Graduate Mentorship Certification
The Graduate Mentorship Certification (GMC) is a year-long professional development program that provides students with the skills necessary to effectively be mentored and serve as a mentor in higher education settings. Students will strengthen their mentorship skills by attending workshops, completing a portfolio, serving as a mentor throughout the program, and more. The mentorship portfolio is comprised of 3 parts: 1.) Strengths Assessment self-reflection; 2.) Diversity Statement; and 3.) self-reflection of the mentoring process throughout the program duration. The GMC workshops are designed to foster intellectual discussion of ethical issues in mentoring, as well as to provide insight and training on best mentoring practices.
This is a medallion-qualifying program for UNLV graduate & professional students. For additional information, please see the Graduate College Medallion Program website.
In order to participate in the program, graduate students must:
- have completed at least one semester of graduate studies at UNLV by program start date.
- currently be enrolled.
- be in good academic standing in a graduate degree program.
Applications are only accepted once per year. Applications will be open from July 1 to September 15. There is no application fee.
The 2024-2025 online Graduate Mentorship Certification Application can be found on The Grad Rebel Gateway . Please log in to the Grad Rebel Gateway, click on The Grad Academy tab, then click on the TGA Applicationsbutton to Submit a New Application.
As a part of the application form, please be prepared to provide a statement of interest that details your experience and goals for participating in the Graduate Mentorship Certification program.
All program requirements need to be completed in full by the student in order to complete the program, receive a certificate of completion, and have the Graduate Mentorship Certification completion noted on their UNLV transcript.
- Program requirements will be submitted through the Graduate Mentorship Certification WebCampus Course. Participants will be added to the course upon program acceptance.
- Students must attend all three required cohort meetings.
- Accepted students must serve as a mentor throughout the program for another graduate student, an undergraduate student, or an individual affiliated with a club/organization/other group. If participants are not actively mentoring throughout the program, they will be expected to complete an embedded mentorship course via WebCampus.
- Students must watch 1 mandatory workshop and submit a one-page summary. The mandatory workshop will be provided via WebCampus.
- Students must attend a minimum of 4 elective workshops scheduled in the fall and/or spring terms. Workshop options will be listed below under this year’s workshop schedule. Alternatively, students can select recorded workshops from the Workshop Summary Options tab and submit one page summaries via WebCampus.
- Participants must complete all components of a mentorship portfolio, which include:
- Strengths Assessment Self Reflection
- Scholarly Diversity Statement
- Mentorship Experience Reflection OR Effective Mentoring Approach Guide
- Participants will receive portfolio feedback from a faculty member.
- Students must complete all program forms/surveys.”
- Students must apply and be admitted before they can begin participating in the Graduate Mentorship Certification Program.
- Once admitted, students must complete all program requirements in one academic year with their cohort.
- All cohort meetings are mandatory.
- If a student is not in good standing in their degree program, or if they create any problems as a participant in the GTC, they may be removed from the program at the discretion of the graduate college dean
Cohort meetings are mandatory unless a documented excuse has been approved.
Meeting Schedule for 2024-2025 Graduate Mentorship Certification Program:
- Introductory Cohort Meeting: Thursday, September 26, 2024, 3:30-5 p.m.
- Mid Cohort Meeting: Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Final Cohort Meeting: Wednesday, April 30, 2025, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- The Grad Academy Mixer: Thursday, December 12, 2024 from 5-6:30 p.m., University Gateway Building, Room 268 & 269 (optional)
- The Grad Academy End of Year Celebration: Thursday, May 15, 2025 from 5:00-6:30 p.m., University Gateway Building, Room 268 & 269 (optional)
The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate Mentorship Certification. You must RSVP for all workshops at least 24 hours in advance. To RSVP, please click on the workshop below. This will send you to the calendar entry page, which has the RSVP information. A full list of the workshops offered this semester can be found on the Graduate College Student Workshop Calendar.
The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate Mentorship Certification. To receive credit for a workshop, click on the workshop recording you would like to watch, write a 1-page summary (single or double-spaced), and submit the summary via WebCampus.
- Grounded Grad Rebel Series: Finding Your Work-Life Fit
- Multilingual Writing at Grad School in the Age of AI
- Grounded Grad Rebel Series: Cultivating Mindfulness
- Mentorship Matters: Building Successful Research Relationships
- The Essentials of Lab Management
- The Importance of Gender Pronouns
- Next Level Mentorship
- Where Does the Time Go: Managing Your Time while Harnessing Your Power
- Self-care, Balance and Resilience
- Introduction to Mentoring: A Guide for Mentors and Mentees
- Building Mentorship Skills for Academic Careers
- How to Write a Conference Proposal: Advice on Finding Calls, Writing an Abstract, and Submitting your Scholarship
- Post-Graduate School: Exploring Non-Academic Pathways + Translating Your Skill-set
- Professionalism 101
- Managing Conflicts or Concerns in Mentor-Mentee Relationships
- Time Management: Strategies for Success
- Difficult Conversations & Conflict Resolution
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae: How to Create Them and When to Use Them
- Imposter Syndrome
- Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research: Which should you use?
- Facilitating Inclusive Online Discussions
- Collaboration & Communication: Team-building and Teamwork
- Communicating Effectively with your Mentor/Advisor
- Finding Your Leadership Voice
- How to Run a Great Meeting
- Helping Mentees Cultivate Healthy Habits
- Goals Discovery with US Bank
- Academic Mentoring of Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Junior Faculty
- GPSA Sponsorship
- Ethics & Professionalism
- Leadership During Crises
- Mentorship in the Workplace
- Pursuing Careers in Academia
- Engaging Policymakers & Establishing Dialogue Around Research
- Becoming an Effective Project Manager: Aligning Goals/Expectations & Guiding Manageable Projects
- Launching the Leader in You
- Mentoring Resource Panel
- How to Give Constructive Feedback on Colleagues’ and Mentees’ Writing Materials
The Graduate College will be hosting Tuesday Talks: Your Questions Answered for current The Grad Academy program participants. Please drop by on any of the following Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m., to ask us any questions you might have or just to check your progress:
- National Research Mentoring Network
- Mentoring and Advising, University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School
- How to Get the Mentoring You Want: A Guide for Graduate Students (University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School)
- How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty (University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School)
- Graduate School and You: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students (CGS, 2014)
- Sarah Brown, The Chronicle of Higher Education: More Colleges Are Asking Scholars for Diversity Statements. Here's What You Need to Know.
- Nevada STEM Mentor Network