The Graduate Studies program will host its annual Graduate Professional and Academic Development (GPAD) week of workshops from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Feb. 22-26 in room 303 of the Student Center.

The workshops will focus on developing skills such as interviewing, job offer negotiation, writing literature reviews and grant writing.

“GPAD provides a more hands-on professional development experience for graduate students,” said Fritz Yarrison, executive chair of the Graduate Student Senate. “It provides valuable knowledge and skills for graduate students to not only navigate their educational experience at Kent, but also their experiences after graduation.”

In 2016, the Division of Graduate Studies made a decision to add a formal element to the workshops. If a student attends three or more sessions, they will receive a “GPAD Certificate of Participation.” The certificate will be endorsed by the university and can be included in a resume.

With the inclusion of the formal certificate, the already popular program will probably see an uptick in participation, said Yarrison. According to him, participants will get actual practice to developing the skills they’ll need as they transition to a professional, working life.

“GPAD is meant to give graduate students extra opportunities for professional development, and the Division of Graduate Studies does a great job of diversifying those opportunities,” said Morgan Chaney, research symposium chair on the Graduate Student Senate. “This wide array of seminars really ensures that a large proportion of graduate students will be able to attend GPAD and feel that they got something useful out of it.”

The workshops are developed in collaboration between the Division of Graduate Studies, University Libraries, Research and Sponsored Programs, the LaunchNET Kent State and Career Services. The sessions will be facilitated by university faculty, administrators and teaching fellows.

Visit their website to learn more about the workshop series.

Andrew Keiper is the graduate education and research reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].