 2016

How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students
Rackham Graduate School
University of Michigan

Addressing Equity and Inclusion

Learning to identify, reflect upon, learn from, engage and be inclusive of diverse perspectives is critical to forming and maintaining an effective mentoring relationship. The resources below are a place to start this process.

Navigating Careers in the Academy: Gender, Race, and Class
Working Paper Series
Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence
Purdue University

The University as Mentor: Lessons Learned from UMBC Inclusiveness Initiatives
Case Study: University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Council of Graduate Schools