Advisor Responsibilities

The research enterprise of the university is enriched by graduate students who carry out research as part of their degree requirements. Advisors are responsible for providing graduate students with effective mentorship at all phases of the research endeavor and enabling opportunities for academic and intellectual growth. They should encourage and guide their graduate students to have agency to direct and own their scholarship, but with acknowledgement of constraints such as areas of interest and specialization of the advisor and availability of resources.

Advisors (and advisory committees) should provide clear guidance and expectations on what degree of engagement with generative AI in research and/or writing is acceptable (if any). Collectively, the advisor, advisory committee, and graduate student should develop processes by which a student can attest to their own contributions (e.g., during research updates provided at committee meetings), while also noting how the use of generative AI tools contributed to their work. Refer to guidelines on the use of generative AI in graduate student research.

Regular meetings should occur between the advisor and graduate student whereby mutual expectations and progress concerning graduate student research and career aspirations are routinely and clearly discussed. Advisors and graduate students should jointly review program milestones considering appropriate timelines and the availability of resources. Thorough and constructive feedback should be provided by the advisor based upon mutually agreed-upon timelines. The advisor should be reasonably accessible for meetings requested by the graduate student to ensure progress towards timely completion of program requirements.

Advisors should familiarize themselves with the broad range of supports and resources available on campus to graduate students, and recommend these to their graduate students as needed/appropriate.

Advisors should inform graduate students, as well as the graduate coordinator/officer/director, of any anticipated and extended absences. Advisors must ensure suitable arrangements are in place (e.g., alternative modes of communication, supervision) during the absence. If a faculty member who is serving as a MRP/thesis/dissertation advisor or as a member of a MRP/thesis/dissertation committee finds that they will be on leave for more than two continuous months, the graduate student and the faculty member should meet with the graduate coordinator/officer/director to decide who will be responsible for the graduate student during the period of absence. However, there may be circumstances (e.g., the MRP/thesis/dissertation is nearly completed) where the faculty member and the graduate student agree to have the faculty member remain as an advisor or committee member.