Mentoring Graduate Students

While scanning the literature for another topic, I recently came across two articles on graduate student mentoring published this year. Both focused on faculty mentorship, as much of the work in this area seems to. The first article, looks the significant impact of faculty mentorship on graduate student success an retention, acknowledging the changing demographic of the graduate student body, as well as the role of technology as important considerations for faculty setting out to provide guidance to the next generation of scholars. The second article, looks at faculty's perceived roles and responsibilities in their mentoring relationships with their graduate students.

There is a paucity of literature examining the effects of peer mentoring at the graduate level. There is much to be said for the establishment (whether formally or informally) of ties between fellow graduate students; opportunities for mentoring and even research and writing collaborative relationships can evolve among members of a program cohort, or even across institutions as graduate students network at conferences and meetings of professional associations. Further research would do well to explore this form of mentoring, the role peers may play in the development, success and retention of graduate students, and how to foster such relationships.

SKills Development

This weekend, I will be taking part in the Canadian Federation of Students- Newfoundland and Labrador's (CFSNL) 2011 skills development symposium as a member of Memorial University's Graduate Student Union (GSU). This event brings elected representatives together from across the province to develop skills that will assist them with the day-to-day operations of their students' unions.