Advising

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is committed to providing academic advising to support graduate students’ scholarly and professional development. The department strives to ensure everyone has a fulfilling experience by creating an inclusive culture. The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability shares this commitment as reflected in the Doerr School Policy on Respectful and Inclusive Behavior. The advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Inclusivity and Diversity

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences strives to ensure that graduate students feel safe, secure, and supported during their graduate experience. It does not tolerate harassment targeting race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, physical appearance, age, and/or religion. Any experience of discrimination, harassment, or inequity in the department will not be tolerated and will be met with appropriate consequences by Stanford University’s Harassment and Discrimination policy. opens in a new tab Students can seek support from the Director of Access/Belonging, Erik Sperling, or the Assistant Director of Student Services, Anjani Varma.

Mental Health

Members of the Earth and Planetary Sciences department recognize that mental health challenges are real and can arise from both within and beyond the academic setting. We support and encourage each other to seek mental health and well-being resources. If any event during the graduate experience places a student under undue stress that inhibits their performance to their potential, the department encourages the student to seek support from the Director of Graduate Studies, Jane Willenbring, Assistant Director of Student Services Anjani Varma, or university services such as Counseling and Psychological Services opens in a new tab (CAPS) or Graduate Life Office opens in a new tab (GLO).

Academic Accommodations

The Office of Accessible Education opens in a new tab(OAE) is the campus office designated to work with Stanford students with disabilities. To comply with Stanford’s academic accommodations process, faculty should not attempt to arrange accommodations with the student. Students with questions about accommodations should contact OAE to initiate a disability-related request for accommodations. When a student presents an OAE Accommodation Letter, that letter should be followed, or the faculty member should work with the student and OAE to implement and/or modify the recommended accommodations. Students are expected to initiate accommodation requests promptly and provide timely notification of changes to approved accommodations. Faculty are responsible for maintaining student confidentiality and treating all disability-related information as confidential.

Establishing Advisor-Advisee Expectations

Both advisor and advisee are expected to take responsibility for actively discussing the nature of the graduate experience. For first-year students, the discussion results on the nature of the graduate experience and each party's expectations are summarized in a document that both the advisor and the advisee sign. The relationship and expectations evolve as the student progresses through their graduate experience. Regularly scheduled advisor-advisee interactions are an essential component of this relationship. Advisors are expected to check in with their students every quarter to discuss how expectations are being met and whether any need updating. Students are encouraged to revisit these conversations when the advisor-advisee relationship is not meeting their needs or expectations. Additionally, a written review in the spring quarter covers the student’s academic progress with their advisor(s) and committee members.

Graduate students are expected to proactively seek academic and professional guidance and take responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program. In addition to the primary advisor, students are highly encouraged to seek advice from other faculty in the department and other faculty and researchers (Stanford or external) who align with their research interests. See Graduate Advising opens in a new tab for a statement of university policy on graduate advising. Students can seek support and assistance from the Assistant Director of Student Services Anjani Varma when needed.

Guidelines for advisor-advisee interactions

The advisor-advisee relationship is mutual. Graduate students and faculty can expect mutual respect, high professional standards, and the sharing of ideas and research. Advisors should strive continuously to improve their mentoring abilities. Group dynamics can be complex; advisors should strive to treat students equitably, including the distribution of opportunities in a group, classroom, field, and laboratory settings. Further information regarding guidelines and best practices for advising and mentoring is available from the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Graduate students are expected to exercise high professional standards in their academic work, research, and mentoring partnerships and to be proactive in seeking advice and keeping the advisor informed about academic and research progress. Students and advisors must be responsible for meeting timelines, policies, and milestones impacting degree progress. We expect respect and equity in our department at all levels, from one-on-one interactions to department-wide events. 

Students in need of assistance should contact the Assistant Director of Student Services, Anjani Varma, or the Assistant Dean of Student Services, Alyssa Ferree, to be informed of a clearly articulated path for contacting them with questions, concerns, and challenges related to advising. Students may also contact any school representatives listed below to discuss issues regarding advisor-advisee interactions:

• Jane Willenbring, Director of Graduate Studies in Earth and Planetary Sciences

• C. Kevin Boyce, Department Chair of Earth and Planetary Sciences

• Kabir Peay, Senior Associate Dean for Education for Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

• Sue Crutcher, Associate Dean for Human Resources and Faculty Affairs for Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

• (GSAC) Graduate Student Advisory Council Representatives in Earth and Planetary Sciences

See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.