What is Mentoring at Mizzou?
Mentoring at Mizzou is a professional development opportunity for Mizzou faculty and staff who mentor graduate students, post docs, and/or faculty. The program uses Entering Mentoring curricula developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. This professional development uses an evidence-based, interactive approach designed to help mentors develop skills for engaging in productive, culturally responsive, research mentoring relationships – relationships that optimize the success of both mentor and mentees.
As of fall 2024, all newly hired assistant professors are required to participate in the Mentoring at Mizzou training to be eligible to apply for doctoral faculty status and advise doctoral students. This policy was developed and approved by the Graduate Faculty Senate, the faculty governance body for graduate education in Spring 2024.
Mentoring at Mizzou is a partnership between the Office of the Provost and Graduate School led by Enid Schatz, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Jeni Hart, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, and Shruti Rana, Assistant Provost for Strategic Faculty Initiatives.
Benefits of Mentoring at Mizzou
Units and individuals that engage in Mentoring at Mizzou have potential for these benefits: access to research-based mentoring resources, space to dialogue about mentoring goals, development of common mentoring language and practices, opportunity to plan actions to improve mentoring, evidence-based mentor training suitable for faculty mentors on training grants, and time to develop skills for better mentoring practices to better support success for and retain students, postdocs, and faculty members.
What to Expect from Mentoring at Mizzou
Participants can expect customized training (in-person or online) led by Mizzou colleagues. Workshops can range from a few hours to a full day. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Aligning expectations in mentoring relationships
- Establishing a practice of belonging
- Assessing understanding
- Cultivating ethical behavior
- Enhancing work-life integration
- Maintaining effective communication
- Promoting research self-efficacy
- Fostering independence and well-being
How to Request Training
- Contact the Office of the Provost
- Contact a facilitator directly
- Register for one of the campus-wide, open-call training offerings (both online and in-person options).
Upcoming Campus-Wide Opportunities
Wednesday, August 19, 8:00 am-4:00 pm anyone interested in joining new faculty for a day of training may register using this link.
Other training sessions will be offered throughout the 2026-27 academic year. Please continue to check this website for future training sessions.