Skip to main content

Resources for Faculty & Staff


This page provides resources for program directors, coordinators, and others involved in the promotion and direction of graduate programs and the recruitment of students. This section of the website also includes access to Hobsons AppReview and information about mentoring, graduate faculty, and program reviews. Please contact Dr. Aaron Waggoner if you have suggestions about the content provided here.

Outreach and Professional Development Support

The Graduate School provides materials and support for program-based student recruitment, the professional development of graduate students and postdocs, and–more broadly–the promotion of graduate education. The pamphlets below may be shared electronically or printed in their current form. Members of the UTEP community may email gradoutreach@utep.edu to request printed copies, edits, or custom-made materials or trainings. También se ofrecen información y apoyo en español.

Next Generation PhD

With the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Council of Graduate Schools, the Graduate School implemented a NextGenPhD planning grant. The initiative gathered data about career preparation for humanities PhD students, fostered faculty conversation and competence around the issue, and piloted programming designed to inform and prepare students for diverse careers. Though focused on doctoral education in the humanities (particularly UTEP's Rhetoric and Writing Studies and History programs), many of the lessons learned were broadly applicable. Complementing the culture and values of the UTEP Edge, NextGen informed the redevelopment of the Graduate School's approach to graduate student professional development (see "Best Practices for Graduate Student Professional Development" below).
Reports:
Ambler, Charles (2017), Next Generation Humanities PhD White Paper. El Paso, TX: The University of Texas at El Paso Graduate School.
McCarthy, M.T. (2017), Summary of Prior Work in Humanities PhD Professional Development. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.
McCarthy, M.T. (2017), Promising Practices in Humanities PhD Professional Development. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

Best Practices for Graduate Student Professional Development

Drawing on the UTEP Edge, the NEH NextGenPhD program, resources from the Council of Graduate Schools, and conversations with faculty, staff, and students, the Graduate School has compiled best practices for the professional development of Graduate Students. These suggestions complement the information and resources provided to students at www.utep.edu/graduate/PD and boil down to three points:

  • Institutionalize an integral, no-assumptions approach to professional development from day one;

  • Normalize work across disciplines and outside the academy; and

  • Make use of existing resources.

Click the sections below for more information about concrete ways faculty and staff can contribute to graduate student professional development.
Things you can do at the program or department level:

  • Maintain and make available data about retention, completion, and alumni
  • Institutionalize the use of the summers for internships and experience in varied work environments
  • Allow assistantships to vary according to career goals
  • Create lists of practitioners, administrators, and other professionals at key institutions; encourage students to meet with these individuals during research visits, conferences, and other opportunities
  • Encourage the connection of theses and dissertations to cross-disciplinary conversations in order to maximize future opportunities
  • Incorporate reflection, skills assessment, and the Individualized Development Plan (IDP) as part of the orientation, advising, and defense/graduation processes
  • Support cross-listing, the pursuit of graduate certificates, and course substitution when appropriate

 

Things to keep in mind when mentoring:

  • Connect with alumni & community resources (leaders in business/Chamber of Commerce, non-profits, government, public services, community/workplace development offices)
  • Encourage internationalization (exchange programs, co-teaching, research and practicum stays)
  • Encourage students studying across disciplinary lines, substituting courses, cross-listing courses, designing unique projects; advocate for corresponding departmental support
  • Encourage/facilitate writing groups/cohorts during thesis and dissertation writing and job-search phase
  • Encourage the connection of theses and dissertations to cross-disciplinary conversations in order to maximize future opportunities
  • Require students to maintain a CV, résumé, and Individualized Development Plan (IDP)
  • Avoid the use of the terms “Alt-Ac” and “Plan B”; talk about "professional development," "career diversity," and "parallel plans"

Click here for more resources related to mentoring.

 

Things you can do in the classroom:

  • Create assignments that involve direct application, community engagement, and cross-disciplinary work
  • Normalize and incorporate professional development and reflection on skills
  • Avoid the use of the terms “Alt-Ac” and “Plan B”; talk about "professional development," "career diversity," and "parallel plans"

 

Ways you can use existing resources:

 

Connect With Us

The University of Texas at El Paso
Graduate School
Mike Loya Academic Services Bldg. Room 223
500 W University Ave.
El Paso, Texas 79968

E: gradschool@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-5491
F: (915) 747-5788