Annual Fall Meeting

DISSERTATION-YEAR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
and

PRESIDENT'S POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Comments from Previous Fall Meeting Participants

Comments From Faculty Mentors:

“On my way back to Santa Barbara, I had drinks with two of the dissertation year fellows, and we had a wonderful conversation.  They expressed their deep appreciation for this meeting, as they haven't really gotten the chance to think through issues of publishing, job search, etc. in their respective depts.  This program has already made a difference.  Thanks again, and best wishes.”  -- James Kyung-Jin Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Asian American Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara

“The bringing together of faculty to discuss these important issues with the post-docs and dissertation fellows [was the most useful aspect of the program].”

“Every year I learn something new – the insights from colleagues and fellows are amazing.”

“The grant writing in the humanities workshop was fantastic.  The three speakers (Shah, Soracco, Soto-Leveaga) gave substantive advice with no overlap or redundancy between them.  As a faculty member I learned from them both about succinct, smart ways to advise – and even picked up some tips for myself!  Also: the handout table was very useful. In general I was very impressed at the high quality of the advice.”

Comments From DYFP Student Fellows:

“I appreciated the opportunity to attend this meeting and walked away feeling particularly inspired by a day of information and fellowship with other awardees. It was a great place to network and talk to others at different stages in the process. So thank you!”

“I really appreciated meeting other faculty, postdocs, and fellows in my discipline who support diversity and were open and willing to make themselves available to me. I found the support network invaluable and the sense of community encouraging.”

“As a first-generation college student I have on more than one occasion felt like an imposter amongst my colleagues, however, after attending the Fall meeting and gaining such valuable insights from others who are in or have been in similar situations I feel so much more comfortable in my surroundings and feel as if I have started to build a new community of friends and colleagues.  Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in the President’s Dissertation-Year Fellowship Program, I am truly grateful.  I am definitely committed to spreading the word about this program’s amazing opportunities and feel honored to be a part of something that contributes so greatly to the building of diversity within the UC system.”

“I really appreciated the ‘behind the scenes’ views of the faculty – the advice and suggestions were so helpful in demystifying the post-PhD process.  They were all very open and seemed genuinely concerned with preparing us for the world.”

“The job search and publishing workshops really opened up my eyes to things I’ve never considered before.”

“Great topics & exchanges!  I felt that all mentors involved indicated a willingness to support and extend themselves.”

“I thought that all sessions here were useful for a student who is looking to attain an academic position.  The ‘strategies for survival’ section was also very enlightening and [it was] helpful to understand that many people have the same experiences.”

“The sessions were great opportunities to hear a lot of different perspectives on life in academia.”

“I feel confident that I can be successful in academia after participation in these workshops.”

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