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April 9, 2019In this issue: Tips to write more effective emails, Teaching Academy Summer Institute, and more.
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Tips for Grads: CommunicationBy Matthew J. Zinsli, PhD student
Writing email is so common that we may do it without much thought, yet email is a distinct genre of writing. Recognizing that email requires specialized writing skills can help you to be a more effective communicator and more productive in getting the response you want from your reader.
- Your email must answer two questions for the reader. The first, “What is this email about?” should be answered by your subject line. Summarize, rather than describe, your email content in the subject, so that your reader can prioritize it in his or her workflow. (Hint: do this after you have written the body of the email.)
- The second question is “What do you want from me?” Do you have a question, a request, or need a response? Put this first! This will ensure that your reader actually sees it and addresses your need. Then, fill out the rest with background and supporting information (which your reader is much less likely to pay attention to).
- Think about the context in which your email will be read. Your reader may be busy, have many tasks to attend to, receive hundreds of emails each day, and not read everything carefully. Write for brevity and clarity.
- Write so your email is easy to visually scan, with numbered lists, bullets, clean paragraphs, bold text, and white space. Think about your own reluctance to read an email that’s one long block of text.
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| DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. Review the nine facets of professional development, complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations.
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| | Upcoming Professional Development Events
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Graduate students frequently describe long work hours and little sense of progress, a sense of isolation from limited mentoring and community, and feeling unsupported in their desire for work-life balance. This National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development webinar will provide participants with skills to successfully manage their time, align work time with institutional and personal priorities, create time for academic writing and research, and organize a network of support and accountability for writing productivity and balance.
We experience conflict every day. Ranging from small miscommunications to seemingly intractable values-based conflicts, we know how it feels to be in it, but how do we navigate conflict effectively and work towards resolutions? The group will explore the ways conflict shows up in our lives, and effective strategies and resolution practices to engage in. Participants will complete the Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument to assess their personal conflict resolution style and work through scenarios with a variety of conflicts that graduate students may face, in order to workshop possible resolution strategies.
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| This week's Software Training for Students (STS) courses:
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Special Events & Symposia
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Attend the Online Career Conference for PhDsBeyond the Professoriate is hosting their 6th Annual Online Career Conference for PhDs on May 4 and May 11, starting at 11 am both days. This conference is entirely online, with the availability of watching sessions live or on demand. Graduate students interested in learning about career options for PhDs are encouraged to attend. The conference will discuss strategies for career success, emotional well-being, networking, and presenting your skills in a non-academic setting, and will feature career spotlights and panels of individuals working in non-tenure-track positions. The early bird registration deadline is April 14, and the cost of registration increases after this date.
Get funding to present at a conference
Are you planning to present at that big conference in your field this summer? You could get up to $1,200 in support to travel to and present at a conference through the Student Research Grants Competition. Students who apply by April 30 will be notified of funding support on a rolling basis, no later than May 2019. Apply anytime through a simple application including proof of acceptance to the conference, an estimated budget, and an abstract. Find out more about Conference Presentation Funds.
Teaching Academy Summer Institute accepting applicationsThe Teaching Academy Summer Institute (TASI) is an immersive workshop for campus educators to design, redesign, or update a course or program. In structured sessions, TASI facilitators will help you build on your prior experiences, learn from successes and failures, and integrate evidence-based methods to enhance student learning. At TASI, participants will explore foundations of course design that emphasize learner-centered instruction and equity-minded practices and apply those foundations to (re)design a course. The 2019 institute will take place June 3 - 6. The deadline to apply for TASI is 5 pm on Friday, May 10.
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Mental Health Resources for Grad StudentsAccording to the 2016 UW–Madison Healthy Minds Study, 94% of UW–Madison students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 90% of students who used mental health care found it helpful. As a student, there are a variety of mental health resources available to you at no cost. A few of these resources are listed here.
Let’s Talk. If you’re on-campus, Let’s Talk provides free, informal, and confidential consultations at locations across campus. Drop in to talk to a counselor about any topic – stress, sadness, relationships, academic performance, financial struggles, and family problems are common topics. Counselors can help you explore solutions from their perspective, or, if you’re interested, introduce you to what it’s like to talk to a counselor more regularly.
Individual Counseling. University Health Services (UHS) offers individual counseling in a confidential, caring space. Individual sessions are typically 45-50 minutes, and most students attend anywhere from one to four sessions to address their concerns. Counseling topics can be any issue that causes distress – emotional, psychological, interpersonal, or academic, for instance. UHS also has a bilingual mental health provider for students who are more comfortable speaking in Mandarin.
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The Dean of Students Office provides resources to students struggling with a variety of issues, and can be your go-to spot for assistance as a graduate student. To contact the Dean of Students Office's Graduate Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
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Please note: Some graduate students may be ineligible to hold graduate assistantship appointments. Be sure to check with your graduate program coordinator about your eligibility before applying.
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| The Fulbright US Student Program (FUSP) is designed to give master's and doctoral candidates, and young professionals and artists, opportunities for personal development and international experience. To be eligible for the FUSP, you must be a U.S. citizen. Mark Lilleleht, the campus Fulbright Program Advisor, will offer a number of information sessions and open houses over the coming months and will be available throughout the summer to work with interested students. Complete information on the competition, campus resources & deadlines are available on the FUSP webpage. The Strategic Project (SDP), a program of the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University, finds and develops data leaders to uncover trends, measure solutions, and effectively communicate evidence to stakeholders in education. SDP Fellows are placed in school systems and education organizations across the country as full-time employees for two years, where they will effect positive change while accumulating skills and experiences that can advance their careers. Candidates should possess a strong quantitative skillset as well as communication skills, have 3+ years of work experience, be on track to have completed a master’s degree or higher by summer 2019, and have a passion for improving educational outcomes for students. To learn more about the fellowship, register for an informational webinar on Wednesday, April 10 from 6 - 7 pm CDT.
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Follow us on social media to connect with more opportunities and resources:
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