Graduate Student Professional Development

Past Events

Related links:

Questions? Suggestions for future events? Contact us at grdevelopment@unc.edu.

Spring 2008

Graduate Funding 101 - Humanities & Social Science Disciplines
Friday, January 18, 2008, 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
Davis Library 247
Workshop will provide resources and strategies for finding funding and how to start the writing process. The workshop will conclude with a “Lunch with the Experts”
Interviewing Skills for Academic Careers
Thursday, January 24, 2008, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Graduate Student Center
Fishbowl format where participants observe mock interviews followed by a debriefing session about do’s and don’ts of interviewing
Graduate Funding 101- Science & Health Science Disciplines
Friday, January 25, 2008, 9:00am-1:00 p.m.
Health Science Library 303
Workshop will provide resources and strategies for finding funding and how to start the writing process. The workshop will conclude with a “Lunch with the Experts”
Negotiating a Job Offer in Academia
Tuesday, February 19, 2008, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Graduate Student Center
Develop negotiation skills, learn what is negotiable, and what you can gain from smart negotiating right from the start
 
Tax Responsibilities for Graduate and Professional Students
Session A: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Session B: Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Graduate Student Center
These classes do not represent tax advice. Please consult with your tax advisor. Both sessions will cover the same information, please register for only one session. The information will not cover issues concerning North Carolina state taxes. The workshop is designed for students who are US Citizens or permanent residents. If you are an international student, please consult the International Student and Scholar Services for their tax seminars for international students and scholars.
 
Cross-talk with the Deans
Tuesday March 18, 2008, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Graduate Student Center
Come meet Graduate School Associate Deans Leslie Lerea (Student Affairs) and Stephanie Schmitt (Academics)
Ask your questions
Learn about what the Graduate School does
Learn of Graduate School policies and deadlines
Hear about keys for successful degree completion
Share your ideas
Bring your own lunch, sweets provided

Fall 2007

Finding Funding 101

This series of workshops is co-sponsored by the Graduate School, The GrantSource Library, the University Library, and the Writing Center. The workshops are offered separately for students in the humanities and social sciences and students in the sciences and health sciences.

Workshop 1: Funding Sources and Fellowships Panel
This session will provide an introduction to the library's resources and services, as well as effective strategies for conducting a funding search. Participants will be introduced to funding opportunity databases, customized funding alerts, and other print and electronic resources which are helpful in getting a good start in the search for funding. The second part of this workshop will feature a panel of prestigious external fellowship winners.
Workshop 2: Literature Review and Proposal Writing
Effective writing strategies are an important of your proposal. This workshop will walk participants through the proposal writing process, offering strategies for pre-writing, writing, and revising your proposals as painlessly and efficiently as possible.
Humanities & Social Sciences Workshop 1
Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Time: 3:00-5:00PM
EVENT COMPLETED
Sciences & Health Sciences Workshop 1
Date: Thursday, September 6, 2007
Time: 3:00-5:00PM
EVENT COMPLETED
Humanities & Social Sciences Workshop 2
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Time: 3:00-5:00PM
EVENT COMPLETED
Sciences & Health Sciences Workshop 2
Date: Thursday, September 13, 2007
Time: 3:00-5:00PM
EVENT COMPLETED
 
 
Marketing Your Credentials: CV and Cover Letter Writing
Thursday October 11, 2007, 11:45am-1:30pm
Graduate Student Center, 211A West Cameron Ave.
Led by Ed Neal from UNC’s Center for Teaching and Learning.  Learn about important components of a CV and how to sell yourself through your cover letter. Sponsored by the Graduate School, TIBBS, CTL, and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, SPIRE, and Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity
Workshop Handoutpdf icon

Fall 2006

Writing Your Dissertation: Getting Started, Getting Unstuck
Led by Kim Ables and Vicki Behrens of The Writing Center at UNC, this series addresses the challenges of dissertation writing at different stages of the process. In the first hour, we'll offer concrete tips for creating productive work and writing habits. You'll learn how you can use writing to generate and develop ideas and discover campus resources that can help you throughout the process of writing your dissertation. During the second hour, we'll discuss issues that can arise once your dissertation is underway. Together we'll consider your writing process and practices and ask what's working and what isn't. We'll present strategies for overcoming writer's block, seeking feedback, and finding support.

Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sponsor: The Graduate School
Location: Graduate Student Center
Handout from the Writing Center about dissertations

 

Beyond the Tenure Track: Exploring Multiple Career Options in the Humanities and Social Sciences
In this session, panelists with Ph.D.s in the humanities and social sciences will discuss how they have carved out interesting and challenging careers in such areas as publishing, academic administration, private nonprofit fundraising and program development, and state government. The panelists will detail their careers paths and offer advice on transferring and adapting the skills gained in a Ph.D. program to other types of work. They will help students think about how to initiate and manage a multi-pronged job search that ranges beyond the world of the tenure-track teaching post. They will also direct students to sources for learning about job opportunities and give practical tips for navigating the job market after graduate school. 
Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Time:4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sponsor: The Graduate School
Location: Graduate Student Center
List of job search resources provided at the sessionpdf icon

Creating an Effective Poster Presentation
Your research is in progress. The next step is to share your insights with your discipline's community of scholars. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through a poster presentation. Because they are intended to convey a lot of information in a small space and a limited time frame, posters are not as easy to create as you may think. Led by Donna Bailey, this session is designed to help you create a poster that will effectively communicate your research and highlight your creativity and innovation in your area of study.
Date: Thursday, October 5, 2006
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sponsor: The Graduate School
Location: Graduate Student Center
Handout about creating an effective poster presentationpdf icon

Sharpen Your Interview and Presentation Skills
No matter the format, you'll want to prepare thoroughly for interviews and job search presentations. All interviews and effective presentations involve key elements. If you master these elements, you'll feel more confident going into an interview. This session feature three segments:

This session will provide selected strategies that you can employ to present yourself as a confident, professional colleague.
Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sponsor: The Graduate School
Location: Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Bldg., Room 3250
PowerPoint presentation from this sessionpdf icon

Getting Paid What You are Worth: Tips and Strategies for Negotiating a Job Offer
Alison Fragale and Willow Jacobson will teach session participants key strategies to employ during academic or non-academic negotiations. A hiring authority will be on hand to share his perspective on the negotiations process and a panel of faculty members from various departments will share their own experiences in negotiating job offers.
Date: Thursday, November 9, 2006
Time: 5:15 pm - 6:45 pm
Sponsor: The Graduate School
Location: School of Government, Knapp-Sanders Building, Room 2601
Click here for the handout from this sessionpdf icon
Click here for the PowerPoint from this sessionpdf icon

Researching and Writing in the Academy: Finding, Managing, and Using Information Effectively

Are you plagued by nagging questions like these that make you wonder why you went to graduate school in the first place? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more at this session. This session will be led by Gigi Taylor, ESL Specialist at The Writing Center, and Lisa Norberg, Director of Public Services at the University Library.
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sponsors: The Writing Center, University Library, The Graduate School and the Graduate Honor Court
Location: Davis Library, Room 247


Fall 2005

Spring 2006

 

The Role of Graduate Students in Service-Learning
Date: Wednesday, September 21
Time: 5-6:30 pm
Location: Davis Library Room 214
Event Complete

Dissertation Tips Series
Led by Kim Ables and Vicki Behrens of The Writing Center at UNC, this series addresses the challenges of dissertation writing at different stages of the process.

Writing Your Dissertation: Getting Started
Get concrete tips for creating productive work and writing habits. Learn how you can use writing to generate and develop ideas and discover campus resources that can help you throughout the process of writing your dissertation.
Date: Thursday, September 22
Time: 4-6 pm
Location: FPG Student Union Room 2510

Writing Your Dissertation: Getting Unstuck
Figure out what's working for you and what isn't. Learn to set achievable writing goals. Consider new strategies for overcoming writer's block. Get tips on seeking feedback and support.
Date: Thursday, October 6
Time: 4-6 pm
Location: FPG Student Union Room 2510

Research Skills Series
Learn the basics of formulating a topic, finding background resources, identifying primary and secondary research materials.

Introduction to Library Research for Graduate Students in the Social Sciences
Date: Tuesday, September 27
Time: 5-6pm
Location: Davis Library Room 247

Introduction to Library Research for Graduate Students in the Sciences
Date: Wednesday, September 28
Time: 5-6pm
Location: House Undergraduate Library Room 124

Introduction to Library Research for Graduate Students in the Humanities
Date: Thursday, September 29
Time: 5-6pm
Location: Davis Library Room 247

Sharpen Your Interviewing Skills
No matter the format, you'll want to prepare yourself as thoroughly for interviews as you do for your dissertation defense or conference presentations. All interviews involve similar key elements. If you master these elements, you'll feel more confident going into an interview.

This one-hour session focuses on two segments:
Preparation for the Interview (e. 30-40 minutes)
"Stop and Freeze" Interview Practice (e. 20-30 minutes)
(bring your c.v. for this part of the session!)
This session will offer you selected strategies that you can employ to present yourself as a confident, professional colleague.
**Updated Session Information**
Date: Tuesday, November 15
Time: 3:30-4:30 pm (Students may take the U Campus Shuttle to the Business School)
Location: Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Bldg., Room 3000

Transferable Skills and the Post-academic Career
Whether you're actively considering employment outside the academy or are just hoping to craft a "Plan B" in case the academic job market doesn't pan out this year, it might be worth thinking about the ways in which your graduate training and other skills could be brought to bear in a variety of work settings beyond the academy. Join us for an informal discussion--we'll talk about finding unusual opportunities, framing your graduate school experience in ways that will help employers understand its applicability, and some of the ins and outs of taking a graduate degree into unexpected career paths. There will be plenty of time for discussion and for your questions. Led by Kathryn Walbert.
Date: Friday, January 20
Time: 12-1 pm (You are welcome to bring your lunch with you)
Location: Graduate Student Center

Culture Shock! Identifying, Analyzing, and Adapting to Academic and Professional Cultures
When we’re aware of the ways in which culture challenges and supports us, we can be more intentional in how we manage cultural barriers and take advantage of cultural opportunities.
For instance, here’s a Pop Quiz:
True/False My department chair knows my name
True/False I could NEVER approach the top scholar in my department x with an idea for a joint project
True/False My department encourages me to collaborate with those outside of my discipline
True/False Graduate/Professional students are valued within my department

Join us as we analyze the range of answers to these key questions (and other major topics) surrounding academic/professional cultures. Then learn about techniques for identifying and adapting to changes as you move from graduate/professional school into your discipline. Led by Lindsay Bessick.
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2006
Time: 4-5:00 pm
Location: Davis Library, Room 214

Mentorship with Purpose
Successful professionals and scholars often give credit to a valued mentor for helping them overcome personal and professional challenges. The supportive mentoring relationship can provide support, guidance, and inside-scoops at all levels of graduate, professional, and scholarly work as long as the mentoring relationship has a specific purpose.
In this interactive workshop, learn how to:
• identify and contact potential mentors
• clarify myths and realities about mentoring
• benefit from purposeful mentoring relationships
• work together with your mentor through predictable stages of mentoring
Led by Lindsay Bessick
Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Time: 4-5:00 pm
Location: Graduate Student Center

Interested in this topic but missed the session? Click here for a copy of the speaker's handouts.

Effective Presentations:

Two workshops designed to aid students in preparation for any type of public presentations

Whether you're preparing for a conference, your defense, or a class assignment, these sessions may be just what you're looking for. In the first session, students will learn tips for effective communication and apply those skills in a presentation given in the second session. Students should plan to attend both sessions if possible.
Led by Dr. Judy Tisdale, director of the Business Communication Center at UNC-Kenan-Flagler, where she teaches oral and written business communication.
Dates: Session 1, Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Session 2, Thursday, March 30, 2006
Time: Session 1 and 2, 2:30-4:00 pm
Location: Graduate Student Center
No registration required for this event.

Contact
Questions? Suggestions for future events? Contact us at grdevelopment@unc.edu.