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Click here to see this online
 
 
 

January  2024

 
 

Happy National Mentoring Month! We send our sincere gratitude to all of our mentors. Thank you for your passion and dedication for supporting our graduate students. 

In this issue, we share several resources for you and your mentees. But first, we'd like to hear more from you about the mentoring resources you find useful. As we plan for upcoming programming, GradMENTOR blog posts and newsletters, we want to know what topics you find most relevant. Please share you thoughts at the link below. 

  Tell us your thoughts  


 
 
 
 

Spotlight

 
 
 
 
  Summer research program group photo
 
Summer Recruiting Programs

Summer may seem far away, but we are gearing up for our exciting summer research programs. Summer research programs are a great recruiting tool to support diverse and inclusive cohorts of students. Some are aimed at talented undergraduate students to encourage them to pursue graduate education, others are tailored to incoming doctoral students to help them start strong.

Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) 

The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is for undergraduate students interested in exploring careers in research. SROP at Illinois provides undergraduates from across the US and its territories with an experience that will help strengthen their knowledge, skills and understanding of graduate school. Participants conduct graduate-level research under the supervision of an Illinois faculty mentor. The program dates for 2024 are June 3 through July 26. For full consideration for participation in the 2024 Illinois SROP, applications and all supporting documents must be submitted no later than February 10, 2024. 

ASPIRE Illinois Summer Webinar Series

Our ASPIRE Illinois Summer Webinar Series is for students who are considering applying to graduate school at Illinois. ASPIRE provides an opportunity for students with diverse experiences and goals, and who come from many educational, socio-cultural, geographic, and familial backgrounds to explore and consider graduate school at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Participants will learn the process of selecting a graduate program and how to create competitive applications. The 2024 series will be held on Thursdays from June 27 to August 8, at 7 p.m. (central time). There is no cost to participate. Further details and registration are forthcoming and will be posted on our website.

Summer Predoctoral Programs

For incoming doctoral students, we offer two Summer Predoctoral Programs: Our Summer Predoctoral Institute (SPI) and our Summer Emerging PhD Program.

SPI is an 8-week program for newly admitted doctoral students to help them get acclimated and immersed in the campus and departmental community as they begin their studies. SPI participants will also have an intensive research experience and will share their work at the Illinois Summer Research Symposium in late July. The Summer Predoctoral Institute will be held June 3, 2024 – July 26, 2024.

The Summer Emerging PhD Program is a shorter option that provides incoming doctoral students an opportunity to learn about graduate school culture, network with current graduate students, spend a day with their department, and attend graduate school sustainability seminars over 2.5 weeks. It will be held July 10, 2024 – July 26, 2024.

Both summer predoctoral programs provide a stipend, housing, meals, and travel. 

Here is what past participants have to say:

“I’ve been enjoying [SROP] a lot. Coming from Navajo Reservation from a very small community, it is very different. So just being part of a larger university itself is amazing and being able to get a taste of what we could possibly experience going into graduate school and then also just getting different aspects of the possibilities that we have when we continue our education.” – 2023 SROP participant

“SPI has been instrumental for me to build community. It’s really easy to ostracize yourself during graduate school and that’s a major concern I had and one of the main reasons I applied to SPI in the first place. I wanted to be sure I had my support system available to me that’s filled with people who are likeminded who also come from underrepresented backgrounds, are in a similar age group and are also going to be here for the long haul.” – 2023 SPI participant


For other general questions about our recruiting and diversity programs, please contact GradDiversity@illinois.edu

 
 
 
 

For Faculty Mentors

 
 
 
 
Save the date for the Graduate College Annual Workshop

Join us at the 2024 Annual Workshop on February 20-21, 2024.  This event brings together directors of graduate study, graduate program contacts, and graduate faculty for a series of online and in-person sessions on topics relevant to graduate education. Watch for details, including a session on inclusive mentoring.

 
 
Raising a Resilient Scientist (RRS) Series

This five-part series from the National Institutes of Health includes lectures and discussion groups for faculty, staff scientists, and administrators who mentor students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences. RRS promotes the mental health and well-being of the academic research community by supporting faculty and administrators to develop self-management, relationship-management, and mentoring skills. There are five units in the series; each unit will consist of a 75-minute lecture followed by a 1-hour facilitated discussion with peers. The spring 2024 series starts February 1, 2024. See details

 
 
  A student with a backpack walking through the center of swirling lines and orbs.
 
CITL's Annual Faculty Retreat, February 29, 2024

Every spring, the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning hosts its Annual Faculty Retreat. This year's theme is “The Evolving, Engaged Learner in a Digital World.” Some of the most rapid and impactful changes in the teaching and learning landscape are due to digital technologies. These changes impact how students can learn now and will learn in the future. Attend the retreat for innovative ideas, interactive activities, resources, retreat grants, and new colleagues. Register here.

 
 
 
 

For your Mentees

 
 
 
 
Research Live!

Research Live! invites graduate students from all disciplines to celebrate their work and hone their presentation skills by giving a compelling 3-minute research talk. Encourage your students to participate for the chance to share their work at the finalists show case on April 2. The deadline to enter is February 26. See details.

 
 
Do you know students interested in Science Policy?

The university is sponsoring four graduate students to attend the 2024 Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop on April 14-17, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The workshop is hosted by American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS). Cost of travel, lodging, registration and meals will be covered for selected students. Students can nominate themselves for consideration, using this online form by February 5.

 
 
  image of lab
 

The National Institutes of Health National Research Service Awards, a.k.a. the Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellowships, are prestigious multi-year awards for students and postdocs in the health-related sciences. Awards provide up to 5 years of support for PhD students (F31), 6 years for dual degree students (F30), and 3 years for postdocs (F32). Applicants must be US citizens, nationals, or permanent residents. As these awards are for mentored research training, the application requires a high level of involvement from faculty sponsors. We invite faculty to join potential applicants in learning more at an upcoming information session on Monday, January 29, from 3-5 in Loomis Laboratory Room 141. The session will feature Dr. Jim Slauch, Head of Microbiology and Director of the Medical Scholars Program, Dr. Jodi Flaws, Professor of Comparative Biosciences, & Vicki Mourikes, NRSA Fellow and DVM/PhD student in Comparative Biosciences. Please register in advance.

 
 
 
 

Request a Workshop

 
 
 
 

As you plan programs for your graduate students this year, keep in mind that many Graduate College workshops can be requested by departments, faculty, and student groups. These workshops introduce grad students to important topics related to their professional and career development. Workshops can be a productive addition to orientations, courses, professional development seminars, and research group meetings.


 
 
 
 

Additional Publications from the Graduate College

 
 
 
 
 
 

GradLINKS
A weekly e-bulletin for graduate students

 
 
Looking glass with dollar symbol  
 

GradFELLOWSHIPS
Fellowship highlights and opportunities

 
 
 
 

GradLIFE Blog and Podcast
A behind-the-scenes look at the graduate experience

 
 
 
 

GradCAREERS
Biweekly job postings for graduate students

 
     
 

GradMENTOR is distributed to graduate faculty, instructors of graduate courses, and graduate program administrators. Visit our GradMENTOR blog for features from past newsletters. 

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in any of the programs or events listed in GradMENTOR, please email the contact person for the event. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.

 
 
 
 
 

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