Graduate School Professional Development

Under the umbrella of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI), the Center for Aquatic Conservation (CAC) is pleased to announce four semester-long fellowships to award for next academic year (Aug 2013-May 2014) to graduate students in any University of Notre Dame department. The primary purpose of these fellowships is to foster research that connects scientific, technical, or policy analysis with natural resource management or policy. Proposals are due June 10th. For more information, see the announcement.

In celebration of the upcoming Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week (Feb. 18-22) the Professional Development Team is applauding our graduate students by giving away books at several of our events. A copy of a related book will be presented to four lucky graduate student attendees selected at random. Below are all the events where books will be available, please check our calendar page for the full list of this semester’s professional development events and workshops.

Exploring Career Options
Tue Feb 19, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Location: Flanner 114
Book: Putting Your Science to Work by Peter Fiske

Dissertation Proposal Accepted: What Now?
Tue Feb 19, 3:00 – 4:15pm
Location: 200 Riley Hall
Book: Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day by Joan Bolker

English for Academic Purposes: Forms and Structures for Clearer Writing
Tue Feb 19, 6:30 – 7:45pm
Location: 303 DeBartolo Hall
Book: Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers by Nigel Caplan

Grad School Game Plan: Time Management
Thu Feb 21, 5:30 – 7:30pm
Location: Notre Dame Room, LaFortune
Book: Time Management for Dummies by Dirk Zeller

Providing Reasonable Accommodations to Students with Disabilities in the Classroom
Tue Feb 26, 2:00 – 3:15pm
Notre Dame Conference Center, 101-104 McKenna Hall
Book: What the Best College Teachers Do by ken Bain

International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, is a celebration the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Much of the week is devoted to promoting programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. For more information (including an Global IQ Quiz) visit the website: http://iew.state.gov/

For international students coming to the US for a graduate degree can be a daunting task. Many of these students view studying abroad as just the first step to a long career, far from home. Adjusting to a new language, culture, and educational environment can be challenging.

Researchers Larry Braskamp and Chris Glass wrote, “Foreign Students and Tolerance,” published in the October 26 edition of Inside Higher Education. Based on their research of international student using the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI). Their article offered these highlights:

* International students who enroll in courses that involve discussion among students with diverse backgrounds and beliefs report higher grade-point-averages, experience a greater sense of attachment to campus life, and are more likely to form cross-cultural peer relationships.

* International students who participate in co-curricular activities reflecting their cultural background are also more likely to engage in activities reflecting other cultures.

* International students who experience discrimination are two-thirds less likely to share problems and concerns with peers.

Stepping outside one’s comfort zone is a critical part of succeeding in graduate school and beyond. This can often lead to stress and anxiety on top of what graduate students already experience. As stated by Braskamp and Glass, “Mental health issues, such as depression, loneliness, and anxiety, are well-documented in research on international students… Communication and coordination between leaders in international student offices, counseling centers, faculty development offices, and student support services is essential for comprehensive support.”

The ND University Counseling Center staff offers services and support to all members of the Notre Dame Community, including international students. There are still spots available in the Graduate Student, Appetite for Life and Personal Growth groups. See the UCC website for more information: http://ucc.nd.edu/.

According to a recent report from HigherEdJobs, “the number of jobs in higher education grew 2.1% during the second quarter of 2012, continuing to outpace growth of all U.S. jobs.” Those seeking employment in academia or anyone looking to better understand current trends in higher education should take a look at the full report.

Visit http://www.higheredjobs.com/ to download the full report or view the news release.

What are the core components of a graduate student’s academic life? Scholarship and research, teaching, ethics, and finding a career path are all important to graduate students. Where and how do communication skills fit in?

International graduate students around the country are getting help from their universities as they work on improving their English language skills. The New York Times reports that international “graduate students at Ohio University spend up to two hours a day learning how to speak so that their American colleagues and students will understand them.”

Here at Notre Dame, The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program offers several initiatives for international students targeting English language skills.

The EAP Workshop Series is intended to provide international students opportunities for improving their English language proficiency in ways that directly support their academic goals. Workshops are open to all international students and do not require registration. Each 75-minute workshop is designed to be hands-on with opportunities for demonstration, Q&A/discussion, and practice.

In addition to the workshops the CSLC offers tutoring and consultation sessions for international students. Please see our website for more information: http://cslc.nd.edu/eap/

The beginning of this semester also signals the release of the Professional Development calendar for the fall. Whether you’re a new or returning student looking for guidance in research, career, teaching, or ethics, we have a workshop for you. General professional development workshops are also available.

Some returning workshops are back on the calendar, including the popular Elevator Pitch Essentials program and Coffee, Cupcakes, and TREC. New offerings include the Ethics Cafe and the Grad School Game Plan sessions.

Take a look at the calendar and register for an event today! http://graduateschool.nd.edu/professional_development/pdcalendar/

To start preparations for a workshop on conflict resolution and negotiation, the Graduate School Professional Development Team recently read William Ury’s book “Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations.”  The book outlines different strategies that are helpful when entering a situation with the potential for negotiations. One excerpt from the book that resonated with the team was a story about the importance of preparation and evaluation. This is a key point that would be helpful for students or anyone in general, to use when dealing with negotiations.

Referring to a diplomat’s experience of learning from his superior, Ury writes, “Just before he entered the village in the morning, he would pull the jeep off to the side of the road and ask, ‘What is it that we want to leave this village tonight having achieved?’ He and I would answer the question, then we would go into the village. When we left that evening, he would again pull the jeep off the road and ask, ‘Now, did we get it? Did we achieve what we set out to do?” This stresses the key point of knowing what your end goal is prior to entering a situation, and asking yourself if you achieved it afterwards.

Other key points from the book and the team’s discussion that may be incorporated into the workshop include:

• Recognize there are moments of negotiation
• Be sensitive that there will be negotiations (probably with your mentor)
• Being prepared for conflict and negotiation – identifying the BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement)
• Identify your preferred style through self-reflection component • Know how to assess the other person’s style – and knowing this prior to conflict/negotiation
• Know how to figure out when you are in a conflict
• Disengage from emotion
• Know about emotional intelligence
• Identify your interests, their interests, and how to work together
• Practice negotiation beforehand/imagined interaction – know how to respond in different scenarios
• Know how to negotiate with people who are non-receptive
• Balance respect of authority and advocating for yourself
• Learn how to ask why, why not, and what if
• Knowing what your end goal is prior to a situation, and asking yourself if you achieved it afterwards

Interested in reading more about negotiations? Check out the book on Amazon.

If you will have TA duties in the future or are planning on becoming faculty at a US university please consider enrolling in AL 73004: Classroom Strategies for International Teaching Assistants.

The course centers on the cultural and linguistic challenges of the US classroom, focusing primarily on the roles and expectations of teaching assistants and faculty. The course offers international graduate students the opportunity to develop and refine their teaching and communication skills through interactive activities that focus on authentic academic contexts.

From the course text, “Many faculty and graduate students from other countries expect language difficulties when they teach, but are unprepared for other surprises: different cultures make different assumptions about the academic background of college students, how students learn, the appropriate roles of teachers and students, and even the fundamental purpose of a college education.” Sarkisian, E. (2006). Teaching American students: A guide for international faculty and teaching assistants in colleges and universities. Cambridge, Mass: Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.

For more information please contact:
Stew Markel
Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC)
Coordinator, English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
smarkel@nd.edu

Your behavior at a workshop or an employer information session can be an indication of your professional behavior after you leave graduate school.  Therefore you want to be sure you are sending a professional, responsible message.  It is extremely important that you remember professional etiquette at these events.  I have listed a few reminders below to think about prior to your attendance at either a workshop or employer sponsored event.

1) If you RSVP for an event, attend.  If you cannot attend, notify the organizer, within 24 hours in advance (if possible).  If you do not know who to contact to withdraw your registration, please contact the Graduate School at 631-1704 or gradprofdev@gmail.com and they will help you withdraw your registration.

2)If food and drink are served, exercise control.  That means take one piece of pizza and one drink.  If there are left overs, you may go back for seconds.  Piling your plate with four pieces of pizza and grabbing a water and a soda are inappropriate.

3)Prepare a few questions ahead of time and ask them when the presenter calls for questions.  Most of the time a presenter will state their preference on answering questions.  Most likely they will call for questions at the end of the presentation while others welcome questions amidst the presentation.  Asking them at these times is most appropriate.  However there are some questions that need to be asked one-on-one versus in front of the entire group (those that are very specific to your situation). This will help alleviate the long line of students after the presentation.

If you have questions about any of these points or would like to know more about workshop and event etiquette please contact the Graduate Career Program at 248 Flanner Hall or 574.631.4058.

First-year Ph.D. students got their second semester of graduate school off to a quick start on Monday with the first-ever Graduate School Ethics Workshop, held at the Hilton Garden Inn at Saint Mary’s College.

The workshop involved the interaction of students for various exercises, including a live role-playing session to simulate ethical situations and dilemmas that students might face, both during their academic career and following the completion of their degrees. Greg Sterling, Dean of the Graduate School, opened the proceedings with a clip from the movie, “The Fugitive,” that illustrated an example of unethical conduct in the pharmaceutical industry, while also outlining ethical obligations to the public and one’s profession, in addition to an obligation to oneself.

Other presenters for the workshop included Melinda Gormley, Assistant Director for Research at the Reilly Center; Amanda McKendree, Assistant Director of the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning; Gretchen Busl, Associate Program Director of Grants and Fellowships at the Graduate School; and Ann Amico Moran, Assistant Director of the Graduate School Career Program and the Career Center.

Alasdair MacIntyre delivers the keynote address at the Graduate School's Ethics Workshop

Following lunch, where students from the Colleges of Law, Business and Architecture joined in, Alasdair MacIntyre, the Rev. John A. O’Brien Senior Research Professor of Philosophy (emeritus) at the University of Notre Dame, delivered a keynote address entitled, Everyday Ethics, Ethics of Crisis. Among other topics, MacIntyre spoke of the importance for researchers to correctly represent their findings, regardless of the challenges faced by them. MacIntyre also echoed the ideas presented by Dean Sterling at the beginning of the workshop by emphasizing the importance of truth to oneself, to one’s work and to one’s community. Following his address, Professor MacIntyre took questions from the assembled students.

The Graduate School’s Ethics Workshop is a new requirement for all Ph.D. students matriculating in 2011 and later, with students required to attend one three-hour ethics workshop prior to the completion of their degree. The program was established after a recommendation from the 2009-10 Graduate Council and approved by the Directors of Graduate Studies. In all, more than 250 first-year Ph.D. students attended this first workshop.

For additional photos from the day’s events, see the event photo gallery.