Andrew Szeri Over the last year I have been thrilled to see multiple initiatives emerge to expand professional development opportunities for graduate students. One of those — organized by graduate students and postdoctoral appointees — is the second annual “Beyond Academia” Conference on February 20-21. I also want to encourage more students to take advantage of another resource available to you — UC Berkeley’s Institutional Membership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. This organization provides a variety of online resources — moderated discussion forums, tele-workshops, facilitated learning communities, ‘writing buddy’ matching, and more — designed to help you complete your dissertation, find a postdoctoral appointment, manage the nuts and bolts of finding a tenure-track academic job, and thrive in the academy at every stage. You can tailor the notices and services you receive according to your interests. Even if you’re considering a career outside of the academy, you may find many benefits from exploring what this site has to offer graduate students. I hope all of you will make good use of this! In the coming months, I’ll bring you more news about professional development opportunities. Meanwhile, I hope you find time to enjoy the transition from winter to spring, Bay Area-style. Andrew J. Szeri Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Dean of the Graduate Division Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Andrew Szeri Over the last year I have been thrilled to see multiple initiatives emerge to expand professional development opportunities for graduate students. One of those — organized by graduate students and postdoctoral appointees — is the second annual “Beyond Academia” Conference on February 20-21. I also want to encourage more students to take advantage of another resource available to you — UC Berkeley’s Institutional Membership with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. This organization provides a variety of online resources — moderated discussion forums, tele-workshops, facilitated learning communities, ‘writing buddy’ matching, and more — designed to help you complete your dissertation, find a postdoctoral appointment, manage the nuts and bolts of finding a tenure-track academic job, and thrive in the academy at every stage. You can tailor the notices and services you receive according to your interests. Even if you’re considering a career outside of the academy, you may find many benefits from exploring what this site has to offer graduate students. I hope all of you will make good use of this! In the coming months, I’ll bring you more news about professional development opportunities. Meanwhile, I hope you find time to enjoy the transition from winter to spring, Bay Area-style. Andrew J. Szeri Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Dean of the Graduate Division Professor of Mechanical Engineering