The practices referenced below are divided into two substages, pre-arrival and arrival.
Pre-arrival
The pre-arrival period provides an opportunity for programs to proactively begin the onboarding process. Faculty and staff are encouraged to:
- Identify what communication can be sent prior to arrival such as information on housing, parking, Dining Hall meal plans, etc. (To assist you, the Graduate School provides the “Information for Admitted Students” slide deck.)
- Send the names, contact information, and, most importantly, photos of the faculty and staff so students can begin to become acquainted with those they will be interacting with frequently.
- Send the program handbook so students can begin to familiarize themselves with their Program of Study and to formulate strong questions.
- Review ideas on how to infuse well-being practices directly into your syllabus. (Please see the Center for Teaching & Learning’s dedicated resources.)
Arrival
Arrival week is typically packed with orientations often hosted at different levels of university administration and provides opportunities for incoming students to meet faculty, staff, peers, and advanced students. During these activities and over the start of students’ time in their programs, consider the following practices to support acclimation:
Building Foundational Relationships
- Have senior leadership provide welcomes
- Involve current graduate students:
- “Dine-arounds:” advanced students lead small groups of incoming students to dine at different restaurants and become acquainted with Athens
- “Netwalking:” HHadvanced students lead a tour of the spaces your program inhabits such as classrooms and labs and/or historical sites on campus
Engage Students with Their Program and Discipline
- Discuss the program’s values, goals, and policies, and discipline-specific norms
- Create a peer mentoring program, pairing incoming students with advanced students
- Host a panel with alumni focusing on how their time in the program led to their current employment, what courses helped land them their job, and the value of mentorship
- Review relevant handbooks, UGA policies, and professional standards as applicable
- Add a glossary to your Graduate Program Handbook to ensure an understanding of important academic terms
- Add learning outcomes to the Graduate Program Handbook and have students annually assess their progress towards these outcomes, whether formally or on their own.
- Host potluck dinners to informally build community
