Welcoming Graduate Students

Sean Lee

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

8-2011

Campus Unit

University of North Dakota

Abstract

While the undergrads at the University of North Dakota received most of the buzz over Welcome Weekend, a large group of graduate students prepared themselves for a journey of their own.

During its annual Graduate Student Orientation, UND’s grad school hosted over 115 new members of our campus community. “Everyone got a lot from orientation,” said Susan Caraher, Director of Marketing at The Graduate School. “We had a large group of faculty, staff and current grad students give their time to talk with the new students and made sure that they got all the information they needed and are prepared for the new academic year.”

Students started off with a welcome from Provost Paul LeBel and interim Dean Wayne Swisher. A number of lectures ranging from how to find support for CampusConnection to the all-important “how to get paid” presentation was presented to the students.

On Wednesday, Aug 17, a group of students boarded a bus and were shown the highlights of campus and surrounding Grand Forks. Shopping malls, supermarkets, downtown and other areas of interest were shown to the new students. “It’s all very practical,” said Caraher. “We try to think though the eyes of someone who has never been to Grand Forks before.”

After touring the city, the students were treated to a picnic at University Park where they were able to meet fellow students as well as faculty. “It was a chance for them to start making connections across disciplines and build a network outside their immediate program,” said Caraher.

Student panels provided an opportunity to ask questions of current graduate students about UND, the community, and the roles of graduate assistants.

“We heard questions about how to deal with difficult situations and how to balance dynamics in and out of the classroom, where to find teaching and research resources, how to put together an advisory committee, for example” said Caraher.

Topics such as intellectual property rights, disability support services and ethics in research were presented to equip students with the tools they need to become models of the academic world.

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