Symposium Delivers Valuable Lessons to Graduate Students

For the fourth consecutive semester, East Texas A&M University Assistant Professor Leslie Ekpe organized and hosted an online Graduate Student Symposium. On March 28, graduate students from around the nation were treated to lectures from five different speakers on a wide range of topics.

Ekpe, who teaches in the Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies, stated, “I know how important it is for graduate students to gain knowledge that contributes to their tenure. The symposium allows graduate students to hear from academics who speak to several areas of the graduate student journey.”

This semester's symposium featured:

• Dr. Christen Priddie, an assistant research scientist at Indiana University Bloomington, who discussed critical quantitative methods and how to become a better quantitative scholar.
• Dr. Katherine S. Cho, an assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago, who spoke on the topic of activism and advocacy in higher education.
• Dr. Sumun Pendakur, founder of Sumun Pendakur Consulting, who lectured on understanding the purpose of one's journey of earning a doctoral degree.
• Dr. Sarah Toutant, director of a large nonprofit organization, who discussed the need-to-knows of starting a career outside the realm of academia once a graduate degree is obtained.
• Dr. Pablo Montes, an assistant professor at Texas Christian University, who spoke on creating a structured outline for academic writing, as well as setting aside time for academic projects, research and publications.

On average, the Graduate Student Symposium attracts around 200 graduate students from across the country. Ekpe is passionate about the event and intends to continue it in upcoming semesters.

For more information about past or future Graduate Student Symposiums, contact Dr. Leslie Ekpe.