Mentors
The relationship our students develop with their Faculty Mentor is the most critical aspect of our program and the greatest benefit our students receive from becoming a McNair Scholar. Faculty Mentors share their time, wisdom, and expertise with their scholar as they guide them through completing a research project and applying to graduate school. Faculty Mentors serve as role-models for their scholars; showing them what their lives could be like as an academic. Mentors also expose their scholars to the cultural norms and unwritten rules of graduate school, working in higher education, and publishing scholarship.
Mentor Responsibilities
The mentor/mentee relationship should last for the duration of the scholar’s involvement with McNair and ideally continue on until the scholar graduates. While serving as a Mentor, faculty will be expected to:
- Meet with their scholar regularly during the school year and at least weekly during the McNair Summer Research Experience.
- Guide their scholar through the process of conducting research— selecting a research topic, crafting a proposal, conducting a literature review, drafting a research manuscript, and preparing a scholarly presentation to share their research.
- Help their scholars select graduate programs to apply to and advise them as they complete their graduate school applications.
Your Faculty Liaison
As our McNair Faculty Liaison, Dr. Nathan Palmer is available to answer any questions faculty have and provide whatever support is needed to ensure a strong mentor/mentee relationship. Contact Dr. Palmer at npalmer@georgiasouthern.edu or 912-478-7897.
Last updated: 9/22/2021
