GRAD REBEL MENTOR
October 2018
Professional Development Academy and the Graduate Student Lifecycle
The Graduate College Professional Development Academy (formerly known as the Graduate College Student Success Institute) is currently a virtual center, which began in 2015 and included one certification, several events and workshops, and non-academic advising. Since then the virtual center has expanded to offer skills support, career support, and a number of professional development opportunities, including four academic support certifications, six Grad Rebel programs, and more than 60 events and workshops annually. The Graduate College is also the home of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. This academic year will mark exciting new changes and growth for the Professional Development Academy, including the rollout of the new Student Lifecycle models and Pillars of Success. In addition, summer 2019 will mark the transition of the Professional Development Academy from a virtual center to its own designated space in the University Gateway building.

Student Lifecycle Models
The lifecycle stages are: early master’s, middle master’s, late master’s, early doctoral, middle doctoral, and late doctoral. All of our workshops and events (as well as Graduate College outreach and messages from the Gateway) will be incorporated into particular stages. Messaging from the Graduate College and the Professional Development Academy will be targeted to students based on their student lifecycle stage. By doing this, the hope is to help students prioritize experiences and resources that are most useful to them.

The Pillars of Success
Informed from literature on key skills graduate students need to be successful in their professional and career pathways, the pillars are designed to help Graduate College workshops be more user-friendly, relevant, and intentional. In addition to the pillars, all workshops now have a legend, which includes information on appropriate stage of the student lifecycle, learning experience type (panel, lecture, interactive), and time commitment.

Upcoming Events

Graduate College’s #RebelsGive events:
  • #RebelsGive Kickoff, Thursday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Kick off #RebelsGive with a free GPSA and Graduate College pizza party, get a chance to spin for swag, and win new Grad Rebel T-shirts.
  • Dean Korgan’s #RebelsGive Birthday Bash, Thursday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Celebrate #RebelsGive while enjoying a free ice cream social and get a chance to throw a pie at Dean Korgan and other Libras in celebration of their birthdays! Get a chance to spin for swag and win new Grad Rebel T-shirts. Consider a #RebelsGive donation to help unlock additional funding in support of graduate and professional students.
  • Graduate Showcase, Friday, Oct. 12, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.: This event showcases research done by six graduate students from around campus, who will present their research in a symposium-style setting.
  • Homecoming: The Graduate College will have a cabana at Rebel Homecoming Movie Night (Oct. 16, 7 p.m.), a beach-themed tent at Rebel Homecoming Festival (Oct. 18, 6 p.m.), and participate in the Scarlet & Gray Homecoming Parade (Oct. 18, 7:45 p.m.). Please encourage your students to come to these events. We will have free food and Graduate College swag.
  • Pizza with the Graduate College RPC Coordinators, Monday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m.: The UNLV Graduate College has designated October as Meet Our Graduate College Retention, Progression, & Completion (RPC) Coordinator Team Month. Graduate students and faculty/staff are invited to have pizza with the RPC coordinators.
  • Rebel Grad Slam: This event is an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research and scholarship in an engaging way. Please encourage graduate students to participate (deadline to register and submit the slides is Monday, Oct. 22). We would also love for you to serve as faculty judges for the event.

The UNLV Graduate Student Services team is here to provide both professional development opportunities and support all graduate and professional students and postdoctoral scholars. Please check out and encourage students and postdocs to check out:
For more information, please contact Valarie Burke, Executive Director of Graduate Student Services, at gradrebel@unlv.edu.