Renowned Poet and Professor Nikki Giovanni Keynotes 2021 Graduate Student Success and Wellness Conference

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

More than 220 graduate and professional administrators and faculty from around the country participated in the 2021 Graduate Student Success and Wellness conference (GSSW2021) hosted virtually by UNC Charlotte on May 6-7.

The conference theme, Graduate Student Success and Wellness, focused on innovative and best practices to help students thrive. This conference was conceived by Dr. Karen DePauw at Virginia Tech several years ago.  She encouraged other institutions to host the event going forward.  UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School offered to host the conference last year – just before the pandemic closed the campus. This year’s conference was produced in cooperation with Appalachian State University and Virginia Tech.  This year’s event brought together registrants from over 50 educational institutions to exchange ideas and learn best practices to promote wellness and success.

“Practitioners working with graduate students have limited opportunities to share insights and learn from one another,“ said Dr. Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean of Graduate Academic and Student Affairs and chair of the conference.  “Dr. DePauw wanted to fill this gap and we are delighted that we can continue this important professional development opportunity.”

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Sharon Gaber opened the conference, underscoring the importance of graduate students to research and to the creation of knowledge. 

 Nikki Giovanni, renowned poet and professor at Virginia Tech delivered the Keynote address for the event.  Giovanni, a pioneer in the creation and amplification of spaces for Black voices and experiences, has received 7 NAACP Image Awards, been nominated for a Grammy, been a finalist for the National Book Award, and authored 3 New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers.

A Tennessee native, Giovanni has been on the faculty at Virginia Tech 1987 where she is a University Distinguished Professor.

The day two Plenary featured a student panel discussing Food Insecurity, which was moderated by Nicole Peterson, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Peterson shared her research on the causes and range of services to support students experiencing food insecurity.

In addition to the keynote presentations, the conference sessions included collaborations from multiple institutions:

The Graduate Student Success and Wellness Conference is an annual conference for higher education administrators in graduate and professional education.. Each year it is hosted by different institutions. The 2022 conference will be held at App State in Boon, NC. For additional information and to review the presentations, please visit the GSSW2021 website.