NU Graduate Faculty Workshop will focus on changing job market

Registration is still open for the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Faculty Workshop, scheduled for Oct. 30 in Lincoln. The event will bring together faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral associates from the four NU campuses to explore the range of opportunities available to students after graduate school.

Faculty can register here for the workshop, which will go from 1 to 5 p.m. at Nebraska Innovation Campus. A special session from 10 a.m. to noon targeted to graduate students and postdoctoral associates will help participants identify, develop and articulate the transferability of key skills throughout their academic study to help them find their place in today’s job market. Students and postdocs attending the morning session can also register for the afternoon faculty workshop. All sessions are free.

More than 360 students have already registered for the morning event. Registration will remain open through Oct. 21.

“The University of Nebraska has a responsibility to prepare all our students to be successful in the workforce, no matter what career they choose,” said Susan Fritz, NU executive vice president and provost and dean of the Graduate College. “We know that today there are more Ph.D. graduates in the U.S. than available jobs in academia. That means we need to make sure students who pursue an advanced degree are knowledgeable about the diverse career opportunities available to them after graduation. This workshop will allow students to explore their options and help faculty be in the best position possible to advise their students about those options.”

The morning session, “Life After Grad School,” will be led by Paula Chambers, Ph.D., founder of Versatile Ph.D., a web-based career education service for doctoral students and new Ph.D. holders interested in nonacademic careers. With more than 70 institutional subscribers and 60,000 individual members, Versatile Ph.D. serves all the research disciplines: humanities, social sciences and STEM.

The afternoon portion of the workshop, “Widen Your Students’ Career Paths,” will begin with welcome remarks from Fritz. Keynote speakers are Chambers and Suzanne Ortega, Ph.D., president of the Council of Graduate Schools. Ortega previously was senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina and has served at the University of New Mexico, University of Washington and University of Missouri. NU President Hank Bounds also will provide remarks. An industry perspective will be provided by Gallup Inc.’s Dr. Brandon Rigoni.

In addition to hearing from nationally recognized speakers, faculty will be able to discuss current career opportunities outside of the traditional path in academia, how the University of Nebraska can prepare students for nonacademic careers, and how they can help students navigate today’s job market. The workshop will end with a networking reception.

The workshop is presented by the University of Nebraska Graduate College.