Collaboration & Mentoring
Build and sustain productive working relationships to achieve shared goals—contributing reliably, valuing diverse perspectives, and adapting roles as needed—while fostering a supportive learning culture through mentoring, feedback, and encouragement.
Collaboration & Mentoring includes:
- Co-creating shared goals, roles, expectations, and decision-making processes that keep a team aligned
- Contributing consistently and meeting individual commitments that affect team outcomes (accountability for deliverables)
- Listening carefully, asking clarifying questions, and engaging with respect across differences in expertise, identity, communication style, and working approach
- Leveraging your strengths to complement others’ skills; integrating independent work into a cohesive team product
- Demonstrating flexibility: compromising when appropriate, adjusting plans, and stepping into different roles (supporting, leading, facilitating, executing) as team needs shift
- Managing collaboration logistics professionally (timely communication, honoring priorities/schedules, following up to maintain momentum)
- Navigating group dynamics: addressing misunderstandings early, resolving interpersonal tensions, and engaging in conflict management constructively
- Giving and receiving constructive feedback that improves the work and strengthens relationships
- Building trust and psychological safety by contributing to inclusive, respectful, and learning-oriented environments
- Participating in mentoring relationships (peer/near-peer): offering guidance, sharing know-how, connecting others to resources, and seeking input when needed
- Encouraging others and reinforcing shared purpose—helping the team stay engaged, supported, and focused on outcomes
Resources:
Campus and Online Resources
- Interdisciplinary Collaborations 2017 Lecture Series - You are invited to share the experience and insights of participants in four initiatives that bring together diverse perspectives from the sciences, arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and communities around the globe. In addition to discussing their innovative projects and synergies, experts address best practices for creating, building, and maintaining collaborative initiatives.
- MacArthur Fellows Speaker Series 2015- The University of Arizona’s MacArthur Fellows exemplify exceptional creativity, significant accomplishment, and boundless potential. From neuroscience and astronomy to linguistics, ethnobotany, and anthropology, these scholars are changing the world for the better. This speaker series explores and celebrates the innovation and impact of our MacArthur Fellows' work.
- Graduate Writing Lab Graduate Writing Groups – Graduate Writing Groups are month-long groups that help graduate students create and achieve their writing goals. Groups are open to all; however, some months they focus on specific identity or affinity groups such as women of color, dissertating students, masters students, and more.
Campus Organizations and Communities
- University of Arizona Outreach and Extension– Links to outreach opportunities within your college, unit, or center
- Graduate & Professional Student Council (GPSC) – The representative body for graduate and professional students at the University of Arizona. Get involved with GPSC to work on graduate student issues and to develop stronger connections.
- VolunteerUA - Helps students find volunteer opportunities
- United Way Volunteer Center – Volunteer opportunities in the Tucson and Southern Arizona region
- Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits – Learn more about nonprofit organizations in Arizona. Check out the job board and resources page.
- CampusGroups – Main page for recognized clubs at the University of Arizona
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) - ODI supports the University community through training, community development, and advocacy. Check out their page for a list of trainings and opportunities, data, best practices, and resources.
Specialized cultural and Resource Centers on Campus:
- African American Student Affairs
- Asian Pacific American Student Affairs
- Disability Cultural Center
- Guerrero Student Center for Chicano and Hispanic Student Affairs
- Hillel Foundation
- International Student Services
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Affairs
- Native American Student Affairs
- Veteran's Education and Transition Services (VETS)
- Women and Gender Resource Center
- UArizona Experts – Find a mentor or potential collaborators at the UA.
- GradResources.org - Partners graduate students with current or recent graduate students in their field for online support
- How to Get the Mentoring You Need - An in-depth guide to getting the mentoring you want and deserve
- University of Washington Student Advice Knowledge Base contains articles on various aspects of mentoring at the graduate student level. The topics range from time management to teaching options and even building practical skills.
- MENTOR (Mentorship through Effective Networks, Transformational Opportunities, and Research) Institute
- University of Arizona Mentoring Toolkit
- The Science of Mentorship Podcast by The National Academy of Sciences
- National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) is a nationally recognized, independent organization that provides online career development and mentoring resources for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Because the University of Arizona is an Institutional Member, all of our faculty, postdocs, and graduate students are granted free membership.
- MENTOR Institute The purpose of the MENTOR Institute training is to enhance mentoring practices as a means to improve outcomes such as career advancement, obtaining a great job, timely promotion, academic milestones, and graduation. This training is meant for both mentors and mentees.
- Mentor Cats
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