Fellows Mentoring and Support Initiative

Program and Goal

The purpose of the Graduate College’s (GC) Fellows Mentoring and Support Initiative is to expand outreach efforts to Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education in Illinois (DFI) and Access to Excellence (Access) Fellowship recipients at UIC. DFI and Access Fellows have access to additional mentoring, advice, and referral support from GC faculty and staff.  Fellows can meet in a “home away from home” setting to engage in various career development workshops, scholarly activities, and community-building events. The GC Program Directors, Associate Deans, and other staff will serve as mentors. Alumni recipients of the DFI and Access Fellowships may also serve as mentors.

Activities and Services

The Fellows Mentoring Initiative has seven key components.

  • One-on-one meetings – GC Assistant and Associate Deans hold individual [1 hour] and walk-in appointments [15 min.] for Fellows to discuss academic, professional, and other related to success in their graduate programs.
  • Peer Mentoring – Junior graduate students are encouraged to connect with advanced graduate mentors. Alumni of DFI and UIC Access Fellowships also serve as mentors to fellows.
  • Career Development – GC staff members coordinate campus-wide general focus workshops on topics like: abstract writing, preparing for the academic job market, stress management, etc.
  • Colloquia – Fellows and alumni give brief research presentations in a group of 10-20 people. Two sessions are held each year.
  • Preparing Future Faculty Conference –  Held at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in February each year, this conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research and be in community with graduate students from universities across Illinois.
  • Open Dialogue – These sessions between DFI and Access Fellows, Directors of Graduate Studies, support staff, and UIC/GC administrators will discuss issues and graduate student concerns. The Graduate College dialogue sessions occur once each academic year.
  • Recognition Ceremony – This formal event honors Fellows who are graduating with a master’s and doctoral degree as well as other significant academic and professional achievements.

To schedule an appointment, or for more information, please contact Lunaire D. Ford, Ph.D., Associate Dean (lford@uic.edu)