Collaborative Plan of Support

Applicants to the program must have a CSU faculty mentor. The faculty mentor must be full-time tenured/tenure-track CSU faculty member. The objectives of the mentor/student interactions are to assist the student in their doctoral program, to help the student understand the workings of higher education institutions and the faculty labor market specific to particular disciplines, and to aid the student in the development of skills relevant to success as a CSU tenure-track faculty member. Please see CDIP Application Guidelines for more information about CDIP faculty mentor’s role and eligibility.

CSU faculty mentors and applicants are required to jointly develop a written plan of support describing how they intend to maintain communication and collaborate. The plan should describe clearly defined activities with a timeline that is designed to assist the applicant through their doctoral studies. The quality of this support plan is critically important in the application selection process.

The contents of the plan may vary depending on the prior contact that the applicant may have had with the faculty and the extent to which they are acclimated to the demands of a doctoral program and the expectations of future faculty in the CSU. Fellows and CSU CDIP faculty mentors should consider including the funding and grant opportunities available only to CDIP Fellows.