CSGrad4US Mentoring Program

The Computing Research Association’s Committees on Education (CRA-E) and Widening Participation (CRA-WP) will collaboratively design and implement a mentoring program for recipients of the NSF CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowships targeted at recent computer & information science & engineering (CISE) bachelor's degree graduates currently in the workforce and returning to graduate school for a PhD in a CISE discipline. The goals of the CSGrad4US Mentoring Program are (1) to guide returning students through the application process towards a successful CISE PhD admission and school selection, and (2) mentor them through the transition to PhD graduate study in the first year towards high retention.

The program evaluation will shed light on the retention rate of students taking this pathway and the potential impact of the program on domestic CS PhD production. The resulting mentoring program model and professional development model for mentors and coaches will inform other efforts to increase domestic PhD production.

The mentoring needs of students returning from the workforce is different from those applying to graduate school as undergrads. Key differences include the lack of a natural peer group, diminished access to faculty who can provide graduate application guidance as well as a perspective on their academic strengths and weaknesses, and the lack of role models in the form of other graduate students and Teaching Assistants.

The CSGrad4US Mentoring Program will provide not only general graduate application advice and guidance, but also provide missing larger context and network. These goals are achieved through group mentoring sessions followed by individual coaching during the application and decision making process and the first year in graduate school.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.