Professional Development Communities

Graduate School Professional Development Communities

Joins groups of graduate students with similar interests in in-person and virtual spaces to learn, practice skills, and socialize!

About Professional Development Communities 

At the University of Louisville, Graduate students have unique opportunities to learn and grow in areas of interest across disciplinary lines. These professional development communities allow graduate students to learn, grown, and develop in specific topic areas by engaging with other graduate students and experts. Graduate students apply to join Professional Development Communities, commit to attend at least 5 workshops throughout the year, participate in a community of graduate students with similar interests through Microsoft Teams, complete a personal, time-limited, skill-related project of their choice, and receive additional resources, support, and engagement. Additionally, all students who complete the requirements for the Professional Development Committee will be recognized with a certificate at the Annual Dean’s Reception.  

Participation in Professional Development Communities

• Communities of practice and learning communities are established as "Teams" in Microsoft Teams. Teams for the semester will be announced and shared at the beginning of each semester and graduate students are invited to participate. An initial deadline will be set for participation, and if that community has enough interest for the semester, students will be invited to the Team. 
• Once a Team is established for the semester, one meeting will be put together to get all members together where the group will establish goals, expectations, and operations for that semester. Depending upon the work of the team, the group may be more or less formal or informal, may or may not communicate regularly outside of workshop, etc. The group will determine what outcomes they hope share at the end of the semester. The Director of Professional Development, Retention, and Success will serve as facilitator and depending upon the interest of the group may be more or less involved or active. 
• All graduate students participating in the community will be asked to complete a brief assessment before and after the experience. 
• Communities may continue from one semester to the next, but will be re-opened, and should revisit goals, expectations, and operations with potentially new members. 
• Graduate students must commit to the following:
• Attend at least 5 workshops throughout the semester
• Join and actively participate (the amount will be negotiated in-group) in the associated Microsoft Team
• Learn about the community topic, and produce a personal, time-limited, skill-related project of their choice
• Offer and accept peer support and accountability

Benefits to Participating in a Graduate School Professional Development Community

There are a number of potential benefits to participating in Professional Development Community. Just a few of the potential benefits:

• Opportunity to interact with, learn from, and network with graduate students outside your disciplinary bubble,
• Opportunity to consider a topic through a new lens, and thus add depth and richness to, your interests, research, and experiences,
• Learning, accountability, and growth in your graduate education,
• Community, offering support, validation, and normalizing,
• Various tangible outcomes, from increased progress in your research, better teaching, clearer career path, collaborative work, etc., 
• Development of skills valuable on the job market for all career paths: administration, project management, negotiation, collaboration, interpersonal skills, content knowledge, etc.
• Recognition at the Annual Dean's Reception

2023-2024 Professional Development Communities

APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2023.

Career Exploration Professional Development Community

In this PDC, graduate students will learn more about various career possibilities, both inside and outside the academy. Students will have an opportunity to explore possible career paths, plan and prepare for their job search, and compile resources for all parts of the career process. 

Wednesdays, 1-2:30pm

Resiliency and Wellness

In this PDC, graduate students will learn and practice resiliency and wellness strategies that will help them both personally and professionally. Please note that this is different than the Resilient Graduate Student Series (which has an academy format), though there is some content overlap. 

Tuesdays, 12:30-2:00pm

Research, Writing, and Communicating

In this PDC, graduate students will develop and refine their research, writing, and communication skills. 

Mondays, 3:00-4:30pm