Academic Departments & Faculty

You are invited to join the GradFUTURES initiative

Led by the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, GradFUTURES is a campus-wide professional development initiative empowering graduate students to envision their futures with clarity and confidence.

We Invite Faculty and Departments to:

Work with us to create and promote stories, news and professional development-related events from your department. Here is a profile form that can be shared with graduate students, faculty and graduate alumni from your department. Using this form, they can provide a testimonial of support for graduate student professional development, and we will feature these profiles on our website and on social media.
Invite us to present customized programming on departmental alumni outcomes and labor market analyses
Collaborate with us to create professional development programs that augment or complement departmental conferences or symposiums.
Facilitate an interdisciplinary learning cohort, a series of lunch or dinner conversations regarding the professional implications of current societal, industry or global trends
Promote GradFUTURES events, programs and fellowship opportunities to your graduate students
Join the campus-wide Professional Development Working Group that convenes quarterly to chart new directions for graduate student professional development
Recommend former students and graduate alumni to be interviewed for our alumni video series
Schedule a departmental meeting to discuss graduate alumni outcomes, job market trends and ways to share data regarding diverse careers
Request customized professional development programs such as LinkedIn workshops that meet the unique needs of graduate students within your department
Attend the GradFUTURES Forum, a campus-wide professional development conference for graduate students, alumni, faculty and staff. Learn more: bit.ly/FUTURESForum

Ways GradFUTURES Can Partner with Your Department

LinkedIn Profile Workshops: We will work with your department to craft a LinkedIn profile workshop that is customized for your department's particular needs.

Email [email protected] for more!
Customized Departmental Workshops: These include: "Job Placement Data for Ph.D.s in Engineering" and "All Careers for Humanities Ph.D.s: Planning for the Future" (Comparative Literature).

Contact James M. Van Wyck at [email protected]
Departmental Consultations on Career Outcomes Tracking: Current Departments participating include English, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Contact James M. Van Wyck at [email protected]
Bespoke Departmental Collaborations: We are currently working with departments (ranging from Comparative Literature to Physics) to create bespoke programs and events.

Email [email protected] to set up a meeting!

Connect and Partner with Us!

Faculty and Alumni Profiles

Ann Marie Russell, *12, PSY

"When I was in graduate school, it felt like we had two choices: an academic career or failure. The thought of voluntarily pursuing a non-academic career felt sacrilegious. Now I laugh about that culture and mentality."

Patrice Jean, *99, MOL

Star Lessons in Leadership Keynote Speaker

During graduate school, I honed my skills as a scientist, but I also learned how important it was to engage with all people from different disciplines, places, lifestyles and cultures.

Stanley N. Katz

Professor of Public and International Affairs;

"The Higher Education Workshop has been a boon for me as a scholar-teacher with a long commitment to the study of higher education policy."

William A. Gleason

Hughes-Rogers Professor of English and American Studies;

"It's exciting to see how many new initiatives and opportunities for graduate student professional development are emerging here on campus, in communication, teaching, leadership, wellness, career management, and other crucial areas."