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Research Mentoring
Colleagues,
In April 2003, Vice President Huggett and Dean Karen Klomparens charged a task force of faculty from across the campus, chaired by Hans Kende, MSU Distinguished Faculty and member of the National Academy of Science, to assess and consider afresh the collective University commitment to mentoring of graduate students.

On February 2, 2004, the members of the University Graduate Council voted to fully endorse the principles and recommendations in the Research Mentoring Task Force Report.

The members of UGC provided the following recommendations in addition to the report.

  1. All graduate degree-granting units must have a graduate handbook, which addresses at least those items in the Graduate School Handbook Template (date of new template). The graduate handbooks will be submitted to the lead college of each graduate degree-granting unit and to the Graduate School for review. Handbooks must be submitted for review at least every five years. New graduate programs must have a graduate handbook approved for their first entering class of students. Existing programs must revise their current handbooks to include at least those items in the Graduate School Handbook Template by fall 2005.
  2. All new graduate program proposals sent to UGC should include a section on how the degree-granting unit intends to implement and monitor the Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships and the Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities.
  3. By fall 2006, degree-granting units should develop plans for implementing and monitoring the Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships and the Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities, to be submitted to their lead college and to the UGC.
  4. As part of their annual faculty review, graduate program directors should be reviewed by the head of their degree-granting unit according to the responsibilities outlined in the Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships.

Charge to the Task Force - PDF ~ As printed in the Spring 2004 Research Integrity Newsletter

Task Force Report - PDF ~ As printed in the Spring 2004 Research Integrity Newsletter

University Task Force on Research Mentoring of Graduate Students participants:

Ann E. Austin - Higher Education - College of Education

Pamela J. Fraker - Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - College of Natural Science

Jack R. Harkema - Pathobiology & Diagnostic Investigation - College of Veterinary Medicine

Manoochehr Koochesfahani - Mechanical Engineering - College of Engineering

Mary C. Martin - Graduate Student

James R. Miller - Entomology - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Judith A. Stoddart - English - College of Arts and Letters

Rose T. Zacks - Psychology - College of Social Science

Last Updated: 04/10/2006
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