Provost’s Fellows for Graduate Mentoring Program | Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

Program Overview

Recognizing that effective mentorship directly impacts graduate student success, the Provost’s Fellows for Graduate Mentoring program empowers faculty to act as local change agents to enhance the mentoring of graduate students. Over this year-long fellowship, participants will leverage design-thinking and organizational change-management strategies to pilot and refine a new initiative. Working within a collaborative community of practice, fellows will design targeted, sustainable initiatives that strengthen mentoring in research settings while respecting the unique needs and context of their respective disciplines.

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Applications and Nominations

Please complete this form [link coming soon] to apply or nominate a fellow. Applicants will be asked for a brief (2-3 sentence) idea of how they might enhance mentoring of graduate students in their program or unit.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible?

Academic and research faculty (all ranks and levels) who can impact the mentoring of graduate students in research settings. This includes but is not limited to faculty who serve as graduate education leaders in their unit (i.e. graduate program coordinators, associate chairs, and members of the graduate curriculum committee or other relevant committees), and faculty who lead large research groups.

What are the expectations?

Design and pilot a project to enhance mentoring of or by graduate students in a specific graduate program, school, or College. See below for illustrative example projects.
Participate in monthly community of practice meetings. Topics will include best practice for mentoring in research; designing, implementing, and assessing new initiatives; organizational change management; as well as peer feedback towards project refinement.
Produce an end‑of‑year report (1-2 pages)
(Optional) Fellows are also encouraged (but not required) to present their project at graduate coordinators/directors meeting or the annual graduate education summit.

When does the program take place?

Fellows will meet monthly during the fall and spring semesters and work on their own projects throughout the year. The time of monthly meetings will be determined based on the cohort’s availability.

What would I be committing to?

Fellows will meet monthly during the fall and spring semesters and work on their own projects throughout the year. The time of monthly meetings will be determined based on the cohort’s availability.
Fellows are expected to design and pilot a project by the end of the academic year in May.

What resources are available?

Up to $2,000 will be available to each fellow. This funding can be used towards the mentorship initiative and/or to attend a relevant conference or training.

What are some illustrative examples of projects that fellows could work on?

Integration of brief, structured “Mentoring Minutes” integrated into faculty meetings
Creation of a mentoring-in-research workshop/training/resource to address the school’s mentoring practices and needs
Teaching graduate students how to effectively communicate with their advisor (aka “mentoring up”)
Development of a peer‑to‑peer mentoring program that complements faculty advising

I would like to work on faculty-to-faculty mentoring. Would this qualify?

If the idea involves faculty training faculty on how to more effectively mentor graduate students, then it would qualify. If the program is aimed at faculty‑to‑faculty mentoring more broadly, that is not within this program’s current scope. Faculty‑to‑faculty mentoring is being addressed by the Office of Faculty Professional Development and at the College-level.

I would like to enhance the mentoring that graduate students provide to undergraduates or less experienced graduate students, and/or how they “mentor up” to more senior researchers. Would this qualify?

Yes. Ideas that would enhance mentoring of or by graduate students in research settings are welcome.

Are there prior fellows or is this program new?

Technically this is a new name and format. However, it is based on successful current and prior cohort-based models that include the Provost’s Fellows for Faculty Development (2022), GPE’s Mentoring and Well‑being Liaisons (2023-2025), and the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Provost’s Teaching and Learning Fellows and Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellows Program.

How is this program being funded?

This program is being piloted during the 2025-2026 academic year via a seed grant from the Provost’s Excellence in Graduate Studies (PEGS) fund.

How can I get more information about the program as a nominator or potential participant?

Please send any questions to Jana Stone.