2022 GCC Online Conference Program

Join us on June 24 for the online component of the GCC 2022 Annual Conference!

The conference is open to GCC members and anyone else who would like to attend and participate in our lively and supportive community. (Note: If you are registered for the in-person conference, you do not need to register separately for the online conference.) Learn more about the online conference and how to register here.

If you are registered for the conference, you can download the Whova conference app using a personalized link sent to your email or access it as a website here. Zoom links will be posted on Whova (not in the agenda below).

All meeting times displayed on the schedule below are in Pacific Time.

Thursday, June 23
3-4:30pm - Reception with themed breakout rooms

Friday, June 24
8:00-8:10am: Welcome
8:10-9:15am - Keynote Address by Jon Malesic: "Burnout and the Academic Vocation"
9:20-9:50am - Networking & Discussion Breakouts
10:00-10:50am - State of the GCC
11:00-11:50am - Lightning Talks
12:00-12:50pm - Member-Generated Sessions
1:00-1:50pm - Member-Generated Sessions
2:00-2:50pm - GCC Benchmarking Report

Keynote Address
Burnout and the Academic Vocation A vexing problem for academics is burnout: the experience of exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness that results from stretching across the gap between the ideals of your academic vocation and the reality of your academic job. Jonathan Malesic left his job as a tenured theology professor at a small liberal arts college after undergoing burnout over the course of several years. Since then, he has published dozens of articles on work and burnout in academic journals and general-interest publications. He has also published a book on this topic, The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives. In this keynote talk, he will address what burnout is, why academic workers are so vulnerable to it, and how building more compassionate institutions can help prevent and heal academic burnout.

Jonathan Malesic is the author of The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives (University of California Press, 2022). He has written about work and burnout for New York Times, The New Republic, Washington Post, The Guardian, Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The Hedgehog Review, and several academic journals. He holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of Virginia and has been the recipient of major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Louisville Institute. His writing has been recognized as notable in Best American Essays (2019, 2020, 2021) and Best American Food Writing (2020) and has received special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology (2019). He teaches first-year writing at Southern Methodist University and lives in Dallas.

Member-Generated Sessions & Lightning Talks

The centerpiece of any GCC conference are the innovative, collaborative sessions during which members share new programs, cutting-edge research, and emerging ideas in the field. The online conference will feature a set of 50-minute member-generated sessions and a variety of shorter lightning talks.

MEMBER-GENERATED SESSIONS

A Competency Based Framework for Practitioners In Graduate And Postdoc Professional & Career Development
Parallels Between Professional Development for Diverse Careers And Building Immigration Portfolios for the Long-Term Success Of International Trainees
Improving Hybrid Program Facilitation Using Intentional and Universal Design Principles
Systems and Programs to Support First-Generation Graduate Students
Professional Conversation Hours: Helping International Students Navigate the U.S. Work and Job Search Culture
Creating an Asynchronous Career Readiness Course in a Learning Management System (LMS)

LIGHTNING TALKS

21 Days of Unlearning Racism and Learning Antiracism: A Virtual Curriculum for PhDs and Postdocs
Mental Health Disparities Among Biomedical Trainees During Covid-19 And Racial Inequity
Efficiency Strategies for a (New) Small Office
Policy Changes for the Future of Work Centered on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Initiative: A Practitioner's Guide to Supporting Graduate and Professional Students (Routledge, 2022)
Hot Careers in Public Health for Graduate Candidates
Navigating Academe's Hidden Curriculum
Innovative Integrated Learning: Three Models for Career and Professional Development
Preskilling Professional Development Fund (PPDF)
Affinity-Based Cohort Programs: Enhancing the International Postdoc Experience
The Next-Generation Dissertations Website
Fostering Virtual Alumni-Student Connections Across Geographic Boundaries

State of the GCC & Benchmarking Report

The State of the GCC address from the President and the Executive Committee will include updates on GCC activities and the launch our new 5-year strategic plan. The conference will end with a presentation from the GCC Benchmarking Program about the 2022 Institutional Survey, offering key insights into the structure, funding, and operation of graduate career and professional development services at institutions across North America.

In-Person Conference

If you would like to learn more about the program for our in-person conference in San Francisco on July 5-8, please visit this page.

Add-On Workshops for New Professionals and Midcareer Professionals

In addition to the conference itself, GCC members are invited to participate in virtual workshops after the online conference:

Workshop for New Professionals: This full-day workshop is designed for conference registrants who are new to career development or to working specifically with graduate students or postdoctoral scholars. Participants will learn about best practices for the field, hear perspectives from experienced members, and build a community together. In past years, attendees have reported that this workshop helped them meet new colleagues, situate themselves in the field, and feel ready to build their career going forward. This workshop will take place online on Wednesday, June 29. It will cost $100 as an add-on to either in-person or online registration.
Workshop for Midcareer Professionals: This half-day workshop, titled "Next Steps in Your Career Path, is designed for GCC members with experience in the field. Learn from leaders in our field as they have progressed in their careers. Leadership, management, and administrative topics include: building strong teams, combating burnout, cultivating followership, strategic planning and communications, and internal and external partnerships. Participants will leave with a toolkit of knowledge and skills to plan their career paths and flourish in their professional lives. It will take place during the afternoon of Thursday, July 21. It will cost $100 as an add-on to either in-person or online registration.