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Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week 2017

The 2017 Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week is coming up very soon. This is a time where UT organizations and units team up with your Graduate Student Senate and the Graduate School to show our appreciation for all you do. The week is chock full of events related to health and wellness, professional development, and fun. These events stretch from April 3 until April 8, and we all hope you’ll come out and let us show you how much we value our graduate and professional students.

Download the Full Schedule

Graduate School Open House

The week will kick off on April 3 with an open house at the Graduate School. Our offices will be open from 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. with opportunities to meet our staff and tour both suites. Graduate School staff will be available at both our Dean’s Office (111 Student Services Bldg.) and our Office of Graduate Admissions (201 Student Services Bldg.) to answer your questions and talk about our purpose and vision. But the celebration does not stop there! There will be delicious snacks and treats, door prizes and freebies. Every 15 minutes there will be a drawing for gift cards for local restaurants and attractions, and there will be Graduate School “swag” to take home.

Faculty, staff and students…Everyone is invited! Come visit us and celebrate Graduate Education at UT!

After that, the week just keeps going!

The Main Events

The week is filled with events designed to help you in your professional development. The Center for Career Development is hosting workshops on job searches in academia and industry, the UT Libraries have opportunities to get a professional photo taken and improve your presentations, and GSS and the Center for Career Development are hosting a Smokey’s Closet Pop-up Shop to offer free professional clothes.

To help with your teaching, the Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center will be providing opportunities to learn more about CIRTL and improving your teaching portfolio.

The UT Libraries want you to take a moment to take care of yourself. They will be hosting a Massage Day at Hodges Library in Room 211. Drop by anytime between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on April 3! For more information about events sponsored by the UT Libraries, visit them on the web.

The Multicultural Graduate Student OrganizationInternational House, and the Division of Student Life are all offering engaging events such as panel discussions, an international coffeehouse and a tour of Neyland Stadium. And for some fun nights out, there is a Trivia Night and a Graduate and Professional Student Talent Show hosted by the Graduate Student Senate. And for Vol Baseball fans, tickets to the April 4th baseball game are available first-come-first-serve for seats in the patio area. Register with Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center to reserve your tickets!

The Home Stretch

The week will be capped off by two events. In the 3-Minute Thesis Finals Competition, twelve finalists will talk about their research using a single slide with only three minutes to present. They will be judged on content and how well they engage the audience. It’s a great opportunity to see the amazing research your fellow graduate students are engaged in, so come out on April 7 from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. in Hollingsworth Auditorium to support these presenters.

And on Saturday, there is the Smokey’s Pantry 5K, hosted by the Graduate Student Senate. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. in Circle Park, with a start time of 9:00 a.m. For more information on the 5K, contact gsspress@utk.edu or visit the Graduate Student Senate.

As you can see, there’s a lot for everyone the week of April 3-8. Check out the full schedule, and keep your eyes and ears open for other events that may pop up during that week. Share what you see and hear on social media using #UTGPSAW2017.