Graduate Education – What does a new faculty member need to know? Dixie L. Thompson, Ph.D. Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School August 7, 2017 I’m happy to be with you today. A little bkgd on me – I’ve been a faculty member here since 1994. I moved through the faculty ranks, served as dept head and then as associate dean for research and academic affairs in EHHS. In April 2016, I started my newest role. I’m hopeful that what I share today will help ease your transition or at least point you to some useful resources. Universities are big, complex organizations that few people really understand how all the pieces fit together. People in the organization tend to have a deep understanding of our areas, but not a broad understanding of how things fit together. As a faculty member, you’ll be working with graduate students. They will look to you to guide and mentor them through their educational journey. So, you need to have a working knowledge of the graduate school process.

Graduate School at UTK The Graduate School provides a wide range of services to support graduate education: Provide the infrastructure for admissions Provide a wide range of support services to current students Provide support for recruitment and mentoring Oversee awarding of fellowships and centralized fee waivers Review records for awarding of degrees – in concert with University Registrar Host the Graduate Hooding ceremony at the end of fall and spring semesters Work with Graduate Council to ensure that policies are clearly written and implemented consistently Produce the Graduate Catalog each year Work with Associate Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies to support colleges and departments Work with Graduate Student Senate as an advocate for graduate students Communicate about graduate education at UTK

What do you need to know about Graduate Admissions? The system we use for managing Graduate Admissions is ADMIT. You will need access to this system in order to review files of applicants to your program. We also host PROSPECT – a system that can assist with graduate student recruitment Admission to UTK is a two-part process Graduate School evaluation Departmental evaluation If you are going to be involved with student recruitment, familiarize yourself the the admissions deadlines.

What do you need to know about Student services? Throughout the time a student is on campus, the Graduate School provides assistance. Tracking of milestones Assisting with special requests Processing paperwork related to graduation Final acceptance of theses and dissertations Familiarize yourself with the Forms Central location on the Graduate School website: http://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/

What do you need to know about the Graduate Council? The Graduate Council is a committee of the Faculty Senate. The Graduate Council is responsible for Setting policies for graduate education Reviewing and approving graduate curriculum Approving faculty to direct doctoral dissertations Hearing student appeals Graduate Council Curriculum Committee Credentials Committee Academic Policy Committee Appeals Committee

Mentoring Mentoring students is one of the most important roles we play as faculty members. A strong predictor of graduate student success is faculty mentoring. In my role as Dean of the Graduate School, I see the rewards of good mentoring and the repercussions of poor mentoring. Invest time to become a good mentor – it doesn’t just come naturally to everyone. A mentor is more than just someone who tells students what classes to take. A mentor is an encourager, a enforcer, a confidant, a guide, and a role model. Read about mentoring, talk with senior colleagues who are successful mentors, ask your graduate students what they need from you.

Closing Thoughts Suggestion: Set up a meeting with your department’s director of graduate studies – ask for an overview of graduate education in your department. Familiarize yourself with: Graduate Catalog http://catalog.utk.edu/index.php Hilltopics http://hilltopics.utk.edu/ Your department’s graduate student handbook Graduate School website http://gradschool.utk.edu/ Let us know if we can help you gradschool@utk.edu gradschooldean@utk.edu