Thursday, July 12 | 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Join us during the conference on Twitter @AGPAatOSU!

Use the hashtag #OSUagpa2018 to share your takeaways from the educational sessions and pictures that you take during the conference!

This page contains information about the conference agenda. Looking for the conference homepage and registration? Click here.

Agenda Outline

8 a.m. – 9 a.m.                     Check-in & Breakfast – Professional Headshots Available
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.               Welcome & Opening Remarks from OUAB
9:40 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.       Breakout Session 1
10:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.      Breakout Session 2
noon. – 1:30 p.m.                 Lunch & Keynote Address
1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.         Breakout Session 3
2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.         Breakout Session 4
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.               Closing Session/Presentation

Interested in presenting during one of our breakout sessions? Submit a proposal!

Breakout Sessions

Session 1, 9:40 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

• “Breaking University Silos: A history of collaboration at Ohio State” (Jillian Baer and Rachel Foltz, Graduate and Professional Admissions at Ohio State)
  • Since its founding in 2015, the Association of Graduate and Professional Administrators (AGPA) has aimed to bring together higher education professionals at Ohio State who work with graduate and professional students to share ideas, develop best practices, and build community. As you’ve likely experienced, working with graduate and professional students requires a different approach than working with undergraduate students.  This session will outline HOW the organization came to be and provide helpful insight into how you can create something similar at your home institution.
• “Finding Common Ground: Breaking barriers and building shared purpose through curriculum renewal” (Teresa Johnson, University Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Ohio State)
  • Many program curricula have been growing and shifting for decades. Over the years they are molded by multiple layers of teaching assignments, years of academic drift, and multiple good faith but piecemeal efforts to address problems. Yet the current status quo is often fiercely protected by many departmental factions who have a myriad of reasons why holistic change or review just “isn’t feasible” or even warranted. Not only are these curricula often difficult to assess for effectiveness, it is nearly impossible to keep these programs current and responsive to student and employer needs.Through the process of backward design, we have shown that we can break down these barriers and find common ground that allows articulation of a coherent and effective curriculum. We start by bringing all voices to the table to discuss what our graduates should be able to do and how they should solve problems and process information. By doing so we begin to refocus departmental culture from faculty owning individual courses to group ownership of the curriculum as a whole.Before beginning this process, however, it is important to know whether your department is ready for such fundamental change. In this session we will review the backward design process for curriculum renewal as well as discuss how to know when your department might be ready to undertake this process. We will also discuss techniques for planting the seeds of change so that a department that isn’t ready yet, can begin moving in that direction.
• “Lessons Learned on the Inside” (Ana Casado, Engineering Education at Ohio State)
  • On August 15, 2017, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation. On August 16, I started my full time position as Graduate Program Coordinator and Grants Coordinator in Ohio State’s Department of Engineering Education. As a (very) recent graduate, I came into my position with lots of opinions and ideas I couldn’t wait to put into practice. I entered a new department with a still-developing PhD program that had never had a Graduate Program Coordinator before. I have been lucky enough to be able to create the parameters of my position, and, as a recent graduate student, put some of my “inside knowledge” into practice. This presentation will highlight lessons learned from my time as a graduate student, including topics such as transparency, feedback, and prioritizing student success. It will offer suggestions for improving communication and rapport with graduate students.
• “Now You’re Thinking with Databases: Moving from Excel to Access to improve management of program data” (Taylor White, School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State)
  • Is all of your program data spread across an unknown number of Excel spreadsheets across multiple folders? Storing data in Excel is quick and easy, but rarely the stable means to long-term data management. Relational databases, such as Microsoft Access, offer multiple advantages, including efficiency of data entry and security against data becoming disorganized or corrupted. Moreover, they allow you to document your “metadata” and the relationships between different levels of data so that others can more easily follow your approach to data entry. This introductory workshop will teach you the principles of good database design and how to create the elements of a database and import data from Excel. At the end of this workshop, program staff will be able to begin designing their own databases with whatever data they work with, such as assessment data and student data from inquiry to graduation.

Session 2, 10:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

• “The Language of English Proficiency: creating barriers or supporting student success? The Case of the (Non)Native English Speaker” (Andy Ray and Katie Tadlock, Graduate College at Ohio University)
  • This presentation will address the language universities use on their application and websites to generate a response from international graduate applicants about their English proficiency level. It also looks at how universities interpret the applicants’ response to that question. Are students from certain countries automatically considered to be native English speakers? Which countries are on the list and which are not, and why? The aim of the presentation, then, is to inspire an on-going dialogue on this topic, so that higher education institutions in Ohio can break barriers in how we think about English proficiency, all the while upholding the Ohio Revised Code 33.45.281 and maintaining student success. As speakers of “world English” become ubiquitous to Ohio institutions, the way in which we define and determine English proficiency must also adapt.During the presentation, we hope to hear from audience members about their experiences as well. In order to engage the audience effectively, while keeping the flow of the presentation, interactive technology will be used to garner responses.Given that the goal is to spark long-term conversation, we hope to be able to return the AGPA conference the following year to give another presentation on this topic. As the tide of incoming international graduate students shifts from country to country, it becomes increasingly important to continually assess how we understand English proficiency.
• “The Journey Continues: Applying Student Development Theory in Graduate Education” (Brian Orefice, College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State, and Rachel Foltz, Graduate and Professional Admissions at Ohio State)
  • Most student development theories focus on the 18-24-year-old student, yet we know that students continue to grow during graduate school.  Graduate students have unique needs as they transition from their undergraduate experience, often related to their family life, mental health, academic discipline, and professional training.  While much of the literature focuses on graduate student attrition, a better understanding of their developmental needs can provide faculty and staff with the insights necessary to improving the graduate student experience.  This session will focus on research and theories related to graduate student socialization and adult development that can inform our programs and services.  Aspects of social identity, psychosocial, cognitive, and self-authorship theories will be explored with implications for educational practice.  Participants will be encouraged to share strategies that they have created that help support graduate students through their educational journey.
• “Understanding Professional Students: A View from Practitioners” (Kerry Hodak and Practitioners Panel, Student Life at Ohio State)
  • At Ohio State, professional programs in dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine operate under college level administration distinct from the broader population of graduate students.  This panel of administrators from professional colleges at Ohio State address the unique benefits and challenges of this model of professional education.  Additionally, panelist will discuss the various milestones of professional programs including orientation, clinical training and professional specific examinations.  Learn what is similar and different to supporting professional students in contrast to graduate students.  Staff will share the unique opportunities and challenges of this model.  The panel will also address opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations.  Come learn about professional students and how graduate and professional student support staff may collaborate in the future.
• “Journey to a more holistic admissions review process by implementing an evaluation rubric” (Kris Dunlap, Physics at Ohio State)
  • This is presentation is a reflection on the journey of the working on Physics Graduate Program at Ohio State from 2012 to 2019 moving to a more holistic review process for domestic applicants with the end goal of increasing diversity in the program. Through using a rubric as part of the applicant evaluation, this has helped to make for a more comprehensive and consistent review process of the program’s applicants. The presenter, the program coordinator for the graduate program, will discuss the key takeaways from this development.

Session 3, 1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.

• “Involving Graduate Students in the Planning and Participation of an International Design Conference” (Lora Alberto, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at University of Cincinnati)
  • Graduate Students are a key component to hosting an international conference.  They not only benefit from attending and volunteering for the conference, but can be the support needed to create a successful conference.  The University of Cincinnati hosted the 7th International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) conference in November 2017 with the help of six Graduate Assistants on staff over a three-year period, and 40 students as volunteers during the event.   I will discuss the roles the Graduate Students took on, how they were funded, what worked, what didn’t, and some of the outcomes from their participation.
• “Coffee is for Closers: Applying Principles of Outside Sales to Graduate Recruitment in Higher Education” (Jonathan Bullock and Todd Thobe, College of Public Health at Ohio State)
  • Higher Education practitioners typically shy away from using the term “sales” due to the negative perception of the term and how it has a manipulative connotation. However, there are many sales principles that apply to persuasive activities in higher education and can be used to provide a prospective student with the information needed to make an educated decision, without using deceitful tactics. In this interactive presentation, two former outside sales representatives share techniques and terminology that they have successfully applied to graduate recruitment.
• “To the Finish Line! Helping Students through Challenging Situations” (Jackie Stotlar and Lynaya Elliott, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Ohio State)
  • The path to a graduate degree is a marathon with plenty of twists and turns, and as such, you are bound to see some students stumble along the way. How can you, as a staff member, help students when they face challenging situations? What is your role in assisting graduate students towards the finish line? Come discover techniques for remaining cool in graduate student crisis with Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department Manager, Lynaya Elliott, and Program Coordinator, Jackie Stotlar. This session will explore how to balance policy with care, provide tips for documentation, and look into best practices to establish boundaries, advise faculty, and respond in the moment with compassion. When you have the right tools, it’s easier to lend a helping hand to get students back on track!

Session 4, 2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.

• “Supporting Grad/Prof Student Engagement: Best Practices According to International Students” (Kerry Hodak and student panel, Student Life Student Activities at Ohio State)
  • Graduate and professional student voices are important as staff develop programs and processes to support them. Particularly around experiences outside of the classroom, international student do not always feel supported by their academic programs. While students’ goals are to complete their degree, there is substantial benefit to engaging in opportunities outside of the classroom, laboratory and library. Whether these benefits are improving a student’s personal well-being or developing skills crucial to career success, these students benefit from participating in opportunities beyond their program as discussed in Ph.D. Completion Project by the Council of Graduate Schools. In this panel presentation, international students will discuss the benefits of their involvement and both support and obstacles to that involvement.
• “Supporting without Lifting: the vitality of staff roles in successful graduate/professional education” (Amy Schmidt, Dance at Ohio State)
  • We are not faculty advisors to graduate/professional students, but we do offer a lot of “advising” and “advice” to support student and program success. We carry a lot of weight in the functioning of a program, but we are not the faculty makers of a program.If life is a box of chocolates, you never know what will trigger success or stoppage for individual students and faculty as they navigate their roles in graduate and professional programs. Administrative staff often play “bridge” or “navigation” roles between students, program administration, institutional administration, and faculty. How can we best negotiate with our “constituents” – are we neutral information givers or empathetic coaches? Or a mixture of both or other?I keep three things on my office desk at the ready for any student, staff, or faculty member in any particular mood/need: chocolate, tissues, and an “Easy” button. I see these three props as metaphors of my role to keep the humanity in the human experience of higher education for laughing, crying, and “whew, it’s done” celebrating. What are your best props? What have worked well in some cases but not others? How do we set the tone and the culture of our programs? Let’s explore together!
• “Initiatives Supporting Diversity and Inclusion for Graduate and Professional Students” (Robert Solomon, Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State)
  • This interactive session will engage the audience in discussion of long-standing selective initiatives hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (largest of its kind in the country) and the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University.  We will also learn from each other’s creative experiences regarding best practices related to recruitment and retention of under-represented minority students at the graduate and professional level.