Program Agenda

This is a practitioner-oriented, interactive workshop focused on integrating well-being into online graduate writing and professional development outreach: How can we address the challenges of supporting grad students’ well-being and building long-term virtual communities in online programming? The workshop will combine my recent experiences pivoting writing support programs to online formats with opportunities for participants to reflect on their own experiences and share practical advice.

Institutions of higher learning have a mission to educate, serve, and prepare all students personally and professionally. The documented need for increased well-trained student affairs professionals, student orientations, and appropriate services dedicated to the postbaccalaureate student has not always kept pace with the growth of Graduate services, with the unique appreciation for heightened academic pressures, work-life balance, and the cultural differences of the postbaccalaureate student are not only necessary, but also vital to student health, satisfaction, and success. Graduate students require and want dedicated student services including preparation, advocacy, student life and support, this discussion will explore what that means in your institutions and how collaborative efforts between students, student affairs, and academic affairs can foster deeper relationships within the university with a much needed focus on enhancing graduate student confidence and success.

Graduate students are dynamic, multidimensional and imperfect human beings, with interests, obligations, passions and struggles that extend far beyond the classroom. In the heart of COVID-19 restrictions in April 2020, a group of graduate students at NC State relegated to their bedrooms turned on their cameras to share stories of hope, grief, illness and wellness. NC State’s Graduate Alliance for Mental Health in Academia (GAMHA) - a student-led coalition aimed at bringing awareness to the obstacles of mental wellbeing in the graduate community - rose to the challenge of the pandemic by sharing their personal stories through a YouTube video series.

Our hope is to have an engaging dialogue aimed at developing a shared understanding of the definition and attributes of academic bullying. With this shared understanding we will begin to explore the role graduate school's have in diminishing these behaviors within our communities and providing support to those experiencing these behaviors within our communities. While the time may be short, our intended learning outcomes include:

Recent Covid-19 restrictions prevent many first-year graduate students (domestic and international) from starting their programs on campus. As such, we need to think of ways to support them in building community, utilizing campus resources, taking charge of their learning and preventing study-related exhaustion. We will present Ahead of the Pack—a first-year professional development graduate student transition program at North Carolina State University. Attendees will be engaged in an interactive discussion where we examine critical issues of graduate school adjustment. Higher-ed stakeholders will learn how to use a virtual program to provide sustained support to graduate students, especially when they are enrolled in a research-intensive university.

This panel/talk will focus on the resources and support offered to graduate students at Vanderbilt University. Since 2016, the university has made great strides in creating resources to support students: the establishment of the Center for Student Wellbeing, development of the Student Care Network, positive updates within the University Counseling Center, and the creation of the Graduate Life Coach position has bolstered existing resources and led to the creation of the Graduate Development Network which brings together offices serving graduate students across campus. The panel, with representatives of these areas, will discuss their experiences working with graduate students, speaking to the concerns they address.

Few of us working in graduate and professional student services were actually trained for this work. Finally, a book for practitioners working with graduate and professional students is on the horizon. Talk to the editors of this new and much needed book. They will describe the genesis and content of the book, and include suggestions for making it a useful resource on your campus.

The presenters will discuss how they came together to develop a partnership which has led to the creation of Appalachian State University's TrailNet Program: Online Professional and Personal Development for Graduate Students. They will discuss how they combined resources, generate and use data and some new ideas for future development.

By attending to writer well-being, administrators stand not only to help graduate students reach important milestones but also to positively impact their overall development as academic writers and scholars. Accordingly, this presentation highlights concrete steps that administrators can take to promote wellness for graduate-student writers on their campuses.

Recognizing the graduate student mental health crisis sweeping the nation, which was amplified by the difficulties faced in 2020, the Student Wellness Office at UNC-Chapel Hill partnered with the Graduate School to develop and deliver a unique pilot program in 2020 that consisted of a series of ‘Virtual Wellness Circles’. The ‘Virtual Wellness Circles’ engaged graduate students through community building, psycho-education and skill development using evidence-based techniques proven to reduce stress and foster resilience.

This talk looks at the perceived knowledge of students in key competencies such as career exploration, networking, and portfolio/application materials. Reviewing our implementation and design of the virtual program alongside of this data, we offer insights into how to support the future success of students interested in industry careers through virtual professional development. We conclude by discussing how the integration of positive psychology into the program allows us to employ wellbeing as a means of supporting student success

To encourage a holistic approach to graduate student advising, we are implementing academic life coaching for graduate students on our campus. Academic life coaching forms a deeper mentoring connection and invites honest dialogue. Coaching activates motivation, encourages engagement, and deepens self-awareness. Through collaboration and goal setting, students are empowered to overcome challenges that often interfere with academic progress and degree completion. We will introduce the coaching model used on our campus (a four-part ION Model: Connection, Intention, Reflection, and Action) and discuss how it facilitates graduate student academic success and thriving. We will also discuss how coaching skills can be used by faculty mentors and advisors even when they are not in a formal coaching role.