NSF Requires Mentoring Plan for Grants

The National Science Foundation (NSF), third-largest federal research funding stream for universities, is now requiring all grant applicants to submit a mentoring plan for graduate students, with a goal of expanding the pipeline from graduate school to the workforce.

“We know that mentorship is the single-most important factor that predicts whether students will be able to successfully complete their degree,” said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “It’s not just being someone’s best friend. It’s being clear about expectations.”

Read more in this piece from Inside Higher Ed about the reasons behind the move to more formalized mentoring structures and what the NSF hopes to accomplish.