Overview
The goal of the Graduate College’s Peer Mentoring Program is to create opportunities for graduate students to connect and establish positive relationships with other students. Peer Mentoring is important for graduate students because of the knowledge and skills that are shared, but also because of the many other aspects of professional socialization and personal support that are needed to facilitate success in graduate school.
Objectives
The objectives of this interdisciplinary mentoring program are:
- Enable experienced graduate students to share their knowledge with new graduate students and expand their professional network.
- Assist new students to adjust to their roles as graduate students and address their needs, concerns, or questions in the professional and personal realms.
- Provide opportunities for connections and sharing of experiences within and across disciplinary groups
- Provide a valuable service to the university by promoting collegiality through mentoring
Eligibility
- The Peer Mentoring Program is open to students in both in-person and online graduate programs. There will be options for mentors and mentees to meet either in-person or virtually.
- Graduate students who are new to Boise State (first or second semester) are invited to participate as mentees.
- Graduate students who have been actively enrolled in a Boise State graduate program for at least one year (completed two semesters) and are in good academic standing are invited to participate as mentors.
How to Participate
If you are interested in participating in the Graduate Peer Mentoring Program, please complete one of the following information forms:
Roles and responsibilities
Mentors can take on various roles, such as coach, friend, champion, advocate, career guide, role model, instructional resource, or research partner depending on the needs of the new graduate student and the nature of their mentoring relationship.
Mentors are Responsible for:
- Taking the initiative to contact their mentees and stay in touch with them. Mentor matches are encouraged to meet one time per month over the academic year.
- Devoting time to the relationship and being available when requested.
- Assisting new graduate students with their various questions, needs, or concerns.
- Sharing their knowledge and experience to benefit new graduate students and following up on their progress at Boise State.
- Maintaining the confidentiality of the information shared by their new graduate student. Treat all interactions and discussions in confidence. There is no evaluation or assessment of the new graduate student on the part of the mentor, only supportive guidance, and constructive feedback.
Benefits for mentors may include:
- Gaining satisfaction from assisting in the development of a peer
- Generating ideas for and feedback about one’s own academic training and research
- Receiving recognition of one’s own professional skills from the mentee
- Creating a stronger interdisciplinary community in our graduate programs
- Developing leadership and management skills
- Increasing social and academic confidence
- Fostering a sense of community and belonging
Mentees are responsible for:
- Devoting the time to the mentoring relationship and interacting with the mentor
- Making use of the opportunities provided by the mentor
- Keeping the mentor informed of progress, difficulties, and concerns
- Exchanging ideas and experiences with the mentor
- Seeking help and support when needed
Benefits for mentees may include:
- Gaining practical advice, encouragement, and support
- Learning from the experiences of others
- Increasing social and academic confidence
- Becoming more empowered to make decisions
- Developing communication, study, research, and personal skills
- Developing strategies for dealing with both personal and academic issues
- Identifying goals and establishing a sense of direction
- Gaining valuable insight into the next stage of one’s university career
Questions and Feedback
If you have any questions, please contact Karen Viskupic, Faculty Fellow for Graduate Mentoring and Advising, at (karenviskupic@boisestate.edu). Karen will check in with mentors and mentees periodically and invite them to provide feedback on the progress of their relationships so that the Graduate College can evaluate the program and use the feedback to improve the mentoring program in the future.
Acknowledgments
This mentorship program is a continuation of programs created by Jesús Trespalacios, Marie-Anne de Graaf, and Kristin Snopkowski. The program also benefited from insights from other institutions with well-established peer mentoring programs such as: University of Colorado-Boulder, Washington University in St. Louis, and Texas A&M.