Welcome to UMass Graduate School (WUGS)
Thank you to everyone who attended WUGS on Friday, September 1, 2023. Be sure to check out a new student checklist, resource links, and a menu of additional Office of Professional Development sessions to help you launch a successful fall semester.
WUGS 2024 will be held Friday, August 30, 2024. Planning is underway and details will be posted here once confirmed.
WUGS 2023 Schedule
Check-In and Refreshments
Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts Lobby (location)
8:30 am - 9:15 am
Join us at 8:30am to be sure you have time to check-in and grab your morning refreshments before the morning session begins. Check-in tables will be located outside the front entrance of the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts.
Welcome to UMass Graduate School
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall at the
Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts
9:25 am - 11:30 am
- Welcoming Remarks
9:25 am - 9:50 am
Jacqueline Urla, Dean, Graduate School
Javier Reyes, Chancellor
Wilmore Webley, Senior Vice Provost, Equity & Inclusion
Bryan Monesson-Olson, Associate Director, Office of Professional Development
- Student Support Panel
9:50 am - 10:15 am
While our large campus offers many resources and opportunities, it can sometimes feel confusing to know where to go for what. This panel will introduce a team of offices here to support you in your graduate journey.
Student Support Panel Office Information -
- Graduate Student Senate
10:15 am - 10:20 am
Fareed Mohammed, GSS President - The Graduate Student Experience
10:20 am - 11:20 am
Our panel of current graduate students will offer advice to help ease your transition to graduate school at UMass. What strategies did these students use to get to know UMass and the resources available to graduate students? How can you best position yourself for success? What are the most important things to do in your first year? We’ll cover all this and more to get your graduate career at UMass off to a strong start!
Mid-Day Break: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Use this time as a time to recharge. There are a couple options students can choose during this time.
- Get to Know the Graduate Student Senate 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Graduate Student Senate office, Room 919, Lincoln Campus Centre
- Visit One of Our Award Winning Dining Facilities
Concurrent Talks and Panels
Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center 1st Floor Rooms (location)
2:30 pm - 4:20 pm
Session 1 (2:30 pm -3:20 pm)
Students may choose one session to attend:
- Adjusting to Life in the Amherst Community (Auditorium)
Are you new to Western Massachusetts? Welcome to the Amherst community! This panel will offer insight on how to navigate the local culture and geography, along with tips on local transportation, where to shop, and what to do for fun.
- People of Color in Academia: Opportunities, Challenges and Resources (Room 162)
Panelists will discuss the campus environment for students of color, identify major resources and sources of community, and present solutions to common challenges.
- Managing Your Mentoring Relationships: Working Effectively with Your Faculty Research Advisor (Room 168-170)
Students in a research-based graduate program work closely with a faculty advisor to plan, conduct and communicate their research. This session will highlight steps students can take to establish and maintain productive relationships with faculty advisors.
- Cultivating Strong Relationships in Graduate School (Room 163)
While graduate school is symbolized by great personal achievement, success is not achieved alone. Graduate students rely on faculty, staff, peers, friends, professionals, and others for guidance, expertise, and support. In this session, panelists will talk about the importance of these relationships and the steps you can take to start building your own community of support.
- First-Year Strategies: Setting Goals and Supporting Well-being (Room 174-176)
Having a plan helps students achieve more and stress less. Learn how goal setting and time management strategies can help you create an effective first-year plan that focuses on balance, productivity, and well-being
Session 2 (3:30 pm - 4:20 pm)
Students may choose one session to attend:
- The Art of Introducing Yourself (Auditorium)
Whether the goal is to meet friends, impress faculty or simply survive a social event, many of us dread the idea of introducing ourselves. But the first step in building successful relationships is making yourself visible. This session will offer tips to help you introduce yourself with confidence.
- Work/Life Balance (Room 163)
The transition to graduate school can be challenging for many reasons, particularly when grappling with your new academic schedule and responsibilities. Our panel of graduate students will share their experiences in striving to find work/life balance.
- You Need a Five-Year Plan (Room 162)
Why did you come to grad school? In the midst of courses and other responsibilities, it is easy to overlook your long-term plans. Come hear tips for creating a multi-year plan for research, writing, and teaching that will propel you towards your professional goals.
- Managing Your Mentoring Relationships: Working Effectively with Your Faculty Research Advisor (Room 168-170)
Students in a research-based graduate program work closely with a faculty advisor to plan, conduct and communicate their research. This session will highlight steps students can take to establish and maintain productive relationships with faculty advisors.
- First-Year Strategies: Setting Goals and Supporting Well-being (Room 174-176)
Having a plan helps students achieve more and stress less. Learn how goal setting and time management strategies can help you create an effective first-year plan that focuses on balance, productivity, and well-being.
Refreshment Break
Campus Center First Floor Concourse
4:20 pm - 4:45 pm
Title IX: Building a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment
Campus Center Auditorium
4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access is here to provide you with support, options, and guidance. We promote an inclusive, equitable, and caring campus culture and oversee Title IX policy and processes prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.
During this session we will be raffling off (10) $25 dining cards that can be used at any dining establishment on campus.
Welcome Dinner and Resource Fair
Goodell Lawn
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Start connecting with UMass! Join us on the Goodell Lawn (between the Old Chapel and Goodell) for a free dinner, co-sponsored by the International Programs Office and provided by our award-winning UMass Dining. Food will be served until 7:00pm. While you eat, connect with other first-year graduate students, and learn about the groups and other offices on campus that are looking to connect with you.
List of Confirmed Offices
If you would like to participate in WUGS, please register by August 4nd to help us plan for space and catering requirements. More information on registering can be found here. WUGS sessions will not be recorded or broadcasted, please plan to attend in person to experience the benefits of this program.
[For information on Teaching Orientation, see the Teaching Academy website!]