Doctoral Candidates Recognized at Special Ceremony Hosted by the Graduate School
Some 200 students in Ph.D. programs across the University’s schools and colleges achieved candidacy status within the past year, having completed all coursework and qualifying exams. To celebrate this achievement, the Graduate School hosted the inaugural Doctoral Candidacy Recognition event March 28 on campus.
“This is a major milestone on the path to a Ph.D.,” says Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School. “As these students now turn their attention fully to their dissertations, we wanted to take a moment to honor them for the many hours of hard work they have already invested in their doctoral education, and to cheer them on towards timely completion of their degree.”
The half-day event brought together doctoral candidates, advisors and academic leaders from across campus. Vanable offered opening remarks, after which certificates of recognition were presented to the candidates in attendance.
The event also included a series of breakout sessions on topics relevant to doctoral candidates.
Glenn Wright, executive director of professional and career development in the Graduate School, moderated a panel discussion on “Planning and Writing Your Dissertation.” Panelists were Heidi Hehnly, associate professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S); Yiling Lan, doctoral candidate in biology in A&S; Mary Beth Monroe, associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS); and Nghia Le Ba Thai, doctoral candidate in biomedical and chemical engineering in ECS.
A panel discussion on “Humanities, Social Sciences and Other Fields” was moderated by Qingyang Liu, a graduate assistant in the Graduate School. Panelists were Jin Lei, associate dean for academic affairs and a professor in the School of Education; Fasika Melese, doctoral candidate in instructional design, development and evaluation in the School of Education; Patrick Berry, associate professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition in A&S; and Zakery Munoz, doctoral candidate in composition and cultural rhetoric in A&S.
The Graduate School plans to hold the doctoral candidate recognition event annually.
