2017 AGPA Conference
July 11, 2017 | 9am – 4:30pm | Ohio Union | The Ohio State University | Columbus, OH
The Association of Graduate and Professional Administrators at The Ohio State University is excited to announce the keynote speakers for our upcoming conference Creating Pathways: Building Community and Engagement in Graduate and Professional Higher Education. We look forward to welcoming Mimi Beck and Joshua LaFave to share their knowledge and insight in graduate and professional education!
Mimi Beck
Program Director, Graduate Student Life
University of Notre Dame
Presentation: Swimming Upstream: Building Community Among Graduate & Professional Students
Building community among graduate and professional students can feel like swimming against the current of a powerful river. We will dive into the challenges and opportunities we face in building community for our students, present research and best practices from within our field, and share data and examples of successful initiatives from my work at Notre Dame.
Bio: Mimi Beck is the Program Director for Graduate Student Life at the University of Notre Dame. She serves as the primary Student Affairs liaison to the Graduate School, focusing on improved quality of life, communication, advocacy, community-building, assessment, and strategic planning for post-baccalaureate students across four divisions and forty-three academic programs. Mimi received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of the Incarnate Word, and her Master of Theological Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Mimi’s previous experience includes residential life at Notre Dame and campus ministry at St. Mary’s University and Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. When not championing the needs of graduate students, Mimi likes to sing, read, travel, and spend time with her dog, Izzy.
Joshua LaFave
Executive Director, Division of Graduate and Continuing Education
State University of New York at Potsdam
Presentation: Delivering on the Reservation: Student Services in a GEM Model
We are successful in getting their reservation, but are we devoted to holding it? Together, we will explore a framework of collaborative approaches and methods by which to hold on to the promise of a differentiated graduate student experience from commitment to commencement.
Bio: Joshua LaFave is currently the Executive Director of the Division of Graduate and Continuing Education for the State University of New York at Potsdam, in Potsdam, NY. His experience for the past twelve years has included a comprehensive canvas of Graduate Enrollment Management functions including planning, marketing & recruitment, admissions, student services, retention, advising/coaching and career planning. Josh has been very active within the broader profession, serving as an elective officer for NAGAP, the national association for professionals working in Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM). He is also a previous chair for the Research and Global Issues committee for NAGAP and past President of NYGAP, the NYS chapter of NAGAP. As a member of the governing board, he and his committee worked on a variety of research projects specific to the profession, student trends, and operational research directed at improving efficiencies in GEM while differentiating the student experience.