September 2022 Message from Dean Mayo
It is wonderful to see our campuses brimming with activity, and for the newest members of our community, I hope Northwestern is already feeling like home.”
Kelly E. Mayo
Walter and Jennie Bayne Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Dean of The Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education
Dear members of The Graduate School (TGS) community,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest TGS students and postdoctoral trainees as we begin the Fall Quarter. This is the first of my monthly messages that you will receive throughout the academic year, and I hope they provide a meaningful connection. These messages are meant to convey important information regarding services and support provided by TGS and to invite your input.
The mission of TGS is to advocate for excellent graduate and advanced educational opportunities, cultivate a healthy, inclusive, and equitable experience, and connect graduate students and postdoctoral trainees with supportive communities and engagement opportunities. We believe diverse backgrounds, approaches, and perspectives are essential ingredients for true academic excellence.
This belief was echoed in the remarks President Schill recently shared during our Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) Welcome Reception. We share the goals of supporting distinct perspectives and ideas and fostering a culture of belonging at Northwestern. This is especially true as we welcome our most diverse cohort of PhD students to date.
I also am pleased to help welcome the newest graduate faculty members to Northwestern, and I look forward to our continued collaboration in support of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.
Several other celebrations and welcome events are underway at TGS to help usher in a new school year. English Language Programs (ELP) recently hosted a reception for participants of ELP Foundations, a language-immersive course for pre-matriculating international PhD and MFA students. This is the largest cohort in the history of the program, representing 22 countries, 24 programs, and six Northwestern schools.
This week also marks National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW), in which we welcome new postdoctoral trainees to our diverse and talented community while celebrating our current postdocs. We are delighted to recognize the many contributions postdocs make to our intellectual community through a week of giveaways, programming, and social opportunities.
This Friday, September 23, I hope our new TGS students will join us at our in-person resource fair from 1:00–3:00 PM on the second floor of Norris University Center. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the broader community of support at Northwestern, including a wide variety of campus partners and graduate student organizations. I look forward to meeting many of you in person at the fair.
September will conclude with ODI’s Introduction to Graduate Education at Northwestern (IGEN) Welcome Reception. IGEN is a program for diverse rising juniors and seniors interested in doctoral study at Northwestern. It provides an opportunity for prospective students to learn more about graduate life and the resources TGS offers.
Latinx Heritage Month (nationally known as Hispanic Heritage Month) is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This month-long commemoration uplifts the cultural legacy of a diverse group rooted in rich traditions. ODI will host a celebration event in October in collaboration with Comunidad Latinx (CLX), the Northwestern University chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (NU SACNAS), and other Latinx student organizations. Please be on the lookout for more details about this event and other campus programming in the weeks ahead.
Finally, as you may be aware, Northwestern is conducting a search for the next vice president of Student Affairs. The search committee invites you to share your input by attending one of the following virtual listening sessions, completing the search survey, or emailing your thoughts to vpsasearch@northwestern.edu (confidential account). Students who attend a virtual listening session will receive a food delivery gift card.
- Tuesday, October 4, 12:00–12:45 PM: Graduate students (Register here)
- Wednesday, October 12, 3:00–3:45 PM: All students (Register here)
It is wonderful to see our campuses brimming with activity, and for the newest members of our community, I hope Northwestern is already feeling like home. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything TGS or I can do to support you – my door is always open.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Kelly E. Mayo
Walter and Jennie Bayne Professor of Molecular Biosciences
Dean of The Graduate School and
Associate Provost for Graduate Education
Dean's Monthly Acknowledgment
Each month, I am pleased to acknowledge an individual or group who represents excellence in supporting the graduate and postdoctoral experience at Northwestern.
This month, I am pleased to acknowledge Lauren-Ashley Buchanan, PhD, our new interim director for The Graduate School's Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). Lauren has agreed to serve as interim director while we search for a new associate dean to lead the important work of this team. Lauren also serves as The Graduate School's associate director of the Office of Student Life (OSL). Tapping into her own experience as a PhD student, she has worked hard to foster meaningful dialogue and connections with graduate student leaders and campus partners, including the formation of The Graduate School Student Advisory Workgroup (TGS SAW), which provides important insight and feedback and helps surface needs. We appreciate the experience and insight Lauren brings to this interim role, and we look forward to continuing the important work of the ODI team without interruption.
Categories: From the Dean