During the first month in the program, the student and adviser will identify an Academic Mentor, a faculty member in EARTH who is familiar with the student’s general research area. The research adviser and academic mentor ensure the student's academic progress and well-being, but they have different roles. The adviser directs the student's research and is responsible for student funding. The mentor guides students more informally through the first two years of graduate school, helping them
- demystify graduate school in Year 1.
- understand the unwritten or vague aspects of departmental and Rackham's procedures and policies.
- understand academic expectations.
- identify barriers to progress.
- explore career development opportunities.
For MS students, the Academic Mentor will be one of the readers of the MS thesis. For PhD students, the Academic Mentor will be a member of the student's Qualifying Exam Committee and can become a member of the PhD Committee. The PhD Committee will take on the role of academic mentoring after the student passed the Qualifying Exam.
Planning meeting and Preliminary evaluation in Year 1 – The first-year student and adviser must identify a mentor and schedule a Planning Meeting among the three early in the first term (late September, early October). This meeting should be used to review the student’s academic preparation (a preliminary evaluation, below) and to develop a two-year timeline for research (e.g., plans for experiments, fieldwork, research travel), course work, self-study, and GSI assignments until the student takes the Qualifying Exam or submits the MS thesis. The key outcomes of the Planning Meeting should be included as Section H on the IDMP Form.
The Planning Meeting should be scheduled for at least 90 minutes. The research adviser is responsible for scheduling.
Preliminary evaluation – The Planning Meeting includes a preliminary evaluation (PE). Its purpose is to determine the student’s foundational knowledge in the field of study to facilitate the planning meeting, The adviser and mentor decide on the optimal structure of the PE but the faculty have agreed on the following guiding principles:
- The PE is Informal and with positive reinforcement.
- The goal of the PE is assessment.
- The PE is meant to evaluate the student’s current knowledge to help planning.
- The PE clarifies to the student the type of questions that may come up in the Qualifying Exam.
- The questions could be given a day in advance so students have an idea of the topics that come up.
- The student should not study for the PE nor prepare answers from web-searches. The answer “I do not know” informs the adviser and mentor what students need to learn from new classwork or self-study.
- Students should be allowed to bring written notes to support their discussion, but the PE should not be confused with a written exam.
Faculty in common research fields can develop question banks to share. Online resources such as this page from the Association of State Boards of Geology may be helpful.
Continuing meetings – We encourage the student, academic mentor, and research adviser to continue to meet at least once per semester. The meeting in the Winter semester could be coordinated with the Annual Review and the Individual Development and Mentoring Plan (IDMP). The Department will reimburse the cost of "coffee" up to $25 if the meeting is off-campus.
Changing the mentor – It is possible to change your academic mentor. The Academic Program Manager can help to coordinate this. If the mentor is unavailable (e.g., on sabbatical, administrative, or personal leave), the Grad Chair, Academic Program Manager and adviser will help find solutions.
The Academic Mentor and the Planning Meeting will be discussed with the first-year graduate students in the EARTH 531 seminar.
