Graduate Professional and Peer Advising (GP2A)
Mission
The GP2A Program seeks to encourage Stanford's undergraduate and graduate students to succeed in and pursue engineering and science careers by providing them with an academic and professional support network.
History
The Dean's Office and Engineering Diversity Programs (EDP) at the School of Engineering created the Graduate Professional and Peer Advising (GP2A) Program in 1998 to strengthen Stanford's student support networks through structured peer advising and to address the academic and professional advising needs of engineering students. The GP2A Program works with all students, but especially with the four diversity-engineering societies, AISES, SBSE, SCCLES, and SWE and the Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA) participants to promote diversity in the engineering sector. Thanks to corporate funding EDP is able to provide three integral components to the GP2A program: undergraduate and graduate advising, advising lunch, and a dinner lecture series.
Undergraduate and Graduate Advising
This part of the program is multi-tiered with each GP2A participant taking on different roles depending on their class level.
- Level 1- Junior and senior undergraduates will have the opportunity to advise freshmen and sophomore undergraduates.
- Level 2- Master's and Ph.D. students will have the opportunity to advise junior and senior undergraduate students.
- Level 3- Senior Ph.D. students will have the opportunity to advise Master's and first year Ph.D. students.
Students advisees and student advisors can apply to participate in the GP2A Program via the online application below, and will be paired with a student advisor and /or advisee that best matches their academic, extracurricular, and professional interests.
Student Advisors are expected to meet with their advisees at least once a quarter (one of which can be a sponsored lunch meeting) to discuss academic and professional topics. While one-on-one meetings are preferable, an advisor with more than two advisees may wish to meet with his/her advisees together. Student Advisors are not expected to be able to provide advisees with the answers to all of their questions, but rather act as a resource for their advisees. The focus of these meetings should be on (1) course selection, (2) internship and research opportunities, (3) study methods, (4) major, minor, or thesis selection, and (5) graduate school advising. In certain circumstances, the EDP will assign graduate advisors to provide academic tutoring to undergraduates, and Ph.D. students to fill in learning gaps for undergraduate or graduate students on a case-by-case basis.
Advising Lunch
Accelerated Calculus for Engineers (ACE) Program Extension: ACE students will also have the opportunity to engage in a similar advising session with their calculus Teaching and Course assistants. Teaching and Course assistants for the ACE math series will be responsible for organizing a focused meal with their students in which mathematics course sequencing, study habits, and applications to engineering will be discussed.
The OSA/EDP Purchasing Card (PCard) should be picked up from Ms. Nan Aoki at Huang room 135 on the day of the lunch by the advisor before heading to the lunch.
Faculty Advising Lunches: Some of the engineering-diversity societies, such as SBSE and SWE, incorporate structured luncheons into their regular events in which a faculty member in one of the engineering departments meets with undergraduate society members and their advisors to discuss course sequencing, research opportunities, and other topics related to the major. The main purpose of these luncheons is to allow students to have their questions regarding majors and research opportunities answered in a more intimate setting (normally 5 to 15 students).
SSEA Faculty Lunch Model: During the annual Stanford Summer Engineering Academy (SSEA), the GP2A Program extends to incoming freshmen participants, who will be encouraged to organize luncheons or dinners with SSEA lecturing faculty from every STEM major in order to gain a better understanding of their prospective majors and the research opportunities available to them.
Special Proposals: Following a similar format to the SSEA model, during the academic year GP2A participants can follow a more proactive approach to organizing faculty luncheons, by submitting a written proposal to Dr. Noé Pablo Lozano (contact information listed below). A written proposal should include the name of the faculty member you wish to meet, at least two additional students who would also be in attendance, the location, and the proposed date of the luncheon. If your proposal is approved, you must ensure student attendance and prepare discussion questions with regards to the faculty member's field, research, and/or work.
Dinner Lecture Series
The final aspect of the GP2A Program involves an occasional dinner with a faculty, alumni, or corporate keynote speaker focusing on a topic of interest in the GP2A Program. These dinners provide student advisors and advisees with an additional opportunity to meet during the quarter, as well as occasions to meet with prominent figures in the engineering industry and academic sectors.
To apply for the GP2A Program, please fill out the online applications:
If you have inquiries regarding the GP2A Program, please contact:
Dr. Noé Pablo Lozano, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Director, Engineering Diversity Programs
Huang Engineering Center, 135J
650-723-7177
noe@stanford.edu
