COMP is an expansion of the Math Department Graduate Student Peer Mentor Program. The Peer Mentor program informally started in 2015 and involved a couple volunteer grad students meeting for lunch with the incoming students. In 2017, the program officially was formed, and involved pairing each incoming student with a peer graduate mentor along with organized social events dedicated to the mentors and mentees.

In 2020, student anxiety was exacerbated due in part to the physical isolation necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and larger social injustice issues, such as those addressed by the Black Lives Matter movement. The Math Department acknowledged insufficient support systems existed for student success, especially for students from underrepresented groups. COMP was formed partly to address this need. Inspired by the UCI Physics & Astronomy Community Excellence Program (PACE), COMP expanded the mentoring program to include a weekly seminar where students can discuss topics ranging from student health and well-being to broader social issues that impact the mathematical community and beyond. COMP will also include a component dedicated to the recruitment of graduate students from historically excluded populations.

For more information about how COMP was formed, please reference the original COMP proposal written by Kelly Isham and Jesse Kreger.