Faculty Mentors

Faculty Mentors

Thank you for your interest in the Student Conference.  Please be aware that all students presenting at the conference MUST work with a faculty mentor on their presentation, exhibition, or performance. See the guidelines below.

Guidelines:

This document outlines in broadest terms the formal relationship entered into by a student or students and a faculty member who agrees to mentor the student(s) for the purpose of submitting a proposal to, and, if selected, presenting at the annual Student Research Conference hosted by Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC).  While it is written in the singular tense (one student/ one mentor), it is acknowledged that a faculty mentor can mentor a group project and/or, a pair of faculty could mentor a student or students working on one project. 

  • The annual district-wide Student Research Conference is an opportunity for a student to collaborate with an MCCD faculty member to produce an academic presentation on a topic of their choosing, based on one of the three tracks.
  • Mentors must be faculty ( residential or adjunct) who have expertise in the topic being presented by the student, either through their discipline or other recognized means.
  • The relationship may be initiated by either the student or mentor. That is, a faculty member may approach a student and encourage them to participate or a student may approach a faculty member and ask if they would serve as their mentor for the conference presentation.
  • If both parties agree to the mentored project, both commit to working together to ensure an excellent learning opportunity for the student and a finished product of the highest quality. Specifically:
    • The student is responsible for the content of the presentation; the mentor commits to shepherding the process, providing all necessary and reasonable assistance to the student, and helping the student understand and reach the expectations of an academic conference presentation.
    • At a minimum of one week prior to the conference date, the final version of the presentation will be due to the mentor. The final version is likely to include practice with the format of presentation (running through an oral presentation, for instance).