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Graduate Mentorship Certification
The Graduate Mentorship Certification (GMC) is a year-long professional development program that provides students with the skills necessary to effectively be mentored and serve as a mentor in higher education settings. Students will strengthen their mentorship skills by attending workshops, completing a portfolio, serving as a mentor throughout the program, and more. The mentorship portfolio is comprised of 3 parts: 1.) Strengths Assessment self-reflection; 2.) Diversity Statement; and 3.) self-reflection of the mentoring process throughout the program duration. The GMC workshops are designed to foster intellectual discussion of ethical issues in mentoring, as well as to provide insight and training on best mentoring practices.
This is a medallion-qualifying program for UNLV graduate & professional students. For additional information, please see the Graduate College Medallion Program website.
In order to participate in the program, graduate students must:
- have completed at least one semester of graduate studies at UNLV by program start date.
- currently be enrolled.
- be in good academic standing in a graduate degree program.
Applications are only accepted once a year. We will accept applications between May 5 and August 4. There is no application fee.
The 2023-2024 Online Graduate Mentorship Certification Application can be found on the Grad Rebel Gateway. Please log in to the Grad Rebel Gateway and click on The Grad Academy tab to apply.
Please be prepared to provide the following information when completing your Graduate Mentorship Certification Application:
- CV/Resume
- Letter of Interest
- The Letter of Interest should address the following question: Why do you believe that gaining skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective mentor will help you obtain your professional and career goals? Please limit the response to a single page.
- Endorser Name
- You will identify the name and email address of a faculty member. They will receive a form to endorse your participation in the program.
All program requirements need to be completed in full by the student in order to complete the program, receive a certificate of completion, and have the GMC completion noted on their UNLV transcript.
- Program requirements will be submitted through the Graduate Mentorship Certification WebCampus Course. Participants will be added to the course in August.
- Once accepted into the program, participants are expected to serve as a mentor in some capacity. This could include, but is not limited to, being a mentor to a graduate student from a more recent cohort; an undergraduate student; or an individual affiliated with a club/organization/religious institution that participants are members of. Please note you will be asked to identify your mentee via WebCampus.
- Students must attend all cohort meetings, which include: (1) an Introductory Cohort Meeting in August; (2) a Mid Cohort Meeting at the end of the Fall semester; (3) and, a Final Cohort Meeting at the end of the academic year. Please note that students will be put on program probation after one cohort meeting absence and the second absence may lead to program separation.
- Students must watch 1 mandatory GMC workshop and submit a one-page (single or double spaced) summary. Mandatory workshops will be available for viewing via WebCampus.
- Students must attend a minimum of 4 workshops that are regularly scheduled in the fall and spring terms.
- GMC students must complete all components of the mentorship portfolio, which include:
- Scholarly Diversity Statement
- Strengths Assessment Self-Reflection (additional information below)
- Self-reflection of the mentorship process during the program duration (e.g., what the mentor did; how the mentorship improved over the year; and how it benefited the mentee)
- Finally, GMC students must submit their mentorship portfolios at the end of the spring semester (typically a meeting is held towards the end of April/ early May).GMC Participants will receive general feedback from a faculty member.
- Portfolios need to be submitted by:Friday, March 31, 2023
- Complete all program assessments (surveys/feedback forms)
- Students must apply and be admitted before they can begin participating in the GTC.
- Once admitted, students must complete all program requirements in one academic year with their cohort.
- All cohort meetings are mandatory.
- If a student is not in good standing in their degree program, or if they create any problems as a participant in the GTC, they may be removed from the program at the discretion of the graduate college dean
All cohort meetings are mandatory unless you have a documented excuse that has been approved. If you miss a cohort meeting, without prior permission, you may be removed from the program.
Below are the meeting dates and times for the 2023-2024 GMC cohort:
- Intro Cohort Meeting: Wednesday, August 23, 2023, 3:30-5 p.m.
- Mid Cohort Meeting: Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Final Cohort Meeting: Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- The Grad Academy: Mixer & Trivia Night, Wednesday, December 6, 5-6:30 p.m., University Gateway Building, Room 268 (Optional but Highly Recommended)
- Join us to mingle with your fellow Grad Academy participants and compete in Trivia Night! Food and drinks will be provided. The winning team will earn prizes!
- The Grad Academy: End of Year Celebration, Tuesday, May 14, 5:00-6:30 p.m., University Gateway Building, Room 268 (Optional but Highly Recommended)
The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate Mentorship Certification. You must RSVP for all workshops at least 24 hours in advance. To RSVP, please click on the workshop below. This will send you to the calendar entry page, which has the RSVP information. A full list of the workshops offered this semester can be found on the Graduate College Student Workshop Calendar.
The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate Mentorship Certification. To receive credit for a workshop, click on the workshop recording you would like to watch, write a 1-page summary (single or double-spaced), and submit the summary via WebCampus.
- The Importance of Gender Pronouns
- Next Level Mentorship
- Where Does the Time Go: Managing Your Time while Harnessing Your Power
- Self-care, Balance and Resilience
- Introduction to Mentoring: A Guide for Mentors and Mentees
- Building Mentorship Skills for Academic Careers
- How to Write a Conference Proposal: Advice on Finding Calls, Writing an Abstract, and Submitting your Scholarship
- Post-Graduate School: Exploring Non-Academic Pathways + Translating Your Skill-set
- Professionalism 101
- Managing Conflicts or Concerns in Mentor-Mentee Relationships
- Time Management: Strategies for Success
- Difficult Conversations & Conflict Resolution
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae: How to Create Them and When to Use Them
- Imposter Syndrome
- Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research: Which should you use?
- Facilitating Inclusive Online Discussions
- Collaboration & Communication: Team-building and Teamwork
- Communicating Effectively with your Mentor/Advisor
- Finding Your Leadership Voice
- How to Run a Great Meeting
- Helping Mentees Cultivate Healthy Habits
- Goals Discovery with US Bank
- Academic Mentoring of Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Junior Faculty
- GPSA Sponsorship
- Ethics & Professionalism
- Leadership During Crises
- Mentorship in the Workplace
- Pursuing Careers in Academia
- Engaging Policymakers & Establishing Dialogue Around Research
- Becoming an Effective Project Manager: Aligning Goals/Expectations & Guiding Manageable Projects
- Launching the Leader in You
- Mentoring Resource Panel
- How to Give Constructive Feedback on Colleagues’ and Mentees’ Writing Materials
The Graduate College will be hosting Tuesday Talks: Your Questions Answered for current The Grad Academy program participants. Please drop by on any of the following Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m., to ask us any questions you might have or just to check your progress:
Research shows that knowing and using your strengths:
- Promotes self-reflection
- Accelerates growth and development
- Leads to higher career engagement
Assignment
This assignment is due by Friday, December 9, 2022.
- Visit this page and take your strengths assessment.
- Save a copy of your results
- Write and submit a 1-2 double spaced page self-reflection
- Was there any part of your results that you already knew about yourself?
- Did you learn something new about yourself?
- How can knowing your strengths benefit your student and professional career?
- Submit your assessment results and self-reflection via WebCampus.
- National Research Mentoring Network
- Mentoring and Advising, University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School
- How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students (University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School)
- How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty (University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School)
- Graduate School and You: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students (CGS, 2014)
- Sarah Brown, The Chronicle of Higher Education: More Colleges Are Asking Scholars for Diversity Statements. Here's What You Need to Know.
- Nevada STEM Mentor Network