Max Bobbin, president of the Graduate Student Government, urged students to “advocate for what is right and what is good” during their time at UD. Bobbin was joined at New Graduate Student Orientation by (from left) panelists Violet Strawderman, a doctoral student in English; Ben Bagozzi, assistant director of UD’s master of science in data science program; Maria Purciello, a professor of music history and literature; and Dawn Elliott, associate dean of the College of Engineering.

Grad students begin their journey

Article by Eric Ruth Photos by Evan Krape and Cindy Dolan August 23, 2024

Orientation day reaffirms the promise and potential of new Blue Hens

Looking out over the hundreds of graduate students gathered at the University of Delaware’s Trabant University Center, it was hard to imagine they had all that much in common.

Some had arrived on campus from just down the street; others flew here from around the world. They represented nearly every inhabited continent on the planet, and each brought their own unique story: There were musicians and bodybuilders, new parents and aspiring professors, military veterans and schoolteachers.

Yet in many crucial ways, each of them now shares a common goal, and a new identity: They all are on a quest to change the world. And they are all now officially Blue Hens.

For the roughly 550 attendees at the fall semester’s New Graduate Student Orientation, it was a day for taking those first tentative steps toward their new future and for feeling their way through those inevitably mystifying first weeks on campus. There were helplines to remember, extracurricular activities to explore and an entire new city to discover.

They eagerly soaked in crucial advice — how to find mental health help or even a sympathetic ear — but also were given a few insider tips — including UD President Dennis Assanis’ favorite UDairy ice cream flavor, a caramel-and-chocolate mashup called “1923.”

Ice cream dreams aside, the day’s most emphatic advice had less to do with UD’s deep resources and more to do with the students’ own potential — to make those campus connections, to foster collaborations, to join as a community and work together for the good of all.

UD’s new graduate students spent the day getting advice on everything from research opportunities to UDairy ice cream flavors.

“One of the big advantages of UD is we bring the world to you,” Assanis told the students. “Take advantage of this. Network with each other, embrace international students, and they will contribute to you just as much as you contribute to them.”

Assanis said that each of those unique student stories needs to be shared so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of diverse perspectives. A campus can easily be filled with smart scholars, but their true potential emerges only when those smart ideas are shaped and shared together.

“Science is a team sport, so you’ll enjoy it much more if you collaborate with others, especially if you reach across disciplines and boundaries,” Assanis said. “Whether you’re an engineer or a businessperson or anything in between, just make sure you reach out to others who are different from you.”

That quest for meaningful collaboration will be helped by UD’s status as a top-tier research university and also by its ideal location in the heart of the mid-Atlantic region, said Lou Rossi, dean of the Graduate College and vice provost for graduate and professional education.

"We’re the place where great ideas mix, fertilize and grow,” Rossi told the students, who came to UD from at least 45 different nations. “If there is one thing that characterizes our Blue Hen graduate community, it is that not only are we a diverse group, but we are a community that values these differences. We learn from one another, and we are better and stronger for it.”

And even as they learn from one another, the students should be mindful that their scholarship has the potential to reach far beyond campus. By becoming engaged with community partnerships and the federally supported research institutes on campus, graduate students can become change-makers even before they get their degrees, Assanis said.

“You have the capability to change people’s lives for the better, whether you are a mathematician or a historian, an artist or a linguist, a chemist or an engineer,” said Max Bobbin, a doctoral candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering who is president of the Graduate Student Government. “When you leave this room today, pursue your passions with vigor. Advocate for yourself and for your field; advocate for people who can’t stand up for themselves; advocate for what is right and what is good; advocate for a better world.”

In the meantime, UD staff will be there to help navigate life’s non-scholarly challenges, the students were told. The University has renewed its efforts to enhance resources for students with dependents, and it has programs in place to support students from historically excluded identities, said LaRuth McAfee, senior assistant dean for the Graduate College.

Students also can rely on an array of academic support systems, ranging from mentoring programs to career guidance, said Suprawee Tepsuporn, senior assistant dean for graduate professional development.

The students at New Graduate Student Orientation were given the opportunity to electronically select issues they were most concerned about as they begin their journey as Blue Hens.

The acute worries of graduate students everywhere — time management, finances, housing — will ease over time, a panel of veteran graduate students and professors told the crowd. No matter how heavy the obligations of their studies become, they must be mindful to practice self-care and carve out crucial leisure time, panelists advised.

“You can’t have it be 24/7 academics,” advised Violet Strawderman, a fourth-year doctoral student in English. “You’re going to burn out if you do that.”

It helps to proactively schedule regular blocks of downtime as a reward for all the work, noted Maria Purciello, a professor of music history and literature at UD. Now is the time to create a more structured approach to their studies and their personal lives, and to begin stitching together the person-to-person connections that will sustain them through their studies and into their careers, the students were told by panelists.

“One of the most important things you can do is find people and build that support structure,” Bobbin said. “Find people who you can talk to, find a group of people that can help each other achieve greatness.”

The bigger that group is, the better off you will be, the students were told.

“Spend some time getting to know your professors and not just your advisor,” said Ben Bagozzi, professor of research methods and international relations and assistant director of UD’s master of science in data science program. “As you get to know professors and other faculty, other opportunities will arise down the road, be it opportunities for funding or just other connections with regard to collaborations. It’s worth investing in.”

Strawderman said that as they work to connect with their academic cohort, they should also sustain connections outside of academia. Friendships can bring an added layer of support, providing a more personal level of connection during tough times.

“Be completely honest about the struggles you’re having,” Strawderman said. “I’m not saying be overly personal, but you’re allowed to be human. Be human, be kind, and if you give kindness, you’ll it get back. I think that’s something we in academia sometimes forget to do, is be nice to each other.

“Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and that will find its way back to you.”

After spending the morning absorbing advice from professors and veteran graduate students, attendees flocked to a Resource Fair that gave them the chance to explore student groups and UD resources (along with some free UDairy ice cream).