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November 15, 2022In this issue: Graduate assistant stipends to increase, Chats with the Chancellor, and more.
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Tips for Grads: Making mentorship happen
While it sounds eons away, January is right around the corner, and it is National Mentoring Month! Now is a great time to evaluate the amount of mentorship you are getting in your academic and professional journey. A good mentor is something that we’re told as graduate students is an absolute necessity to get where we want to go in life. But there are some aspects of mentorship–how to find a mentor, how to formalize an often informally developed relationship, and how to get the most out of it–that can be difficult to understand or approach.
I found an NPR article and podcast episode entitled “The right mentor can change your career. Here's how to find one” to be very insightful in terms of identifying the things I did and didn’t know about mentorship and incredibly helpful in demystifying some of the more nebulous aspects of mentorship. Here are some key takeaways:
- Identify multiple mentors: As the paths we want to take are often as unique as we are, it can be difficult to find a single person who encapsulates all the things you need or want in a mentor. Don’t be afraid to look for multiple! One person might be particularly helpful for developing your communication skills, and another might be more in tune with the specific career path you’re after. It is not only okay but encouraged to identify people who are experts in the areas you are looking to improve in, as it’s likely that one person is not going to fill all the gaps.
- Understand mentorship vs sponsorship: A good way to ensure that your expectations are managed in terms of what you want to get out of a mentor is understanding how mentorship differs from sponsorship. Sponsors can advocate for you in specific contexts, like job advancement and consideration for specific opportunities, and are in positions to do so (like bosses, department heads, etc). Mentors, on the other hand, are more advice or strategy-oriented, and are likely to be there for you in the longer-term.
- Figure out the ‘now what’: Once you’ve landed a mentor, what exactly comes next? Setting clear expectations, creating agendas for your conversations, and having planned check-in points to evaluate the efficacy of the relationship can help to ensure that your mentor is more than a reference name on your resume, but someone who will genuinely help shape your path to success.
GradConnections Weekly is looking for fresh perspectives on the graduate student experience.
If you have advice, counsel, or tips for UW grad students, you’re invited to write a guest column for Tips for Grads.
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DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. Review the eight facets of professional development, complete a self-assessment, and get a customized report and recommendations.
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Upcoming Office of Professional Development EventsAll event times and deadlines are listed in Central Time.
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Preparing for preliminary exams can feel overwhelming and isolating, not to mention difficult to stay on top of when you're doing it on your own. The Graduate School Office of Professional Development is pleased to bring back our Prelim Prep Accountability Group this November, allowing you to gather virtually with fellow graduate students across disciplines who are also preparing for their prelims. The group will meet for an hour and a half session via Zoom once a week for the month of November to give you some structured time to devote to your prelim prep as well as to meet and chat with other graduate students who are facing similar challenges. We will begin by sharing what we plan to work on, followed by an hour of uninterrupted quiet time to work. After the hour, we will report out on what we got done and make plans for what we want to achieve for the next session. You are welcome to attend as many or few sessions as you would like.
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As students interact with you and each other, how do you respond to "hot moments" or "difficult discussions" in the classroom? This workshop is designed for graduate students and post-docs looking to build skills for both current and future teaching roles, and all current and future instructors are welcome to join. Aspects of prejudice, privilege, and power regularly impact undergraduates on our campuses. Without training, knowing how to address these inequities effectively can be uncomfortable and challenging. This session emphasizes opportunities to "say the words," offering practice in deconstructing conversations and receiving feedback.
Participants will:
- Explore their own and students' social and cultural identities and the impact that identity has on learning
- Apply a framework for addressing hot moments and difficult discussions in the classroom
- Practice what to say during these hot moments or difficult discussions
- Examine a range of inclusive teaching approaches to use in the classroom and beyond
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Additional Upcoming Professional Development Events
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The Graduate School Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding (ODIF) will kick off 2023 nominations for the Edward Alexander Bouchet National Honor Society with a reception gathering held this month. The Bouchet Society is aimed at diversifying the academy through building a national network of outstanding dissertators, postdoctoral researchers and early career faculty who are underrepresented in the academy. ODIF invites all current members of this prestigious national network, anyone interested in nominating themself as a 2023 inductee, and anyone who would like to learn more about the society to attend the reception with hors d'oeuvres served and a cash bar available.
You’ve submitted your faculty job applications and are now anxiously awaiting to hear back about interviews. Maybe you’ve already booked your first screening interview and you’re wondering what to expect. What kinds of questions will be asked? How should you best prepare for a virtual interview? How can you answer vague questions while keeping the focus on you and your accomplishments? Join the Beyond the Professoriate team for this webinar to learn how best to approach a screening interview and how to most effectively pitch yourself as a top candidate for the role.
You’ve done your networking and identified some ideal internship positions that will leverage your skills and help you advance in your desired career path. It’s now time to put together your internship job application. But what should you include in your resume if you have limited professional experience? How do you convince the employer that you’d be a great fit at their company? In this webinar for master's students, the Beyond Grad School team will help you draft a resume for internship applications that will highlight your key skills and qualities and make you stand out as a candidate.
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Teaching & Mentoring
Explore more teaching-related professional development events from the Delta Program.
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The Discussion Project Virtual is an online course for designing and implementing equitable, inclusive, and engaging online (rather than in-person) discussion. The course focuses entirely on synchronous video conference discussion.
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Special Events & Symposia
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Fall 2022 Enrollment Deadlines- Thursday, Nov 24: Deadline for graduate students to request pass/fail or credit/audit options for a fall term course
- Thursday, Nov 24: Deadline for graduate students to change variable credits (after: need instructor permission & dean approval)
- Friday, Nov 25: Deadline for students to drop a fall term course (after: need academic dean approval)
- Friday, Nov 25: Deadline for students to add a fall term course with department permission (after: need academic dean approval)
Winter 2022 Commencement Deadlines- Saturday, Nov 19: Last day to rent academic attire from the UW Book Store with early badger pricing (save $20)
Graduate assistant minimum stipends to increase by 10 percent for 2023-24
Minimum stipend amounts for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistants will increase by 10% for the 2023-2024 academic year. UW–Madison’s investment in graduate assistantships has resulted in a 51% increase in the minimum stipend for teaching assistants and annual project assistants, and a 31% increase for annual research assistants over the past eight years. While the university sets minimum stipend rates, individual graduate programs can work with their school or college dean’s office to set stipend rates above the minimum to remain competitive in their discipline. The new minimum stipend rates go into effect June 18, 2023, for annual appointments and August 21, 2023, for academic year appointments.
Sign up for Chats with the Chancellor
Chancellor Mnookin is excited to announce a new series of breakfasts and lunches with students from across campus. She’s looking forward to hearing more about what is on students’ minds, to discuss the student experience at UW–Madison, and to get to know more current Badgers in small groups over a meal. If you are interested in attending, sign up for Chats with the Chancellor here. Participants will be chosen via lottery.
Reminder: Professional Development Grant for Student Organizations
Is your student org looking for funding? The Graduate School encourages graduate student organizations to apply for grants of up to $1,000 to be used toward professional development programming that directly benefits groups of graduate students. The deadline to apply for funding is Monday, November 28, 2022. Read more and apply for the student organization professional development grant.
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- Wednesday, Nov 16 | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm | The Nick (Courts 1 & 2)
Updated COVID-19 boosters are available at flu shot clinics. Students and employees can boost their immune systems and help keep campus healthy this fall with a flu vaccine and Pfizer bivalent booster, conveniently available together for no cost at vaccine clinics across campus this fall. Visit the UHS website for more information and to schedule your appointments today.
Nature Hike
Sunday, Nov 20 | 1 - 2:30 pm
UW–Madison Arboretum
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COVID-19 Response and Testing Information
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Mental Health Resources for Grad Students
According to the 2019 Healthy Minds Survey, 93% of UW–Madison graduate students do not think any less of a peer who seeks mental health care, and 89% of UW–Madison graduate students who used mental health care found it helpful.
- Let’s Talk. Sign up for a free, informal, and confidential consultation about any topic at locations across campus. Common concerns include stress, sadness, relationships, academic performance, financial struggles, and family problems.
- Healthy Minds Program app. Train your mind to be more focused, calm, and resilient through meditation with the Healthy Minds Program. This program is informed by research from the Center for Healthy Minds at UW–Madison and is free to use.
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UHS services available remotely
University Health Services is committed to supporting you. Many medical, counseling, and wellness services are available by phone and accessible online. Find out more on the UHS Remote Health and Connection webpage.
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| Graduate Student Support and Assistance
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 Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist Elaine Goetz-Berman directly, email egoetz2@wisc.edu.
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| Hostile and Intimidating Behavior
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to preventing hostile and intimidating behavior (HIB) and will take prompt and appropriate corrective action whenever it learns that it has occurred. If you have experienced HIB, there are resources to help and staff available to talk.
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Please note: Graduate students enrolled in service-based pricing programs, such as online and accelerated programs, are ineligible to receive tuition remission. Be sure to check with your graduate program coordinator and read your admission and appointment letters carefully to understand your benefits eligibility.
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The UW–Madison Arboretum offers Arboretum Research Fellowships for graduate student researchers. The Arboretum seeks proposals that will address our mission and vision and build on a tradition that began with the earliest plantings to establish tallgrass prairie in 1935 and continued with subsequent experiments to maintain these early restorations. Arboretum Research Fellowships can fund summer stipends, undergraduate research assistants, materials, analyses, or other research needs for up to $8,000. Research Fellows must be a Master’s or PhD candidate at UW–Madison or another Wisconsin college or university.
The Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) provides outstanding benefits and opportunities to students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields that use high-performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems. Applications from students in engineering and the physical, computer, mathematical or life sciences are encouraged. The fellowship (which includes benefits such as a yearly stipend of $45,000, payment of full tuition and required fees during the appointment period, and an annual $1,000 professional development allowance) provides four years of support, but must be renewed each summer.
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Like many graduate students, Kathleen the Red-Eyed Tree Frog is noctural. He enjoys midnight soaks in his water bowl and snacking on hornworms.
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Loki the Giant Day Gekco lives alone because he would not be a very good roommate. In addition to annoying tankmates by drinking the last of the milk and leaving laundry everywhere, he would also fight them to the death (very rude!). Kathleen and Loki belong to Borna Riazi, graduate student in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
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