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Enhancing the Graduate Student Experience with Targeted Programming

Author: Lyndsey Summers Intern, Student Life Communications Journalism and Electronic Media, ‘25

Students from across the world embark on their professional studies in Knoxville, Tennessee. Some completed their undergraduate program at UT and already have connections in the Knoxville community. Other students might be recent graduates from universities hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Still others may be returning to academic pursuits after time in the workforce or may have completed degrees before the rise of the internet, social media, and online coursework.

At UT, administrators and faculty strive to make Rocky Top feel like home. With such a diverse graduate student population, how can they establish connections?

UT’s Multicultural Student Life (MSL) and Center for Student Engagement (CSE) have recently tackled the challenge of creating intentional programming to connect graduate students from all walks of life.

Anthony Prewitt became the MSL director in 2022, and he quickly noticed gaps in support, socialization, and community among the graduate student population. He looked back at his own graduate experience and realized it could have improved with better programming and support resources.

“Graduate students still need community, they still need support, and they still need access to resources,” Prewitt said. “The reality of it is they’re still students. That’s one of the things we can never ignore.”

As Prewitt and MSL staff reimagined the department, they held focus groups and asked students what they needed from the program. The Multicultural Graduate Student Organization made connections with students, and the two groups grew an organic relationship and began to host joint events.

Brad Ward, the assistant director of CSE, believes it is important to give graduate students an outlet and chances to be around other graduate students.

“We know that they’re coming to the university for a specific reason, and their schedule is really demanding,” Ward said. “A lot of grad students are focused on school. That’s why they’re here. They see it as a next step to being that much closer to maybe a PhD or their next job. So their emphasis on education is important. However, we’ve learned there are a lot of grad students that want to go out on a Saturday with us to go bowling or take part in a unique event planned for them.”

To ensure graduate students have an outlet specifically for them, Ward works with the Graduate Student Senate and Amy Clevenger, the CSE Graduate Assistant for organization support, to host programming around the graduate student schedule.

Ward noticed many graduate students want to become involved in the Knoxville community, so CSE began hosting off-campus events. In the 2023–2024 school year, CSE found success taking students to a Knoxville Ice Bears games, hosting an axe-throwing social event, and hosting socials at the beginning of each semester.

Like Ward, Prewitt found that many students want to connect with the greater Knoxville community. But they also want educational support.

“They’re coming and not just for programming,” Prewitt said. “They’re coming for advice. They’re coming and inviting us to the things that they’re doing on campus and in the community—whether it be an art show, a dissertation defense, or presenting their research at a conference. They’re intentionally wanting us to come into their space. too.”

MSL hosts trivia nights, welcome back and end-of-year celebrations, and fun evenings like skate nights, movie nights, bowling and arcade trips specifically for graduate students. Prewitt hopes to offer more professional development opportunities for students, including identifying speakers and offering chances for students to present their research.

“All aspects of campus should be interested and do all they can to make sure that the graduate student experience is just as elevated and just as exciting as the undergraduate student experience,” said Prewitt. “Once we do that, the graduate student population will grow. We know that UT is going to give students an amazing education, but it’s what happens outside the classroom that really elevates and transforms the student experience.”

UT had 7,421 graduate students enrolled during the fall 2023 semester. This represents a 20% increase from the 2019 graduate student population. With enrollment on the rise as UT’s excellence in research and course options continues to soar alongside employment growth in Knoxville, Student Life will continue providing graduate students with intentional programming and resources to meet their needs and enhance their Volunteer experience.