Students Invited to Attend Students of Color Professional Development Colloquium

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 28, 2017) — The Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives (CGD) will host the Graduate Students of Color Professional Development Colloquium: Nourishing Roots and Growing Branches Friday, March 31 from 9:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Woodward Hall of the Gatton College of Business and Economics Building.

"This colloquium is intended to provide a space for greater support and development of graduate students of color at the university. Attendees will have opportunities to network with other students and faculty while discussing their experiences navigating graduate education and the pursuit of their professional career trajectories," said CGD Director Chassity Holliman-Douglas.

The colloquium is a half day conference for all University of Kentucky graduate and undergraduate students. Through interactive workshops, panels and presentations, students will engage in critical conversations aimed to strengthen their professional development and enhance their academic journey. Colloquium attendees will receive a padfolio and attendees will be entered into multiple drawings to win Amazon Fire TV Sticks and RCA Tablets. 

The schedule for the colloquium is as follows:

8 a.m. Registration and Breakfast (3rd floor atrium, outside of Woodward Hall)

9 a.m. Welcome (Woodward Hall)

In between each session:

• LinkedIn Tutorials – Bring laptop or tablet (Room 330)
• Business Headshot – Business professional or business casual attire (3rd floor atrium, outside of Woodward Hall)

9:15 – 10 a.m. | Session I (Concurrent Sessions in various rooms in the Gatton Building)

• Ericka Hollis (Education) – Tech Talk: Hacks for Efficiency and Research (Room 265)
• Megan Marks (Counseling  Center) – Understanding, Controlling, and Beating Test Anxiety (Room 257)
• Shonta Phelps (Business and Economics) – Developing a Personal Brand (Room 233)
• Asa Mack (Residence Life) – Finding your Purpose (Room 230)

10:15 – 11 a.m. | Session II (Concurrent Sessions in various rooms in the Gatton Building)

• Carol Taylor-Shim (Bias Incident Support Services) – Did They Just Say That? Coping with Identity-based Bias (Room 265)
• Erin Jackson (Pharmacy) – The Science of Resilience: Overcoming Adversity in the Lab (Room 257)
• Kyle Hancock and Olivia Spradlin (Presentation U) – Making the Perfect Pitch: Presenting and  Selling Research (Room 233)

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Featured Session III: Faculty and Staff of Color Leadership Panel (Woodward Hall) Panelist:

• Vanessa P Jackson – chair, Department of Retailing Tourism Management
• DeShana Collett – assistant professor, College of Health Sciences
• Gregory Hall – associate professor, Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce
• Jim Wims – senior advisor to the associate provost for Student and Academic Life

12:30 – 2 p.m. | Luncheon with UK Alum Keynote Address and CGD Professional Development Awards Presentation (Woodward Hall)

• Keynote Address: Chris Chance, DMD
• CGD Student Professional Development Fund: This fund is intended to encourage student professional development and networking through attendance or active participation at academic or professional meetings or conferences and study abroad opportunities by helping students defray the costs associated with these activities.

"We hope students commit themselves to becoming lifelong learners. We hope students receive the tools, resources, and encouragement needed to navigate their personal and professional development and their academic careers,” said Morgan Wagner, associate director of CGD.

"Because research tells us that the experiences of students of color at predominantly white institutions can be challenging, the colloquium seeks to equip students for current and future success in the academy, industry, and society,” said Holliman-Douglas.

To register for the colloquium, complete and submit this online form. For more information about CGD, visit http://www.uky.edu/cgpdi/.