The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of its graduate and professional students during Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week, April 1-5. Events are planned throughout the week to foster community and encourage professional development.
The Graduate School saw an 18% enrollment increase among graduate and professional students in fall 2023, bringing the total to more than 7,400 students. Seven colleges — the Herbert College of Agriculture; the College of Arts and Sciences; the Haslam College of Business; the College of Communication and Information; the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; the Tickle College of Engineering; and the College of Social Work — have seen double-digit growth since last fall.
Featured Events
Graduate Student Senate Awards Brunch
Monday, April 1, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Student Union Pilot Company Ballroom AB
The week kicks off with a celebration of the university’s graduate and professional students and the faculty and staff who support them at an awards brunch provided by Graduate Student Senate.
Social Media for Professional Networking
Monday, April 1, 4-5 p.m.
Student Union Room 262B
The Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration staff will discuss using social media platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn, to network within academia. Free professional headshots will be available after the event.
Graduate Student Organization Summit
Tuesday, April 2, noon-3 p.m.
Student Union Room 362
A variety of campus organizations and resources will come together to help graduate students build community and learn from colleagues across campus. Student organization leaders and members will will learn best practices for operations including recruitment and engagement, finances and fundraising, collaborations and event planning, marketing and communications, and governance and transitioning.
3MT 2024 Final Competition
Wednesday, April 3, 1:30-3 p.m.
Student Union Room 169 (livestream available)
At this keystone event, 12 graduate and professional students will be given three minutes and a single static slide to present their thesis or dissertation work to a panel of judges.
Better Teaching Through Neurodivergence Inclusion: Supporting Students’ Executive Functioning
Thursday, April 4, 11 a.m.
Hodges Library Room 212
This workshop will introduce the concept of executive functioning, an important category of cognitive processes involved in performing tasks. Using guidelines following Universal Design in Learning principles, attendees will collaborate to identify simple opportunities to change their teaching practices to support the executive functioning of every student.
Party in the Park
Thursday, April 4, 3-5 p.m.
Circle Park
Graduate and professional students are invited to play mini-golf, pet dogs, tie-dye T-shirts, and enjoy ice cream, among other activities.
Vol Shop Discount
April 1–5
Graduate and professional students can receive 20% off gift and apparel items during Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week. The discount is available in stores at the Student Union and University Commons locations and online by logging in with a UT NetID.
For a full list of Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week events, visit the campus events calendar and search for the GPSAW tag.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Maggie Palmer (865-974-3993, mpalme19@utk.edu)