The 2023 Conference for Florida Graduate Schools, hosted by the University of Miami Graduate School in April, featured breakout sessions centered around the theme of "Innovations and Advances in Pedagogy."
Attendees of the three-day event had the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking discussions, explore poster presentations showcasing cutting-edge graduate research, and witness the lively Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The event commenced with a networking reception that fostered meaningful conversations on research and teaching innovations. Patricia Sanchez Abril, associate dean of the Graduate School, delivered a warm welcome speech, setting the stage for an enriching conference experience.
The breakout sessions covered a range of topics, including Innovations in Teaching led by Drs. Ali Habashi and Robin Bachin; Innovations in Inclusive Teachings led by Nichole Crenshaw, Matthew Acevedo, Renee Dickens Callan, and Miriam Lipsky; Classrooms of the Future led by Allan Gyorke, Maria Galli Stampino, and Dacia Simpson; and Negotiating a Salary in Academia and Beyond led by Mark Shapiro.
A unique breakout session, the Graduate Deans Roundtable, led by Abril, included a panel of deans from seven institutions to discuss crucial “light-bulb moments” that caused them to reevaluate pedagogy best practices that they have experienced in the past year. Abril reflected, “It was a great moment to share trends and innovations in graduate education with our colleagues across Florida. These conversations have already led to new ideas and collaboration on initiatives to support graduate students in Florida.”
One of the highlights of the event was the keynote address delivered by Kathi Kern—a distinguished historian, educational innovator, and the University’s vice provost for educational innovation. Kern, whose academic background has brought about groundbreaking research in designing and executing innovation in education, shared her insights and expertise with the conference attendees.
During her insightful keynote address, Kern shared “Graduate Schools have innovated more quickly than graduate pedagogy. What do I mean by that? Graduate Schools have been on the front lines of broader changes in higher education by acknowledging that traditional academic jobs were shrinking and seeing the need to provide services in support of career diversity and transferable skill development.” Her talk invited reflection on the advancements made and the potential for innovative approaches to better prepare students for their professional journeys.
“There was a time when Graduate Schools existed primarily as enrollment management units, recruiting, admitting, and funding students. But the mission of forward-thinking Graduate Schools today has expanded to offer a wide array of services to support graduate students while they are in school and to prepare them for careers that may lie outside of the academy,” Kern explained. “Following this trend, the way we teach graduate students needs to continue to evolve as well, with ever more focus on hands-on learning, applied research, community engagement, and public-facing scholarship as an indelible part of graduate training.”
It was an enlightening session that left attendees inspired and eager to embrace the future of graduate education. One attendee, Melissa Webb, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School at the University of West Florida, commented, “Dr. Kern's message that we as educators/administrators are responsible for graduate student success, which is not just ensuring that our students are surviving, but also thriving. This means a changing role in the graduate school to provide adequate support, mentoring, and offer comprehensive student services for its graduate students beyond the classroom.” Webb further reflects that, ”we cannot sit by and be complacent with the way things have always been done, but be proactive rather than reactive and provide graduate students the best education through improving pedagogy and challenging experiences, while also meeting job demands and keeping access and financial awareness at the forefront.“
The conference also provided a platform for graduate students to present and be recognized for their research through the Statewide Graduate Research Poster Symposium and the Statewide 3MT Competition. The winners of these statewide competitions are listed below:
Statewide Graduate Research Poster Symposium
Poster Presentation Winners
- Health & Life Sciences
- Winner: Emma Roberto, University of West Florida
- Runner-up: Christopher Ngo, University of Central Florida
- Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Winner: Roger Young, University of South Florida
- Runner-up: Emily Kwaa, University of West Florida
- Physical Sciences & Engineering (tied)
- Winner: Mekdelawit Deribe, Florida International University
- Winner: Mahnoor Kamal, University of South Florida
- Arts & Humanities
- Winner: James Waters, Florida State University
- Runner-up: Ayxa Arechavaleta, Florida International University
Statewide 3MT Competition
First Place and People's Choice
Runner-Up
View the full agenda and list of presenters and abstracts here.
