The weather outside is rainy and my brain is storming too.  I love getting together with peers and mentors to mutually discuss business trends, new research, plans for research, and opportunities.  We kicked off today with new information about consumer behavior and a new study about Gen Z in the workplace.  Tomorrow we will present Gen Z and the triple bottom line - a study we hope to get funding for soon.  More details on the findings of that study will be made available once data is finished being collected.   I am so thankful to be able to attend conferences and even more humbled to be asked to present my work.  In the meantime, stay classy y'all (as they say in Texas).

Advocating for my fellow doctoral scholars is something I think every graduate should pursue.  There is a sense of obligation, of course, to help out our comrades in arms, but it is also part of my core beliefs that humanity is at its best when knowledge is shared.

In keeping with this sense of duty, I informally polled two social media groups comprised of current doctoral students and alumni.  This convenience sample included students and graduates from over forty institutions across the United States, some of whom were virtual students oversees.  The total sample size was 197 and here are the results to the survey:

When asked "Based on your own doctoral journey, which one of the following do you think needs to be improved in order to improve overall doctoral success and/or experience?" participants felt:

76% Faculty-to-Student Mentorship
12% Curriculum design
6% Critical Thinking/Philosophical Thought
4% Student-to-Student Mentoring
1% None of the above

and one participant added that better processes needed to be established to provide sponsorship of students to faculty, as well as steps to dissertation completion.

The prevalence of faculty mentorship being identified as an institutional issue was a humbling reminder of the vital role faculty play in the  overall experience and success rate of doctoral students.  As universities innovate and adapt to the virtual schema, we cannot forget the interpersonal relationships that are integral to the academic journey.

I recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and have been enjoying every minute of it!

What has made the move even sweeter is the opportunity that has been presented to me to oversee the Policy Council of the Ada County Head Start program.  As a parent with children who have used this program, being able to assess and develop policy for early education programs will be quite rewarding.  

Considering that all young learners are all members of Generation Z also means that this position will compliment the organizational research I am conducting on this cohort.  I am thrilled in all directions, as my mother used to say.  My blog will include any interesting trends in early education that come up during my time in this role.  Stay tuned...