Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring
The Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring works to improve the mentoring culture at CSU to ultimately elevate the personal and professional success of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. GCIM fosters a supportive community that strengthens mentor and mentee relationships through trainings, meaningful conversations, and skills for offering personalized advice.
Mentoring Resources for Graduate Students
We help students build a supportive community and connect with affinity groups that are open to all graduate students. We advance student and postdoctoral success by:
- Creating a community where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives.
- Providing professional development and mentoring training.
- Creating community and belonging and networking initiatives.
- Supporting robust peer mentoring networks through the Graduate Peer Mentoring Program.
- Encouraging faculty mentoring efforts to strengthen mentor-mentee relationships and improve recruitment and retention of students and postdoctoral scholars.
- Access to faculty networks engaged in mentoring initiatives.
CSU’s Principles of Community guide our efforts and we uphold these principles through all Graduate School efforts.
Mentor Mondays
This in-person series focuses on effective mentoring relationships and their critical role in the graduate community. Graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty are all invited to attend.
“The Mentor Mondays are really nice because I’ll meet students who are not in my area, and I’ll be able to listen to what kinds of issues they’re dealing with and then think about how that applies back to what I do.” — Nancy Levinger
Fall 2026 Upcoming Events
All sessions are from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
We are working on finalizing our fall 2026 schedule – check back soon!
Graduate Student Groups
Affinity groups are open to graduate students in any academic program to help cultivate community and belonging.
Graduate Peer Mentoring Program
GPMP strives to foster communities of support for CSU graduate students by engaging their strengths, and experiences. The program is available to all degree seeking, on-campus graduate students currently enrolled in credit bearing courses. Students are required to apply and are partnered based on their application preferences such as field of study, and compatibility.
MentorUp Presentations
Strong mentorship leads to greater productivity, confidence, and career satisfaction—but it’s a two-way relationship. In Mentor Up presentations, graduate students learn how to “manage up” and take an active role in their mentoring relationships. Participants will gain tools to prevent burnout, navigate challenges, and strengthen communication with their mentors. Workshops are available for groups of six or more graduate students.
GCIM Faculty
GCIM faculty are actively engaged in mentoring initiatives, training, and actively support mentoring best practices. GCIM mentors focus on meeting each student’s specific needs while fostering a supportive community.
Faculty Mentoring Excellence
Mentoring initiatives and trainings recognize that each graduate student has unique experiences, challenges, and opportunities, and focus on helping students build their individual strengths to achieve their goals.
GCIM offers faculty:
- Mentor Well trainings and recognition of skill building through a certificate
- Consultative services to departments and colleges regarding graduate recruitment, retention, and professional development.
- Grants for department level training, as funding is available.
GCIM Mentor Well Faculty Certificate
Published evidence shows that mentoring impacts the outcomes of trainees across disciplines and career stages and that mentor education improves mentoring relationships. The Mentor Well training series is intended for faculty mentors of graduate students but will have useful information for mentors of all types. The training is based on the Entering Mentoring curriculum developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Participants who complete the full series of sessions listed below will receive a GCIM Mentor Well Certificate.
“Because it’s Mentor Well, it’s about well-being of the student, not just academically, but also on the personal level.” — Svetlana Olbina
Resources
Our GCIM faculty are actively engaged in the GCIM. They prioritize mentoring students and support best practices. GCIM mentors focus on meeting each student’s specific needs while fostering a supportive community.
Faculty Workshops
Downloadable resources and helpful links
Awards Spotlight
The Graduate School’s Land-Grant Fellowship
This merit-based fellowship recognizes outstanding incoming graduate students to CSU who demonstrate excellence in academics, scholarship, and community service.
Jack E. Cermak
Advising Award
This award recognizes excellence in academic advising. Jack E. Cermak was a Professor in Civil Engineering who endowed this award because of his strong belief in the value of academic advising.
Board of Governors Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award
Presented annually to faculty members who stimulate the curiosity of students by motivating and challenging them. Award is sponsored by the Board of Governors of the CSU System.
Grad Ram Impact
David Crosby
CSU master’s student David Crosby earned first place at the university, state and regional levels of the Three Minute Thesis competition for explaining his research on why this brain disorder causes people to lose their ability to think, remember and reason.
Naeemah Weathers
Weathers, a master’s in counseling and career development, has been a decorated starter on the volleyball team, a full-time intern at a Fort Collins elementary school and the coach of a local volleyball club team composed primarily of high school freshmen.
Abigail Whittaker
A CSU doctoral student who researches conflicts between people and carnivores has received a prestigious U.S. Department of State scholarship that will take her to East Africa to strengthen her foreign language skills.
Principles of Community
The Principles of Community support the Colorado State University mission and vision of access, research, teaching, service, and engagement. A collaborative and vibrant community is a foundation for learning, critical inquiry, and discovery. Therefore, each member of the CSU community has a responsibility to uphold these principles when engaging with one another and acting on behalf of the University.
Inclusion
We create and nurture inclusive environments and welcome, value and affirm all members of our community, including their various identities, skills, ideas, talents and contributions.
Integrity
We are accountable for our actions and will act ethically and honestly in all our interactions.
Respect
We honor the inherent dignity of all people within an environment where we are committed to freedom of expression, critical discourse, and the advancement of knowledge.
Service
We are responsible, individually and collectively, to give of our time, talents, and resources to promote the well-being of each other and the development of our local, regional, and global communities.
Social Justice
We have the right to be treated and the responsibility to treat others with fairness and equity, the duty to challenge prejudice, and to uphold the laws, policies and procedures that promote justice in all respects.
The views and opinions expressed by presenters and participants at the Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring’s sessions/workshops are their own and do not necessarily represent the positions, policies, or values of the CSU System or its campuses. Attendees are encouraged to engage respectfully, thoughtfully, and critically.