Here are some Frequently Asked Questions to help you out in planning to attend this fantastic event:
[toggle title=”What type of attire should I plan to wear?”] Most sessions at the NAGPS National Conference are business casual. The only semi-formal event is the Saturday night gala, where full suits are expected for males, and similarly appropriate clothing for females. [/toggle] [toggle title=”Who normally attends these events?”] Oftentimes leaders (or future leaders) of graduate and professional student associations. This year will be the first year we have a career fair, poster sessions, and ignite research sessions. We hope these events will attract graduate students of all types. [/toggle] [toggle title=”What costs should I plan on for this event?”] Included in your registration fee is access to all conference events as well as all food on Friday and Saturday. You’ll want to plan for food on Thursday and Sunday, as well as while you travel. You should also plan for your other usual travel expenses, including hotel, flight, and other souvenirs. Please see our transportation page to see if you’ll need to pay for any transportation from or to the airport. [/toggle] [toggle title=”What types of sessions are there?”] Our National Conference includes general sessions where participants submit abstracts on various topics relevant to graduate student life. These are sessions where many best practices are shared, and can take the form of a panel-type discussion, or a more traditional presentation.We also have new Ignite sessions this year. These sessions are very short sessions where participants have the chance to present a quick (around 5 minute) presentation on their individual research. These are meant to only highlight the important parts of the research, and thus generate discussion beyond the presentation throughout the conference.
Lastly, we have the general membership meeting sessions. These sessions are where we elect new board members and approve other changes to the NAGPS governing documents. We also set the legislative platform at these meetings. These meetings do take up a substantial amount of time at the conference, though this year we will have concurrent opportunities (such as the career fair) to take part in. [/toggle] [toggle title=”What are the benefits of attending the conference?”] There are many reasons to attend! First of which is networking. You’ll meet graduate and professional students from across the country and from nearly any discipline you can think of. Secondly, the sharing of best practices leads to great leadership development. You’ll also have the chance to get involved with issues that graduate students face on the national level. [/toggle] [toggle title=”If I cannot afford to attend, are there travel grants available to offset my costs?”] Yes! Each year we set aside some funding to award travel grants to select participants. This application will be available soon, and in the past travel grant recipients have received $300. [/toggle] [toggle title=”What kinds of opportunities will there be for free time?”] We always try to incorporate free time into the schedule. There are periodic 15 minute breaks in the schedule which allow for further networking and informal discussions. After the event, you’ll also find the evenings filled with social events. If you arrive on Thursday, you’ll have most of the evening to yourself to explore. Friday night will be a night out on the town in downtown Kalamazoo. Saturday night the national conference always concludes with a gala event to celebrate another successful event and present awards. Many attendees also travel late on Sunday so they can have downtime to explore on Sunday. [/toggle] [toggle title=”What do I need to do to prepare and run for a position on the Board of Directors?”] You can find details on our elections process and the positions by clicking here. Feel free to contact Brandon Milonovich at vice-president@nagps.org to learn more. Brandon will gladly connect you with the current person in that role to talk with them about their role and the time commitments involved.
We also encourage you to submit nominations (can be self nominated) ahead of the conference by using this form. Of course, you can wait for nominations at the actual meeting at the event where the election will take place. [/toggle] [toggle title=”How can I organize a session or talk?”] You can consider submitting a traditional session, and submit here.
You can also submit to present an Ignite talk (on your research), please see this page.
We also encourage you to submit a poster on your research, please see this page. [/toggle]