Join us for the next Graduate College Annual Workshop, A Holistic Admissions Summit.
Our annual workshop is an opportunity for directors of graduate study, graduate program contacts, and graduate faculty to come together around important topics in graduate education. This year’s workshop will focus on holistic admissions.
Schedule
November 7, 2024, at the Illinois Conference Center
8:30-9:00 a.m.
Check-in - Heritage Hall 2+5
9:00-9:30 a.m.
Welcome & A Look Ahead from the Graduate College
Hear from a variety of Graduate College units on exciting upcoming changes and events for the coming year.
9:30-10:00 a.m.
Annual Dean's Briefing of Graduate Education at Illinois
Dean Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko will share a brief overview of the state of graduate education on our campus.
10:00-10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15-10:30 a.m.
Holistic Admissions at Illinois
This session will kick off our discussion on holistic admissions with an overview of the holistic review strategies we have implemented at Illinois. This introduction will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Spark, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment.
10:30-11:30 a.m.
Keynote speaker, Julia Kent, Holistic Graduate Admissions
(See Speaker bio below)
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Lunch and Networking (Heritage Hall 2+5)
1:00-2:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Recruiting Best Practices: Navigating Post-SCOTUS Admissions Ruling (Alma Mater Room)
Join us for an insightful workshop focused on strategies for student recruitment following the recent SCOTUS admissions ruling. We will explore the implications of the decision on diversity and inclusion initiatives, share best practices, and discuss effective approaches to attracting a diverse student body. This session will be led by Dr. Lisa Abston, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Implementing Holistic Admissions Workflows in Slate (Heritage Hall 3+6)
In this session, we will showcase how to leverage the Reader module in Slate for a more effective holistic admissions process. We will focus on designing seamless holistic workflows, developing customized rubric options, and utilizing dashboards and queries to optimize efficiency, all while maintaining a thorough review process. This session will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Spark, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment and Elaina Mullins, Assistant Director for Admissions and Enrollment Management Systems.
2:15-2:30 p.m.
Break
2:30-3:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Graduate College Recruitment Fellowships Workshop (Alma Mater Room)
This workshop will provide an overview of all recruitment fellowships, including recent changes from the past year. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the criteria, nomination process, and award structure for these fellowships. This session will be led by Dr. Lisa Abston, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Dr. Ken Vickery, Assistant Dean for Fellowships.
Holistic Admissions Training: Departmental Perspectives in Practice (Heritage Hall 3+6)
The Graduate College is requiring all graduate program admissions committee chairs (or their faculty designees) to complete the 2024-2025 Holistic Admissions Training (coming Soon to the Slate Admissions Review Toolkit portal). We also highly encourage all faculty and staff involved in graduate application reviews to participate. This in-person session will not only cover the training material but will also feature a panel of holistic admissions experts from Illinois graduate programs, who will share their insights and experiences on key topics. Attending this session will fulfill your 2024-2025 training requirement! This session is led by Dr. Elizabeth Spark, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment with the following panelists: Dr. Lance Cooper, Associate Head for Graduate Programs for the Department of Physics, Kacie Jones, Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions for the Gies College of Business, and Dr. Carol Symes, Professor for the Department of History.
3:45-4:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks - Heritage Hall 2+5
Keynote Speaker
Julia Kent is Vice President, Best Practices and Strategic Initiatives at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). Since 2008, her portfolio at CGS has included programs on a broad range of topics in graduate education, including PhD career pathways; diversity and inclusion; graduate admissions processes; international collaborations; research ethics and integrity; and the preparation of future faculty. Currently, Julia serves as co-Principal Investigator of a new project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Supporting Equity in Graduate Education in a Changing Legal Landscape, which is designed to prepare CGS member institutions to navigate new legal parameters for admissions and other programs following the June 2023 SCOTUS decisions on race and admissions. Julia also serves as co-Principal Investigator for an initiative supported by the National Science Foundation, the Innovations in Graduate Education Hub, which seeks to accelerate innovations in graduate education through a network of grantees and partners, and for a multi-phase project supported by NSF and the Mellon Foundation, Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement. She holds a PhD in English from Johns Hopkins University.