Visioning Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Workshop Series

Vison and Objectives

The Graduate School launched a new workshop series, “Visioning Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs,” in fall 2008.  The overarching objectives of the series are to enhance our institutional capacity to work effectively across disciplines; to significantly improve our ability to conduct interdisciplinary research, scholarship and creative work; and to build and sustain programs that provide unparalleled interdisciplinary graduate education and training.

Specifically, participants in the three-part series will:

• Build their intellectual and administrative capacity to engage in strategic short-term and long-term program planning;
• Engage in on-going program assessment in order to identify and implement best practices in interdisciplinary graduate education;
• Enhance the leadership capacity within their programs through gaining mastery over administrative skills such as financial management.

The first workshop in the series, Building Intellectual Community, was held in September 2008 and focused on best practices for building intellectual community among and between various program constituents (e.g., faculty, faculty and students, students, and other communities within and beyond the University of Minnesota).  Participants were asked to reflect on their goals and objectives for building intellectual community, the success of the practices they currently use, and the specific types of supports that they would need in order to achieve their community-building goals.  The workshop included a round table discussion of best practices featuring faculty leaders and graduate students from interdisciplinary programs, as well as a working session, led by John Bryson, McKnight Presidential Professor of Planning and Public Affairs, that focused on creating a plan for building intellectual community within interdisciplinary graduate programs. 

The second workshop, Designing Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Research, offered in October 2008, provided participants with strategies and tools to thoughtfully plan and successfully implement a vibrant interdisciplinary graduate curriculum and research agenda.  Specifically, workshop participants learned how to identify the important factors involved in creating a successful interdisciplinary curriculum and research agenda in the context of their own programs.  They were also introduced to tools for developing a process for involving their program’s constituents in the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of their program’s curriculum and research agenda. 

The third and final workshop, Developing a Sustainable Resource Base, was offered in February 2009 and helped participants identify the necessary resources for sustaining their program.  Resources were considered broadly in terms of faculty, staff, students, space, technology, and financial support.  The workshop considered the strategies necessary to gain essential support, including agreements with department and college administrators, and revenue generating possibilities. 

Past Workshops

Upcoming

Workshops