The Graduate College is Your Partner in Skill Development, Scholarly Growth, and Professional Success!

Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, seize professional development opportunities to actively shape your future career trajectory

Achieving your career aspirations calls for a continuous professional development process to be woven throughout your graduate education experience. The Graduate College offers many forms of professional development support designed to assist you throughout the entire process—from onboarding to graduate school, to succeeding in your graduate studies, to exploring potential career paths, to enhancing competitive skills needed to thrive in those paths, and to effectively managing your future career. Be proactive! Engage with the multifaceted opportunities provided through our professional development programs to build competencies valued across academia, industry, entrepreneurship, government, and in the broader workforce.

Oral Communication

Writing Communication 

Research

Teaching & Mentoring 

Leadership

Career Planning

Center for Communication Excellence

Practice and improve advanced written, oral, and digital communication skills

The CCE provides effective specialized programs, practice opportunities, and a variety of resources to promote the advancement of communication skills and academic success. Featured CCE programming includes:

  • Individual consultations
  • Writing accountability and peer review groups
  • Speaking practice groups
  • GR ST credit courses
  • Seminar series and hands-on workshops
  • Dissertation, Thesis, and Creative Component support
  • Competitive funding application and writing support.

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Mission

CELT offers many programs for faculty, staff, graduate students, and post-docs at Iowa State. Whether you want to join a community focused on a teaching-related topic, extend your knowledge, a mentoring program as a new instructor, extend your knowledge about campus, (re)design a course, or want to redesign your course, CELT is here to support you.

Center for the Integration of Research and Learning

Evidence-based teaching practices for diverse learners

The Center for the Integration of Teaching, Research & Learning (CIRTL) at Iowa State is devoted to fostering excellence in undergraduate education by developing a committed national faculty focused on implementing and advancing evidence-based teaching approaches that cater to a diverse student population.

All ISU graduate students and postdocs are eligible to become members of the CIRTL Network. Participants in CIRTL courses, workshops, and events can obtain nationally recognized certifications at Associate, Practitioner, and Scholar levels.

Graduate College Career Services

Jumpstart an effective career planning process

The Graduate Career Services Office provides guidance and resources for developing personalized strategies for discovering career pathways and becoming competitive for the job market. The office provides graduate students and postdocs with the educational resources, tools, and connections (alumni and recruiters) necessary to prepare for a lifetime of career success. Popular services include:

  • Assessment of strengths and aspirations
  • Defining and fine-tuning career goals
  • Long-term career planning
  • Mastering networking skills
  • Practicing interviewing techniques
  • Honing job search strategies.

Cyclone Career Strategy

The goal for the Cyclone Career Strategy is to provide a time-bound and organized opportunity to research, investigate and develop a career search plan. This strategy provides 4 steps that will help you develop an active career plan:

  1. self-assessment,
  2. building a network,
  3. participating in Informational Interviews, and
  4. developing SMART Goals.

All within a suggested time-limit of 10 hours.

Learn More about Cyclone Career Strategy

Graduate College Emerging Leaders Academy

Acquire skills to become a next-generation leader

The Graduate College Emerging Leaders Academy (GC-ELA) is a year-long program that trains leaders with broad career aspirations in industry, government, NGO, entrepreneurship, and academia. Monthly full-day sessions focus on research, theory and practice of leadership, ethics, collaboration and teamwork, impact of gender and diversity on work team dynamics, and communication. The program also involves a semester-long mentoring opportunity, where each participant is matched with a present leader at Iowa State.

  • To participate, register for PD@ISU then apply here.

Grant Writing

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One-on-one writing support to postdoctoral scholars

Workshops on grant proposal submissions (including compliance regulations) and post-award services. These workshops will be offered by the following offices:

  • Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA)
  • Office of Research Assurance

Internal Funding Opportunities for ISU Faculty

Please visit the VPR/ED website to learn about internal funding opportunities. The following link http://www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/Funding/ will lead you to a list of funding sources (including the Community of Science) and other pertinent information relating to various funding opportunities.

Limited Submissions and Internal Competition

Some Requests for Proposals (RFPs) place limits on the number of proposals that can be submitted from an institution. In those cases, the Office of the VPR/ED will send notices (via email) to all members of the Research Council and departmental grant coordinators. These notifications will provide a brief description of the grant announcement and the pertinent website. Those interested in competing for these funding opportunities will be asked to submit a pre-proposal which will be reviewed at the college and/or university level to select the one(s) that will represent Iowa State University. Deadlines for the pre-proposals are determined by the Office of the VPR/ED and are set sufficiently ahead of the grant proposal deadline to allow enough time for the selected PI(s) to prepare the final proposal.

Faculty Workshops on “Getting to Know the Funding Agencies"

The Office of the VPR/ED will offer several workshops aimed at "Getting to Know the Funding Agencies", the purpose of which is to help faculty learn about the culture of the different funding agencies. Our own faculty members (who have been successful in receiving grants from the agency and have served as panel reviewers) will serve as panelists and will talk about their experiences: what worked, what did not; what reviewers expect, and what faculty could do to enhance their chances of success. The format is informal and there will be enough time for a Q&A session. Agencies:

  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Department of Energy
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • National Endowment for the Humanities

Presentations by Program Directors from Various Funding Agencies

Program Directors from funding agencies will be invited to campus to talk about new and emerging funding opportunities. This year we will invite program directors from the following agencies:

  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health

A Workshop on "How to Get Industry Funds"

The Office of the VPR/ED will offer a workshop that will focus on "How to Work with Industry Sponsors". This workshop will cover a wide range of issues such as, finding industry sponsors, negotiating the scope of the research project, working with ISU Offices (VPR/ED, OSPA, ISURF, …) in developing/negotiating industry contracts, (especially when contracts have restrictions on IP rights, publication restrictions, reduced IDC rates, etc.).

Grant Writing Seminars:

The VPR/ED will contract the services of Dr. Russell Morrison of Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops (GWSW) for the following programs:

Write Winning Grants

This seminar comprehensively addresses both practical and conceptual aspects that are important to the proposal-writing process. It is designed for faculty members and administrative staff who have had some exposure to writing grant applications, either through training / mentoring or personal experience. Emphasis is given to such things as idea development, identification of the most appropriate granting agency, how to write for reviewers, and tips and strategies that are of proven value in presenting an applicant's case to reviewers. Participants are taught to organize their presentations into a linear progression of logic, which leads reviewers through their applications. It is stressed that applicants are writing for two different audiences – the assigned reviewers, who have read the application in its entirety, and those who have read little, if anything, before the review meeting. Strategies designed to develop advocacy and a fundable priority score from both audiences are presented.

Write Winning Revisions

Relatively few proposals (at least these days) succeed on their first submission, which means that most applicants must revise and resubmit their grant applications. Many are unsuccessful again because they lack full understanding of how revisions must be prepared to be successful. This half-day seminar program provides tips and strategies for resubmitting a proposal that can often make the difference between success and failure. The program can include discussion of the critiques of applications that have previously been submitted by members of the audience. Proposal Writing Workshop Program: Write and Submit a Competitive Grant Application The workshop program begins with Phase I, the seminar, Write Winning Grants. The seminar will introduce you to the principles and fundamentals of good proposal writing. Up to a maximum of 30 workshop participants are then chosen competitively from those who attended the seminar (or an earlier seminar) to enter Phase II, development of a grant application. Participants are selected jointly by ISU (Deans Office and the Office of the VPR/ED) and Dr. Morrison. In Phase II Dr. Morrison will systematically shepherd participants through the development of their applications, section-by-section. The program has three objectives for each participant: 1) write and submit the best application of which s/he is capable; 2) better understand the dynamics and psychology of the review process; and 3) develop an appreciation for the importance of constructive criticism from colleagues as an important part of the proposal-development process. The workshop, which spans 30 weeks, includes both on-site and electronic interactions between the consultant and participants, with ample one-on-one time to assure that the specific needs of individuals are met. Either new or revised applications to federal, state, private and /or industry can be accommodated. Assistance in responding to prior review is provided to those who are writing revisions.

(This program involves a fee. Please contact Chitra Rajan (rajanc@iastate.edu​) for details).

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Chitra Rajan
Associate Vice President for Research
Iowa State University
rajanc@iastate.edu
(515) 294 9096

Individual Development Plan

Unlock Your Potential for Your Future Career Path

A individual development plan (IDP) is a tailor-made approach for evaluating your professional objectives and crafting a roadmap to achieve them. This process encourages self-reflection on your long-term career goals, assesses your current competencies, and outlines concrete steps to reach those goals. A well-crafted IDP is instrumental in optimizing your graduate or postdoctoral training, providing valuable assistance as you focus on refining your academic, professional, and soft skills.

Postdoc Services

Maximize opportunities for professional enrichment

The professional development programming and resources are freely available to all postdoctoral scholars at ISU. Highly popular services include:

  • One-on-one communication support
  • Individual career coaching
  • English speaking group practice
  • Seminar series and hands-on workshops
  • Individual Development Plan

Preparing Future Faculty

Prepare for success in academic careers

The PFF program prepares graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for academic careers at a variety of institutions. PFF offers a series of four Graduate Studies (GR ST) courses, providing enriching experiences that equip participants with competencies in classroom teaching, mentoring, departmental service, and more. Completion of one or more PFF courses leads to certification at Associate, Fellow, or Scholar levels that increases competitiveness on the academic job market.

Professional Associations

Public Speaking

International Toastmasters

Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped millions of men and women become more confident in front of an audience. The network of clubs learn-by-doing program are sure to help you become a better speaker and leader.

Groups located in Ames:

Event Location
Ames Toastmasters Meets in Ames City Hall Conference Room
Town and College Toastmasters Club Meets on Campus
iToast Club #184 Meets at the Public Library

Toastmasters Podcasts - The Toastmasters Podcast is like a radio talk show featuring interviews with Toastmasters usually featured in the Toastmaster magazine.

Coffee, Tea, & English - During the Academic Year - Enjoy English conversation and learn more about American culture and language with small group discussions over coffee or tea. American ISU students and community members have volunteered to make your transition easier, and it's FREE! The program is co-sponsored by Bridges International, Cru & International Students and Scholars Office.

English Together - During the Academic Year - English Together provides daily English Conversations gives international students, scholars, and community members opportunities to improve their English through conversation, games, and topics of interest.