Professional Development Advisory Board

Professional Development Advisory Board

The Advisory Board members act as advocates for graduate students, and serve as a sounding board and think tank that assists FGSR to refine its professional development program offerings and better support graduate students.

Background

In 2015, the Government of Alberta awarded grants to four Alberta universities to better prepare graduate students for careers after they graduate. After developing a program proposal with the guidance of experts and professionals from within and outside the university, UAlberta was awarded $6.3M over three years to deliver programming in four areas: professional skills development; entrepreneurship and mentorship; internships; and curricular change.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) is responsible for delivering this program, and is partnering with groups at UAlberta and in the broader Edmonton community to ensure the needs of graduate students are met and they are well-prepared to start their careers and be successful in whatever they pursue.

Purpose and Goals

With the grant program now in its third year, FGSR has established an Advisory Board to guide and provide advice to the Professional Development team and the Dean at the Faculty, and to assist with opening doors for graduate students. The Advisory Board members act as advocates for graduate students, and serve as a sounding board and think tank that assists FGSR to refine its professional development program offerings and better support graduate students. Advisory board members use their diverse, unique experience to guide FGSR toward better decisions for UAlberta master's and doctoral graduates. In turn, members will be given the opportunity to influence the future career success of UAlberta graduate students.