Mentor/Mentee Expectations

This document was inspired by a mentoring workshop that Richard attended facilitated by Professor Stephanie Robert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In draws heavily on the materials shared in that workshop, lightly adapting them for use in the Cognitive Communication Science Lab.

Preamble

The relationship between a trainee (MA/PhD student, postdoc, undergraduate student) and their advisor/mentor is a special one. Trainees rely on their mentors for stewardship and support to develop as independent scholars. Mentors often experience the relationships with their mentees as very rewarding - helping individuals reach their goals, seeding the field with strong scholars, and reaping benefits from the intellectual exchange. Because of the importance of these relationships, clarity of expectations and communication can help develop and maintain a strong mentor/mentee relationship. Towards this end, this document aims to make clear some of the expectations that I have for my mentees, and what my mentees can expect from me.

My Commitment to You

Sometimes I'm wrong. I know this. Sometimes I'm wrong about a method, about an analysis, about a result, or about how something is interpreted. I also get things wrong when it comes to advocating for and supporting trainees. Just as I strive to be a better scientist, I strive to be a better advocate for trainees. I am constantly taking concrete steps towards improvement on both fronts. I commit to having an open mind, to listening, and to taking action. When I make a mistake, I commit to change, and I commit to not making that mistake again. Please tell me if I am wrong. I am committed to scientific rigor in the lab. I am also committed to making running a lab that is open to everyone and does not discriminate against anyone. If I fail in these endeavors, please tell me so that I can apologize and correct my actions. I also recognize that there is a structural power imbalance between mentor and mentee. If you do not feel comfortable telling me, please tell someone in a position of authority so that they can take action. The Graduate Studies Chair and Department Chair are good places to start.

I commit these things to you.

What I Expect From My Mentees

I expect that you and I will both work to communicate our expectations of each other as clearly as we can, to foster a strong working relationship. This includes being frank with each other about our own strengths and weaknesses and their implications for how we can work together most productively.

I expect you to be the driver of your academic experience. I expect you to understand what is expected of you from The Department and The University, but also to determine how to best get your educational and professional needs met and to advocate for yourself.

I expect that you will read the Lab Manual and relevant guidelines from the Department such as the Department of Communication Graduate Student Handbook, and update yourself on that information at each stage of your program. I can help you interpret the guidelines, but I expect that you take the initiative to review program guidelines first before asking for my guidance.

It is your responsibility to make sure you are following the guidelines of the program (e.g., taking the appropriate coursework, meeting deadlines). I am here to help you determine how best do do so, but it is not my job to keep track.

I expect that if something is happening in your life that is getting in the way of your doctoral work, you will tell me so that we can problem solve how to get the work done, determine realistic timelines, etc. You can decide how much to share with me, but I need to know the general scope of the constraints to help you minimize the impact on your professional development and timely progress.

I expect you to let me know when you need to meet with me. In addition to weekly lab meetings, you are encouraged to meet with me as needed. At different points in the program, we may have more or less frequent contact. If there is something that you need to talk about sooner than our next meeting, you should contact me and set up a time.

I expect that you will be open to receiving constructive criticism of your work - or that you will commit to improve on your ability to learn from constructive criticism of your work. You are a trainee because you have things you want to learn, and learning from critiques of your work is often the best way to improve. I hope to model taking constructive criticism well - test me!

I expect you to disagree with me. This is your life, your career, and your doctoral program. If you disagree with a comment or suggestion I make, you need to communicate that to me and be your own advocate. Also, I might be wrong about a scientific matter. If you think I am, or have a different take about what a research finding means, please let me know. Scholarly disagreement is the backbone of science, and the best scientific argument must always win.

I encourage your feedback. I am a flawed individual and I will make mistakes. I am still a work in progress and am trying to become a better mentor and individual over time. If I say something that angers or upsets you, I hope that you will let me know so that we can talk about it. One or both of us will likely benefit from that conversation.

I expect you to respond promptly to email and Slack messages. Even if the response is simply a message letting me know that you have received the message and will respond in greater detail shortly. I do not expect responses on nights, weekends, or holidays. I may sometimes send you messages on these days/times, but I do not expect you to respond.

I expect you to take advantages of opportunities other than those I present to you. For example, attending professional development sessions offered by The Department, The Graduate School, centers on campus (e.g., lectures at the CMB, the DSI trainee workshops, other student groups on campus), and programs at national and international meetings. This is part of you taking control of your professional goals.

I expect you to work hard towards your professional goals while also working towards a sustainable work/life balance. Both hard work and work/life balance are important to sustaining a professional career over the long term.

I expect that you will talk with me about career planning. You may wish to continue in academia. Or you may wish to take a job outside of academia. I support both options, and have professional experience in both academic and in corporate settings. Honest conversations about your career goals will help us develop the right course of action for your career.

I expect you to contribute to the lab. This means working from the lab regularly, contributing to the lab wiki, contributing to the lab culture, and helping your lab mates out when they need a hand.

I expect you to talk with me about a research study or before starting it. There is a temptation to overcommit to research projects. I expect that you will talk with about which projects you are interested in working on so that we can jointly evaluate how a project meets (or does not meet) your goals. Saying "yes" to too many projects can severely impact your ability to get anything done. One finished (and well-done) project is worth 100 projects "'in progress".

I expect that you will treat me and your other lab members with respect. In the same way, you can expect me to treat you with respect. Disrespect is not tolerated.

I expect you to conduct honest and ethical science. Data fabrication, plagiarism, unethical treatment of research participants, and other forms of research misconduct are not tolerated.

What My Mentees Can Expect From Me

I will treat you with respect. In the same way, I expect you to treat me and lab members with respect.

I am eager to help you achieve your goals, and am committed to doing the best I can to support and advocate for you. I enjoy helping other people achieve their goals, and my mentees are a priority for me.

I will help you navigate your way through the program. Although you are ultimately responsible for your deadlines and progress, I am pleased to help you interpret the guidelines and plan with you about strategies to get your professional needs met.

I will make time for you. I am very busy with a range of responsibilities, but my mentees are a priority for me. If you need to meet with me sooner than planned, I expect you to contact me to do so. I also have an open door policy. If my door is open, lets talk, even if it is a brief chat to set up a more formal meeting time.

I do not expect you to be just like me. I am here to help you develop the career that you want for yourself. That may be in academia and it may not be. I am open to you having career goals of various types and am committed to helping you achieve them.

Life is too short to not follow the path you want. I believe that academic training programs are not for everyone. If, during the course of your study, you decide that you may not want to continue, I encourage you to talk with me about it. There are good and bad reasons for pursuing academic training. I am open to you changing your goals and deciding that this is not the right path for you. I am willing to help talk you through your options.

I will respond to your messages. I try to respond rapidly to email and Slack messages. If you haven't heard from me, resend the message. The volume of messages I get on a daily basis is massive, and sometimes I miss a message.

I don't have to be your mentor. If there is someone else who you think you would be a better mentor/advisor for you, I am open to having that conversation. Having an appropriate advisor to help you reach your goals is important, and I am committed to helping you achieve your goals, even if that isn't with me as your mentor!

I will be honest about the strengths and weakness of your work. For better or worse, I am usually straightforward and direct with my feedback and you can expect that from me.

I understand that my role as a mentor changes over time as your needs change, and as you move towards independence. I will aim for clear communication about my changing expectations of you and you should aim for clear communication about your changing needs and concerns. Towards this end, every spring, the Doctoral program asks each student to report on their progress over the previous year and to highlight plans for the next year. We will use this as a time to thoroughly discuss your progress and plans.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of some topics that I am prepared to help you with. I can either hep you with these topics directly, or can help you find other people or opportunities to get your needs met in these domains. These topics will each become important to you at different stages in your development as an independent scholar. You should feel free to raise a discussion of any of these topics below, above, and other topics, in our meetings.

• Choosing appropriate courses
• Networking with others in your area
• Supervising independent research/reading (if appropriate)
• Developing a candidacy exam topic
• Developing protocols for the IRB
• Developing a MA thesis topic and proposal
• Developing a dissertation topic and proposal
• Developing your research and presentation skills
• Forming and communicating with committees (e.g., thesis, candidacy, dissertation)
• Preparing presentations and/or posters for professional meetings
• Discussing job market options and preparing for the job market
• Applying for funding, as appropriate
• Brainstorming ideas for time management
• Finding other mentors to help you with topics that are not my strengths
• Help you develop attainable goals and a plan for attaining them
• Developing teaching skills
• Conducting peer review of research
• Questions about statistics
• Questions about methods (e.g., fMRI, behavior)
• Questions about programming
• Questions about data interpretation
• Report writing
• Issues of research ethics and integrity