Events

ELPA Pizza Party 

Hello, ELPA community!

We hope you have had an opportunity to rest and have some fun this summer. This is a reminder email about our upcoming Welcome (Back) Pizza Social for our new and returning ELPA students. 

We want to welcome you all (all ELPA students, staff, and faculty) back to a new semester and welcome our newest ELPA students to the community at our annual Beginning of the Year Pizza Social. The event will be next week, Thursday, August 28, 5-7 pm, on the 3rd floor Terrace of the Education Building. (Our rain/alternate location will be the Wisconsin Idea Room, #159, in the Education Building.)

ELPA Town Hall 

In this time of uncertainty surrounding research, funding, and safety, many students have expressed concerns about the future of their studies at UW-Madison, as well as their ability to live and learn in a safe environment. To address these concerns, we are offering a space for the ELPA community to come together, share their questions, and discuss their worries. We will be meeting Monday, April 14th, 3-4pm in the Education Building, Room 290. Department & other administrative leaders on campus will be present to offer what clarity and resources they can.

Please click this link to register for the event. You will also have the option to submit questions prior to the event through this link as well. In collaboration with ELPA faculty and staff, collected questions will be used to create a handout with responses, recommendations, and/or resources that will be shared through the ELPA department listserv.

Due to ongoing changes and litigation around various issues, we can't promise to have answers for every question, but we will do our best to offer clarity where/when possible.

We hope to see many of you join us. 

Best, 

LEADS

LEADS Listening Sessions

LEADS invites you to attend our Listening Sessions, an event with current ELPA masters and doctoral students to better understand their needs at different stages of the graduate school journey and inform future programming for the department. 

These sessions are designed to gather feedback on key topics, such as challenges students face, questions they have related to milestones in the program, and highlights from their experience in the ELPA department. 

Our second meeting will be hosted in person on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 2-3 pm. Please use this form to indicate which session you would like to attend. For those who cannot attend either session, there will be an opportunity for you to provide written feedback through the form as well. We are interested in all ELPA students' perspectives regardless of program strand.

Attached to this email, you will find the flyer with a QR code to the form, and the Zoom link for the first Listening Session on March 5th. We've also included a document detailing the organizational structure of LEADS for those interested in learning more about what being a member of LEADS looks like.

Whether you’re considering joining LEADS in the future, or you’re looking to advocate for initiatives you’d like to see in the department, your participation and insight will be invaluable as we seek to support and strengthen the ELPA community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Responsive & Equitable Leadership in Rural Wisconsin Schools

Hello ELPA community!

Saturday, March 8, LEADS in collaboration with the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) is excited to host a panel of rural Wisconsin school district leaders who will share their experiences of delivering responsive and equitable education in their districts. We will be discussing how they navigate policy changes, support educators in their districts, and meet the needs of diverse learners in their districts.

This will be a hybrid (in-person and Zoom) event. Please see the attached flyer and registration form for more information: bit.ly/4i05AOB. 

We hope to see you there!

LEADS Listening Sessions

LEADS invites you to attend our Listening Sessions, an event with current ELPA masters and doctoral students to better understand their needs at different stages of the graduate school journey and inform future programming for the department. 

These sessions are designed to gather feedback on key topics, such as challenges students face, questions they have related to milestones in the program, and highlights from their experience in the ELPA department. 

Our first session will be hosted virtually on Wednesday, March 5th, from 10-11 am and our second meeting will be hosted in person on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 2-3 pm. Please use this form to indicate which session you would like to attend. For those who cannot attend either session, there will be an opportunity for you to provide written feedback through the form as well. We are interested in all ELPA students' perspectives regardless of program strand.

Attached to this email, you will find the flyer with a QR code to the form, and the Zoom link for the first Listening Session on March 5th. We've also included a document detailing the organizational structure of LEADS for those interested in learning more about what being a member of LEADS looks like.

Whether you’re considering joining LEADS in the future, or you’re looking to advocate for initiatives you’d like to see in the department, your participation and insight will be invaluable as we seek to support and strengthen the ELPA community. We look forward to seeing you there!

ELPA Kickoff Social

Come kick off the Spring Semester with LEADS! Join us at Vintage Brewing on January 29th from 5-7 pm. 

LEADS End-of-Semester Treats

Happy end of semester, ELPA community! Somehow, this semester has very quickly come to an end. As a LEADS executive board, we want to offer you some treats, whether you may already be done with all your finals and courses for the semester, to help you through any remaining tasks you need to complete before you can call this semester wrapped, or just as a fun pick-me-up. 

We will be sitting in the ELPA graduate student office (Room 259) on Wednesday, December 11, from 2:00 - 7:00 pm with an assortment of treats. Feel free to drop by at any time to pick up some snacks. We want to thank you all for being part of our community and celebrate everything you've accomplished this semester. We wish you a safe, restful, and joyful winter break. 

Lunch & Learn 

Enjoy lunch with new ELPA faculty hires Dr. Krystal Williams and Dr. Frank Fernandez! The Lunch and Learn will be from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM on Wednesday, November 6th, in Room 298 of the Education Building. Food will be provided to the first 20 people. However, the room can accommodate additional people who may sign up. Lunch will be catered by Jimmy Johns.

Dr. Krystal Williams and Dr. Frank Fernandez will both present their research and their unique journeys to UW-Madison! We hope you can attend the event.

RSVP here. 

ELPA Open House

Wednesday, November 6th 

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CST

RSVP here

Friday, November 8th 

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm CST

RSVP here 

We are excited to host our virtual open house events for prospective students applying for the Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison! Join us on November 6th and November 8th from 5:30-6:30 CST to learn more about our program, the application process, funding opportunities, and more!

New Student Welcome
and Welcome (Back) Social

Thursday, August 29

Welcome                                                             2pm | Room 290, Education Building 

Social
5pm | L1 Outdoor Patio, Education Building

RSVP here.

ELPA Community Cookout

Sunday, May 5

2pm | UW South Madison Partnership Building

LEADS is thrilled to host an end-of-year celebration! We hope you’ll join us for our second annual “ELPA Community ‘Cookout”. 

All students, staff, and faculty are welcome. 

Food will be provided from Melly Mell’s, and partners/families are welcome.

RSVP here.

Coffee with Colleagues

Thursday, March 21

3pm | Education 290

Gather with peers to discuss strategies and prepare for the end of the semester!

Join us for coffee and snacks to share tips and gather ideas for navigating breaks, conferences, and finals with grace and humility.

RSVP here.

Social Hour

Thursday, February 29

3-6pm | Steenbock's on Orchard

LEADS invites the ELPA community (master’s and doctoral students, staff, and faculty) to our first SOCIAL HOUR of the semester. 

This will be the first of a series of monthly get-togethers for the semester! Drop by and stay for as long—or little—as you like! Add this event to your calendar by clicking this link.

Lunch and Learn: Jessica Gile, Nick Hanke, Shari Smith, and Maggie Webster

Monday, February 26

Noon | Education 290

Continuing our 'Lunch and Learn' series with ELPA staff, this semester we welcome Jessica Gile, Nick Hanke, Shari Smith, and Maggie Webster!

Join us for an hour-long lunch where we'll have the opportunity to hear from them about their roles in ELPA and path to UW-Madison, with time for discussion and community-building. Lunch is provided by Jimmy Johns; RSVP early as space is limited.

End of Semester Social

Thursday, December 14 - RSVP here

5pm |  Great Dane Pub & Brewing

Congratulations on another semester! LEADS invites the ELPA community (master’s and doctoral students, staff, and faculty) to an end of semester celebration on Thursday, December 14th at 5 PM. The social will be at Great Dane Pub & Brewing (Downtown location; 123 E. Doty St.) and LEADS will be providing appetizers.

Please RSVP by Tuesday so we’re able to provide an approximate count of attendees. Take care and we look forward to celebrating our ELPA community with you!

Path to Success: Preparing for the Student Affairs Job Search

Thursday, December 7 - RSVP here

6 -7 pm |  Zoom

HESAB invites you to a virtual panel discussion about what you can do now to prepare for the student affairs job search. Our panelists span a variety of student affairs & job search levels including entry-level, director-level, and HR perspectives. Our panelists can speak to their experiences in academic advising & affairs, community colleges, athletics, and others.

The panel will operate in a Q&A format, so come prepared with questions! They will share experiences and advice on how to start navigating the job search before graduation and how to be a competitive applicant.