MSU Guidelines for Graduate Student Mentoring & Advising

This content provides guidelines and tools intended to be useful to all within the MSU community who have advising and mentoring roles related to graduate education. The document below highlights the essential roles of advising and mentoring. 

Mentoring involves a deep, engaging relationship and can have an extensive impact on individuals. Effective mentoring relationships are formed through principles of reciprocity and mutual responsibility.

Mentors and mentees should respect one another as researchers/scholars/creative practitioners and as individuals. That respect is formed through a shared commitment to scientific, creative, and professional excellence while meeting personal goals

MSU’s Guidelines for Graduate Student Mentoring and Advising were developed by reviewing literature and engaging graduate students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

The end product is intended to foster and enhance faculty-graduate student relationships that are characterized by honesty, courtesy, and professionalism and provide students with intellectual support and guidance.

The academic unit one is in is especially important, since it forms the community of scholars and educators responsible for cultivating a stimulating, collaborative intellectual environment for mentoring of graduate students. 

Foundational Values

Effective mentoring relationships are formed and sustained through principles of reciprocity and mutual responsibility. Mentors and mentees should respect one another both as researchers/scholars/creative practitioners and as individuals. 

That respect is formed through a shared commitment to scientific, creative and professional excellence, and a recognition of these common values:

Rights & Responsibilities

These guidelines recognize the rights and responsibilities that underpin a vibrant, supportive, and inclusive culture of graduate education.