Graduate Student Caucus (GSC) of the Comics Studies Society (CSS)
After a short hiatus, the GSC is pleased to announce that we will be relaunching the successful Academic Mentorship Program for 2026. The Academic Mentorship Program creates opportunities for members of the GSC to connect with established scholars in the field of comics studies (to check who qualifies as a member of the GSC, please see our GSC Constitution).
The GSC CSS Academic Mentorship Program seeks to empower up-and-coming comics studies scholars and graduate students by encouraging them to develop the diverse skills and strategies necessary to successfully complete their graduate degree and navigate the current job market within, alongside, and outside/beyond academia. Academic mentors are successful senior scholars in the field of comics studies, who will support their mentee by giving academic advice, sharing resources, investing in their general academic success, and helping them network.
GSC members will be paired with senior faculty members from CSS based on shared interests as indicated in the form to sign up for the program (see links below). Pairings will be announced in March 2026. We encourage mentors to reach out to their mentees via email, but how often and through which channel the mentee and mentor communicate is for each pair to decide individually. The GSC plans to organize a virtual meeting for all mentors and mentees in April 2026 to facilitate first contact where it hasn’t occurred yet, and to answer any questions about the program. We also hope to set aside meeting time for mentors and mentees during the CSS 2026 Conference.
Mentors and mentees are welcome to sign up for this spring rollout, regardless of whether they have an ongoing mentorship from previous years or not. This flexibility will hopefully contribute to fostering the next generation of comics scholars while offering tangible support to our junior colleagues.
If you are interested in either being an Academic Mentor or Mentee, please fill out the application form linked below. For more information or if you have any further questions, please consult our FAQ or contact Nicole at nicole.huff@utrgv.edu.
The deadline for applications is February 28th, 2026. Pairings will be announced early to mid-March 2026.
Application form for MENTORS: CLICK HERE | Application form for MENTEES: CLICK HERE |
