During the 2013 PROMISE AGEP Summer Success Institute, Dr. Christine Grant (Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemical Engineering, http://www.che.ncsu.edu/people/faculty-pages/grant.html), led the following session:

• Making the transitions (grad student to PhD, postdoc, professor), keeping your cool, and addressing the issues: How do you deal with the lack of respect on the new job that may come from subtle discrimination based on age, gender, or race?
• Dr. Christine Grant, Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering; Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Special Initiatives, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University; and Founder of “Creative Growth Solutions for You!” 
• • Seminar Synopsis: You can now be called “Dr. ____,” but how do you deal with situations where people question your credentials and experience? This topic was requested by PROMISE alumni and postdocs who found that themselves excited about starting their new positions, but were continually being challenged about their credentials. Often, their hiring supervisors were very supportive and acknowledged their expertise, but when they had to work with others in the department or on a different campus, they received comments like:  ”Did you really do enough work to get a PhD?”  (Even though you’ve won international awards in your field.) -OR- “I need to know if you can teach this class.” (Even when you’ve taught the class to stellar reviews on a sister campus.) How do you handle situations when people argue with you (about being in your own lab) because they think that you’re a student, or support staff? What do you do when other professors try to “steal” your grad students, or when students challenge your authority? These are questions that have been posed to PROMISE by PhD alumni who are underrepresented minorities, and women of all races. Dr. Christine Grant brings to PROMISE her experiences as a full professor of engineering, as a national speaker and leader within the NSF ADVANCE community (winner of many grants to assist women faculty), and as a professional coach. [Dr. Grant, winner of a U.S.Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, was guest at the PROMISE SSI 2004, and she returns as part of the 10th anniversary celebration, courtesy of her company, "Creative Growth Solutions for You!"] 

Dr. Grant sent us a “recap” of that session:

I hosted a lively event at my roundtable that focused on making transitions and keeping your cool in the presence of microaggressions , lack of respect and both subtle and overt discrimination based on age, gender and race.  Interestingly – there were different issues raised by the men and women in the group.  We discussed topics associated with one’s physical presence (e.g., natural hair, wardrobe) and the importance of knowing the culture of your department/working environment to determine how far to push the envelope. It was also clear that there were challenges for both men and women in terms of welcoming environments and communication norms.  We brainstormed effective strategies to develop academic allies, mentors and most importantly how to empower oneself on the upward professional climb.  We generated lists of actual challenging situations and then discussed potential approaches to selectively address different ones in the academy.

 NEXT STEPS – Opportunity to connect with Dr. Grant, October 24:

Dr. Grant is hosting an “On My Own Terms” E-workshop/tele-teaching on Thursday, October 24, 2013, 7:15 – 8:45 PM.  The website with registration information can be found here: http://creativegrowth4u.com/index.html

The first workshop in the series will focus on Empowerment Outside the “Academic Box” and provide an overview of the five concepts associated with OMOT for current and aspiring academics.  There is a $10 discount for EARLY BIRD Registration.

Related articles

• Professional development seminars for graduate students: FALL 2013 (promiseagep.wordpress.com)

During the 2013 PROMISE AGEP Summer Success Institute, Dr. Christine Grant (Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemical Engineering, http://www.che.ncsu.edu/people/faculty-pages/grant.html), led the following session:

• Making the transitions (grad student to PhD, postdoc, professor), keeping your cool, and addressing the issues: How do you deal with the lack of respect on the new job that may come from subtle discrimination based on age, gender, or race?
• Dr. Christine Grant, Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering; Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Special Initiatives, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University; and Founder of “Creative Growth Solutions for You!” 
• • Seminar Synopsis: You can now be called “Dr. ____,” but how do you deal with situations where people question your credentials and experience? This topic was requested by PROMISE alumni and postdocs who found that themselves excited about starting their new positions, but were continually being challenged about their credentials. Often, their hiring supervisors were very supportive and acknowledged their expertise, but when they had to work with others in the department or on a different campus, they received comments like:  ”Did you really do enough work to get a PhD?”  (Even though you’ve won international awards in your field.) -OR- “I need to know if you can teach this class.” (Even when you’ve taught the class to stellar reviews on a sister campus.) How do you handle situations when people argue with you (about being in your own lab) because they think that you’re a student, or support staff? What do you do when other professors try to “steal” your grad students, or when students challenge your authority? These are questions that have been posed to PROMISE by PhD alumni who are underrepresented minorities, and women of all races. Dr. Christine Grant brings to PROMISE her experiences as a full professor of engineering, as a national speaker and leader within the NSF ADVANCE community (winner of many grants to assist women faculty), and as a professional coach. [Dr. Grant, winner of a U.S.Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, was guest at the PROMISE SSI 2004, and she returns as part of the 10th anniversary celebration, courtesy of her company, "Creative Growth Solutions for You!"] 

Dr. Grant sent us a “recap” of that session:

I hosted a lively event at my roundtable that focused on making transitions and keeping your cool in the presence of microaggressions , lack of respect and both subtle and overt discrimination based on age, gender and race.  Interestingly – there were different issues raised by the men and women in the group.  We discussed topics associated with one’s physical presence (e.g., natural hair, wardrobe) and the importance of knowing the culture of your department/working environment to determine how far to push the envelope. It was also clear that there were challenges for both men and women in terms of welcoming environments and communication norms.  We brainstormed effective strategies to develop academic allies, mentors and most importantly how to empower oneself on the upward professional climb.  We generated lists of actual challenging situations and then discussed potential approaches to selectively address different ones in the academy.

 NEXT STEPS – Opportunity to connect with Dr. Grant, October 24:

Dr. Grant is hosting an “On My Own Terms” E-workshop/tele-teaching on Thursday, October 24, 2013, 7:15 – 8:45 PM.  The website with registration information can be found here: http://creativegrowth4u.com/index.html

The first workshop in the series will focus on Empowerment Outside the “Academic Box” and provide an overview of the five concepts associated with OMOT for current and aspiring academics.  There is a $10 discount for EARLY BIRD Registration.

Related articles

• Professional development seminars for graduate students: FALL 2013 (promiseagep.wordpress.com)

If you are an employee of UMBC (50% time or more) or a “Non-Traditional” student, and if you are working on your graduate school courses, proposal, or dissertation, then this event is for you! We’ve worked with our UMBC employees who are also graduate students at UMBC, College Park, Northeastern, and other institutions.  This year, we are extending this opportunity to non-traditional students who are coming back to school or working full-time. This time is for you! This session will have support, coaching, and food will be provided for you on both days.

You work hard every day to serve others on our campus! You may be supporting your family members, or you have decided to take some time for yourself to reach your goals.  Now, let us work with you to finish your graduate degree. This version of the “Dissertation House” was created just for you!

Dissertation House for UMBC Employees and Non-Traditional Students
Friday, 10/11/13,   9:00 – 5:00 PM (Part I), COMM 331
Saturday, 10/12/13, 10:00 – 3:00 PM(Part II), COMM 318/COMM 332

If you are a graduate student from another school within the University System of Maryland, you may apply to participate in this session, and your application will be considered. You are responsible for your own transportation and lodging. 

UMBC’s graduate students: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/18934

ALL applicants must adhere to the regular “Dissertation House Application” procedures: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/

UMBC has been selected for the Enhancing Student Financial Education project, a best practice project aimed at enhancing financial education, with special emphasis on addressing the needs and understanding the financial circumstances of graduate students.

The study is funded by TIAA-CREF and is being conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC dedicated solely to the advancement of graduate education and research (www.cgsnet.org). All graduate students received an official link via their UMBC email accounts for the survey.

The goal of the project is to provide best practices to universities to help them improve financial education based on the unique needs of graduate and undergraduate students. We would like to hear about your perspectives on topics such as financing your education and your exposure to financial education resources.

If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this research study, contact the Office for Research Protections and Compliance at (410) 455-2737 or compliance@umbc.edu.

To begin the survey, please use the link that was sent to your email, with the subject: "UMBC Graduate Student Financial Perspectives Survey,"then follow the online instructions. We estimate that this survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. The link from your email is uniquely tied to the survey and your email address. Please do not forward the email message.

Participants who complete the survey will be eligible for a series of drawings that lead to prizes in the form of UMBC bookstore gift cards. Participants who do not win a prize in the first drawing will be entered into subsequent drawings. Therefore, when you participate early, you have more chances to win.

• Participants who take the survey by October 4th will be entered into the drawing for a chance to win a gift card worth $250.

• Participants who take the survey between October 5th and 18th will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a gift card worth $100.

Participants who take the survey between October 19th and 31st will be entered into the drawing for a chance to win one of three gift cards worth $50.

Thank you for your participation. Please reference the link that was sent to your email on Thursday, October 3, 2013 with the subject:

UMBC Graduate Student Financial Perspectives Survey; $250, $100, $50 prizes

Do you ever wonder what your faculty expect of you? Have you been given directions or instructions, but wonder what your faculty is asking of you? Do you have questions about what professors are looking for during the dissertation process, or how they interpret performance on comprehensive exams? Do you wonder if your professors are saying x, but really mean y? Professors have expressed that when they say X …, they mean X.  Is there a way to listen differently? Is there a way to be sure that you are understanding expectations clearly?

Each year, PROMISE; Maryland’s AGEP and The Graduate School at UMBC host a dinner seminar to allow graduate students to ask questions of faculty. This year, the  ”When Faculty Say ‘X’ … ” seminar will be held on Friday, October 11, 2013 in the first floor lecture hall of Academic IV (The George and Betsy Sherman Building) at UMBC. A full-course dinner will be served.
This is your chance to ask the faculty any questions about expectations, understanding requirements, how they say “no”, how they show their approval, express sentiments using body language, etc. You can ask any and all questions during the seminar, or post questions (anonymously) in advance as a comment on this website. 

• UMBC Students, please RSVP here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/18932
• Students from other schools, RSVP by commenting here, 1) Name 2) School 3) Department.  This seminar is free!

*ALL* students are asked to post questions for faculty here! These can remain anonymous. Faculty will answer your questions at the dinner seminar on Friday, October 11, 2013.

—————-

Photo reference: Partial cover image from Steven Strogatz’ The Joy of x — A Guided Tour of Math from One to Infinity, from NY Times Blog “Steven Strogatz and The Joy of x“ http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/joy-of-x/?_r=0

—————

Related PROMISE article:

Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.)

Do you ever wonder what your faculty expect of you? Have you been given directions or instructions, but wonder what your faculty is asking of you? Do you have questions about what professors are looking for during the dissertation process, or how they interpret performance on comprehensive exams? Do you wonder if your professors are saying x, but really mean y? Professors have expressed that when they say X …, they mean X.  Is there a way to listen differently? Is there a way to be sure that you are understanding expectations clearly?

Each year, PROMISE; Maryland’s AGEP and The Graduate School at UMBC host a dinner seminar to allow graduate students to ask questions of faculty. This year, the  ”When Faculty Say ‘X’ … ” seminar will be held on Friday, October 11, 2013 in the first floor lecture hall of Academic IV (The George and Betsy Sherman Building) at UMBC. A full-course dinner will be served.
This is your chance to ask the faculty any questions about expectations, understanding requirements, how they say “no”, how they show their approval, express sentiments using body language, etc. You can ask any and all questions during the seminar, or post questions (anonymously) in advance as a comment on this website. 

• UMBC Students, please RSVP here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/18932
• Students from other schools, RSVP by commenting here, 1) Name 2) School 3) Department.  This seminar is free!

*ALL* students are asked to post questions for faculty here! These can remain anonymous. Faculty will answer your questions at the dinner seminar on Friday, October 11, 2013.

—————-

Photo reference: Partial cover image from Steven Strogatz’ The Joy of x — A Guided Tour of Math from One to Infinity, from NY Times Blog “Steven Strogatz and The Joy of x“ http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/joy-of-x/?_r=0

—————

Related PROMISE article:

Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.)