The Annual Retreat brings together first year Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows who have completed the Summer Bridge Program with more senior graduate fellows with active thesis projects. The major objective of the retreat is to build a sense of community and camaraderie among the Graduate Fellows.
Key elements of the annual retreat include:
- Organized discussions, topics focusing on general aspects of minority graduate retention issues, postdoctoral and minority faculty panels.
- A yearly review of the IMSD program by the students, including components that are effective, those that are no longer effective, and additional activities that will improve the program.
- First-year students give brief presentations on their summer research rotations.
- Senior students give longer presentations regarding the progress of their thesis studies.
- A daily excursion is planned, such as white-water rafting, hiking or mountain biking. These activities allow time together outside of the academic setting and promote more trusting and open relationships between the IMSD staff/faculty and the students.
Retreat 2016 with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan, President, Saint Mary’s College of Maryland
