Get excited for the Twin Cities in 2025 & 2027!

Twin Cities, Twin Conferences

Authored by Vanessa Doriott Anderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean, Academic and Career Development, The Graduate School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and member of the GCC Confernece Committee 



The Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) is hosting its annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota—not once, but twice, in 2025 and 2027. In addition to upholding GCC’s values through this choice of venue, it also makes good logical sense to enjoy Minneapolis’s 22 lakes and 170 parks during its most temperate summer month.

Full disclosure: I am a Minnesota native. I still say “bagel” and “soda” in ways that make the uninitiated laugh. I have purified myself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. And the most negative response I can give to another Minnesotan who asks how I am is, “Oh, you know.”

Minnesota in the summer is prime time for exploring the beautiful Chain of Lakes, where you can get out on the water or just enjoy a breathtaking view of the Minneapolis skyline while taking a long walk. The Chain of Lakes spans several Minneapolis neighborhoods, including Uptown, a hub for retail, dining, and outdoor activities. Set your mind free.


Weisman Art Museum

Minneapolis is home to world-class museums like the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Weisman Art Museum, and the Mill City Museum. My favorite is the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center, featuring its iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry. Make sure to get a selfie!


Spoonbridge and Cherry Statue

If you’re a sports fan, GCC has you covered—we’ve secured discounted tickets to the Twins vs. Rangers baseball game on June 10. Target Field is an easy ten-minute walk from the conference hotel, or you can be there in six minutes on the light rail.

And that’s before we even get to the other twin—St. Paul, the state capital, where you’ll find such introvert-friendly destinations as the Science Museum, the Minnesota History Center, Historic Fort Snelling, and the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. While Minneapolis gets most of the national attention, St. Paul has its own fascinating history, involving a guy named “Pig’s Eye” and underground caves used by gangsters during Prohibition.

These two cities, divided and joined by the Mississippi River, each with its own personality and attractions, deserve to be explored, whether solo, with family, or with colleagues (and friends). Our Twin Conferences give us the ideal opportunity to do so. For more information about how you can enjoy the best of the Twin Cities, see our flyer, courtesy of the Conference Social Activities Committee.

So what are you waiting for? Register for the 2025 conference today! Block your calendar for 2027 while you’re at it. We will be gathered in Minneapolis to get through this thing called “life.” And I specifically will be gathered there with my team to talk about the value of microcredentials. See you in Minneapolis!

Learn more about the 2025 GCC Annual Conference and register to attend today!