Hey Everyone –
Below are updates from the last meeting on Monday, 11/19.
Disruptions in MTA service reduced the number of attendees at the last meeting, and this interfered with our initial goals (selecting an event date and a short list of preferred panel participants). Preliminary feedback indicated some interest in Cathy O’Neil, Frank Pasquale, Debra Cleaver, and Greg Berman, but this feedback derives from only a small portion of the group and should not be considered representative.
Considering the reduced attendance, the Group discussed many of the challenges involved with finding a convenient time to meet for all students, and this raised related concerns about more realistic expectations for students’ engagement.
We explored, as a possible alternative to a formal evening panel, a Saturday “teach-in” and lunch, to be held on some Saturday in the Spring semester, organized around morning and afternoon sessions with related themes (for example: Data Inequality & Data Activism). This alternative would allow more speakers/outside experts to participate, and increase the amount of interaction between students and these invited speakers.
Concerns, however, remained regarding the number of students that would actually attend, especially when compared to the institutional investment such events require.
Based on the last two meetings, members of the Student Advisory Group desire the following: 1) Opportunities to network with local professionals in their fields; and 2) Opportunities to meet other master’s students in different programs at the GC. These goals might be met more directly by a series of smaller events, instead of one large and costly event that only partially satisfies the full range of students’ academic interests.
Accordingly, the Dean’s office intends to explore the following:
– Receptions for Master’s students that follow speakers invited to the GC as part of its public event series (a full list is forthcoming).
– Regular social events/study breaks for master’s students, such as happy hours on Fridays or weekly bagels & coffee in the student lounge, to support new relationships among students in different programs.
– Informal monthly lunches in the Spring hosted by Dean Suk, during which interested students will be introduced to guest “speakers” from local industries. The Dean’s office will select and schedule these speakers, and seating will necessarily be limited, though it should be sufficient to accommodate interested students. Dean Suk’s aspiration is that any students who want to attend these events will be able do so – they are not intended to be exclusive, merely realistic responses to the challenges presented by large events that cannot fully satisfy diverse interests and conflicting schedules.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Andrew
