All Sessions

Developed by the MORE Committee, this workshop helps enhance the mentoring relationship between the student and faculty mentor by facilitating the development of shared expectations. Mentors and mentees work independently in separate sessions to identify their own objectives and styles, and consider strategies for dealing with possible challenges. Then, student-faculty pairs work together to develop a written mentoring plan as a means of codifying some of the most important elements (needs, goals, mutual expectations) of a two-way mentoring relationship. Among Rackham doctoral students who have written mentoring plans, 83 percent find those plans useful.
Registration and attendance at the same workshop are required of both the faculty and the student. Separate registration for students is available at: https://myumi.ch/6167J.

Developed by the MORE Committee, this workshop helps enhance the mentoring relationship between the student and faculty mentor by facilitating the development of shared expectations. Mentors and mentees work independently in separate sessions to identify their own objectives and styles, and consider strategies for dealing with possible challenges. Then, student-faculty pairs work together to develop a written mentoring plan as a means of codifying some of the most important elements (needs, goals, mutual expectations) of a two-way mentoring relationship. Among Rackham doctoral students who have written mentoring plans, 83 percent find those plans useful.
Registration and attendance at the same workshop are required of both the faculty and the student. Separate registration for faculty is available at: https://myumi.ch/2r6kn.

This focus group is intended for graduate faculty to share their experiences serving as faculty advisors for Rackham Interdisciplinary Workshops.


Graduate faculty are encouraged to attend one of the two scheduled sessions. If you have already registered for one session but are unable to attend and would like to participate in the other session, please contact rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu for assistance.

MSTP seminars are a required part of our curriculum for
all students who are not on clinical rotations or clinical electives.

What happens when an ancient language meets modern technology? This lecture will discuss the role played by media technologies—such as the phonograph, typewriters, the telegraph, and computers—in the revitalization and modernization of Hebrew since the end of the nineteenth century. After lying dormant for two millennia as a mainly written language, Hebrew awoke from its literary slumber and became a living modern vernacular. The revitalization of Hebrew is unique and unprecedented in world history, and it has been studied in various fields; but the role of modern media technologies in mediating this revival has not yet been considered. This lecture will delve into questions such as: what was the role of sound recording technologies in shaping the reemerging modern Hebrew speech? And how did the Hebraized typewrite pushed for the modernization of writing in Hebrew?. It will show how these media, whose emergence ran in historical parallel to the revitalization of Hebrew, were an active force in shaping the language as a modern communicative medium. Hebrew was a historical media lab: written from right to left and in unique script, it posed technical as well as conceptual challenges to media which were originally designed for Latin script and Western writing systems. The adaptation of these technologies to Hebrew required various adaptations that shaped lingual mechanisms, which had social and political ramifications on the emerging Hebrew culture.

This workshop series brings a renewed focus to cultivating inclusive environments across campus. Participants will explore personal and collective experiences, learn best practices and strategies to foster belonging, and strengthen their ability to serve and support a diverse student population. Workshop offerings are open to Student Life staff and campus colleagues; attendance is voluntary. All workshops are free to Student Life Professional Staff Members.

In this interactive workshop, the Rackham embedded University Career Center coaching team will guide you through building out a strong master's student resume. Brief best practices will be shared, but most of the time will be spent actively working on your resume, so bring a laptop or a few printed copies of your resume. Lunch will be provided.

This workshop is designed for students who are looking to learn more about how being a first-generation wealth builder may impact their lives. Through exploring how our relationship with money develops, financial anxiety, and our money mindsets, we will discuss how this impacts our financial behaviors. Personal finance has often left the nuances of emotion and culture out of the conversation when highlighting the necessary money moves to build wealth. This conversation seeks to highlight where our beliefs about money originate, how building and creating wealth impact emotional well-being, and strategies to cope with the shift while remaining true to one's values.
Objectives:
Define and identify money narratives and foundational beliefs about moneyLabel feelings around money and the potential change of socioeconomic status or classLearn how to navigate the emotions brought up due to being a first-generation wealth builderSpeaker Bio:
Aja Evans is a licensed mental health counselor, speaker, and author specializing in financial therapy. With over a decade of experience, Aja is determined to help more people break the taboo of keeping money and emotions secret. In addition to her practice, Aja serves on the board of the Financial Therapy Association, consults to fintech companies, and released her book Feel Good Finance.
Aja has been featured in a variety of major news outlets including the New York Times, Business Insider, NerdWallet, and CNBC. Aja is on a mission to get more people engaged in living their best lives while attuning to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around money. Outside of work, you can find Aja chasing after her two young children as they hunt down the next delicious place to eat.

The Bridging Intergenerational Social Justice Wisdom Panel is a great chance for students to learn more about career possibilities within social justice fields. We will have amazing IGR alumnx panelists share their stories and experiences on how social justice has been applicable to them throughout their career paths, and a mix and mingle session for students and alumnx to connect more directly.

In this interactive workshop, the Rackham embedded University Career Center Ph.D. coaching team will guide you through converting your academic CV to an industry resume.

Brief best practices will be shared, but most of the time will be spent actively working on your resume, so bring a laptop or a few printed copies of your CV or resume.

Lunch will be provided.

Join us for a lunchtime conversation with Taneshia Nash Laird, a "civic innovator and cultural strategist whose work sits at the intersection of capital, culture, and community." She'll discuss her career and impact across a broad range of disciplines, especially focused on how emerging leaders of color can influence cultural networks and policies through their work. This event is open to all individuals of any race/ethnicity, and will focus on leadership and cultural policy through the lens of BIPOC experiences. Lunch provided!"

Conference posters are for more than just communicating your research. While a good poster will help you tell a succinct story about your project, a great poster will serve as a platform for engaging in meaningful discussion with your audience and building your network.
This session will cover:

Best practices for organizing a conference posterDesign aesthetics to improve poster accessibilityHow to engage an audience during a poster presentation

Building a network and connecting with others is critical to your professional development in graduate school and job/internship searches. Join this discussion to learn strategies for building your network, including tips on using LinkedIn and the University Career Alumni Network, and how to leverage this network for career exploration and job/internship searching. There will be plenty of time for your questions!
This event is intended to be interactive and therefore a recording will not be available. Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

Welcome to the University of Michigan! "So, You're New to Higher Ed" is a foundational course for Student Life staff members new to working in higher education and the world of student affairs. This four-session course covers key topics essential for understanding and thriving in the university environment.

Please register for each of the four sessions.

This session is part of the 2025-2026 Generative AI tutorial series hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society (MIDAS)
About: This session helps participants create clear, publication-draft figures and effective research slide decks. Through guided exercises, attendees will apply principles of scientific clarity, accessibility, and visual storytelling to improve the way they present data and complex ideas. Participants will leave with practical strategies for designing visuals that communicate findings accurately, efficiently, and with greater impact.

Join the Eileen Lappin Weiser Center for the Learning Sciences to hear from Dr. Rebecca Quintana and Annie Zhou about their project working on AI-Generated Instructor Avatars.
This is an informal, works in progress conversation. Light snacks and beverages will be provided. Attendees are invited to bring their lunch!

This workshop will focus on resources you can leverage to explore career options, as well as strategies to best position yourself for a variety of career trajectories. We will cover approaches to networking, transferable skills, and key resources designed to support your exploration. This workshop is open to students at all points in their graduate careers, and there will be plenty of time for your questions. This event is intended to be interactive, and therefore a recording will not be available.
This workshop is designed for master's students, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. For faculty and staff, please contact rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu to see if we can accommodate your attendance. Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

Jewish Journalism in Dark Times

Panelists: Naomi Brenner (Ohio State University), Gilad Halpern, and Matthew Handelman (2025–2026 Frankel Institute Fellows)
Moderator: Shachar Pinsker (Co-Head Fellow)

Join us for a roundtable discussion exploring the transformation of Jewish journalism during the interwar years (1918–1939) and World War II, an era of profound upheaval. Panelists will analyze how Jewish newspapers and journals became vital platforms for political, literary, and cultural engagement. The discussion will highlight dramatic shifts in journalistic practices, including evolving editorial strategies, reporting methods, and technological innovations in format and distribution and the transnational and transcultural elements that come to the fore during that time. Panelists will also examine the economic pressures and opportunities that shaped the Jewish press, and consider the influence and role of Jews as journalists within the broader media landscape.

Gilad Halpern, journalist and media historian, draws on recent doctoral research on The Palestine Post amid imperial decline and rising nationalism, bridging professional and scholarly perspectives. Naomi Brenner explores entertainment fiction in the Hebrew and Yiddish press, focusing on the aesthetics and politics of the roman-feuilleton as a transnational literary form.
Matthew Handelman investigates the cultural politics of German Jewish intellectuals and the primacy of culture in political discourse from the Weimar Republic onward.

Central to the conversation is the role of Jewish periodicals as spaces for cultural expression, literary experimentation, and political debate. These publications not only documented Jewish life, but actively shaped identities, fostered transnational dialogue, and provided forums for writers, artists, and intellectuals grappling with questions of survival and belonging. This roundtable offers timely insights into journalism during a time of crisis, illuminating enduring questions about Jews and media.

Sign up for a two-hour work session, followed by a hot lunch with colleagues. The Faculty On-Campus Work Retreats offer a quiet space to work with other scholars and artists, and an opportunity for you to prioritize your research and creative work by committing to one or two work sessions before teaching, service, and email take over the semester. Lunch, after the work session, is a chance to share interests and work with other colleagues, to learn about each others’ research, to grow professional and social networks, and to experience the University as a collective.
The Work Retreats are open to all ~7,600 members of the Faculty Senate, including tenure-track professors, lecturers, research faculty, clinical faculty, librarians, archivists, and curators. The series was developed by the Faculty Senate Office, is supported by the Office of the Provost, and is co-sponsored by Librarian Mary Lawrence.

The Student Life Facilitation Committee and Student Life Professional Development are proud to announce that we are offering a staff-oriented facilitation training opportunity once again! A similar training has been offered to students and we have adapted the curriculum to provide staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to build confidence and ability in facilitation. The training location is TBD:
Monday, March 2 & Tuesday, March 3, 8:30am-4:30pm. Attendance is required for the full training. A light breakfast & Blue Bucks for lunch will be provided.
The training is comprised of a 16-hour training curriculum designed to: 1) prepare participants to facilitate dialogues, meetings, and workshops involving two or more individuals; 2) be available to staff within Student Life; 3) supplement unit-specific trainings; 4) maximize divisional resources; and 5) be module-based and repeatable.
We encourage you to register, participate, and gain invaluable skills throughout the training. This training is free to Student Life staff and $100 for staff in other departments. We have a minimum cap of 16 and a maximum cap of 26. If we do not meet the minimum we will need to cancel the training. If we meet the maximum you will have the opportunity to join a waitlist.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact slfacilitation@umich.edu

Search committees are a critical part of how Student Life hires new employees. This workshop is for anyone who wants to build their skills in leading search committees, whether you have past experience or not. We'll review what a search committee is and who leads it, and then go through several key elements of facilitating successful committee meetings, including ways to notice and address bias and dominant narratives. This workshop is interactive and participants will have the opportunity to practice skills while working through common search committee scenarios.

This energizing 1-hour in-person session provides safe, supportive, and intentional space for staff across DOIM to connect, converse, and build relationships of support and collaboration for the future. Start your day by brewing new connections - Join us for coffee and pastries from 9:30am-10:00am (optional) before the event begins. A structured networking session will follow 10:00am-11:00am.

Through structured conversations and rotating breakout groups, participants will:

• Build foundations for lasting relationships and networks across divisions fostering a supportive environment for unique ongoing, mutually beneficial connections that promote continuous learning, career development, and cross-divisional collaboration across DOIM.

• Engage in a supportive environment focused on community, well-being, and mutual respect.

• Share career development insights and resources.

Hosted by the Department of Internal Medicine IMPOWER Council Staff Development Work Group

Building your network is something you can be doing proactively throughout graduate school. Additionally, learning from what others have done in their career is a great way to explore areas of interest. Join us to learn how to navigate and develop the basics of your own LinkedIn profile. We will introduce ways to build connections and learn more about opportunities through informational interviews by using LinkedIn and the University Career Alumni Network. If you do not yet have a LinkedIn account, please create a free account before the session at linkedin.com. Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

We want to make our events accessible to all participants. CART captioning services will be provided for the panel conversation. If you anticipate needing additional accommodations to participate, please email Cherice Chan at chericec@umich.edu.

The climate is changing, and AI can help mitigate the negative effects of climate change. But in order to come up with truly effective solutions, we need to work together with AI & domain experts to determine the most pressing challenges we face today, and how AI can be leveraged to address these issues. That's why we invite you to join the Michigan AI Lab for a discussion on AI-powered tools and approaches for climate action.
In this workshop, we'll explore the points of interaction between AI and climate-related challenges, and discuss how existing obstacles in climate solutions can inform new research directions in artificial intelligence. U(M) researchers will briefly present on current topics in AI and in climate science, followed by table discussions with domain experts in both climate-related issues and artificial intelligence. You are encouraged to bring your own topics, problems, and innovations to share with the group.
Discussion topics brought up in this workshop will be used as the basis for a whitepaper on the intersection of AI & Climate Science.

This focus group is for graduate students to share their experiences about working with faculty through the Rackham Interdisciplinary Workshops program.

As part of our Financial Education Series, this virtual event is designed to help demystify tax filing for graduate students—an area that isn’t always as straightforward as we might hope.

Ed Jennings, tax director at the University of Michigan, will walk participants through how to prepare for the upcoming tax season. This session is geared toward domestic students.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation.


Those who register will receive a copy of the slides and access to the recording.
Please note that the recording may take a few weeks to process.

Join us for the 4th annual Engineering Education Innovation (EEI) Days this spring!
This year’s events feature two luncheon discussions in March and April and an all-day symposium in May. Join us as Michigan Engineering instructors share their innovative teaching practices. Visit the EEI Days website for updates and a call for proposals, coming soon.
Add these events to your calendar, and register using the link below!
Luncheon 1: Tues, March 17, 11:30am - 1:00pmLuncheon 2: Wed, April 15, 11:30am - 1:00pmSymposium: Tues, May 12, time TBD

In a compelling lecture performance, author Jessica Roda presents themes from her groundbreaking book *For Women and Girls Only*, joined by actress, writer, and producer Malky Goldman—the book’s remarkable protagonist. The event offers a nuanced exploration of the representation of Hasidic female identity in media, on screen, and on stage. Goldman, who was raised in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, shares her deeply personal journey navigating the arts from within and beyond the boundaries of her Hasidic upbringing. Through dialogue, multimedia, and live performance, the evening exposes the tensions between tradition and self-expression, visibility and erasure, community expectations and artistic freedom. Roda contextualizes Goldman’s story within broader questions of gender, religion, and representation, challenging reductive portrayals of Hasidic women in mainstream media. Goldman’s voice—grounded, creative, and courageous—offers a powerful counter-narrative, reclaiming agency and complexity for Hasidic female identities on public stages. The performance invites audiences to reconsider assumptions and listen to stories often silenced or misunderstood.

Sign up for a two-hour work session, followed by a hot lunch with colleagues. The Faculty On-Campus Work Retreats offer a quiet space to work with other scholars and artists, and an opportunity for you to prioritize your research and creative work by committing to one or two work sessions before teaching, service, and email take over the semester. Lunch, after the work session, is a chance to share interests and work with other colleagues, to learn about each others' research, to grow professional and social networks, and to experience the University as a collective.

The Work Retreats are open to all ~7,600 members of the Faculty Senate, including tenure-track professors, lecturers, research faculty, clinical faculty, librarians, archivists, and curators. The series was developed by the Faculty Senate Office, is supported by the Office of the Provost, and is co-sponsored by Librarian Mary Lawrence.

The retreats officially run from 10-1 (10-12 for quiet work time and 12-1 for lunch). Faculty are also invited to arrive at 9am to get in an extra hour of work (and enjoy coffee, tea, and breakfast snacks). You're welcome to arrive early, any time after 9 am.

Negotiation is something that many people feel unprepared for, especially during the job search process. We'll talk through the steps involved in salary negotiation, as well as negotiation tips that can be utilized in other contexts. Bring your questions, as there will be plenty of time for questions and answers. This event is intended to be interactive, and therefore a recording will not be available. Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

This session is part of the 2025-2026 Generative AI tutorial series hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data & AI in Society (MIDAS)
About: This session introduces the basics of generative AI agents in a hands-on, beginner-friendly format. Participants will learn what an agent is, how it works, and how to build a simple agent using guided examples. No prior experience with AI or coding is required, and the focus is on practical understanding rather than technical detail.

What does a motor company and its founder have to do with religion in America? A lot, it turns out. Henry Ford did not just mass produce cars. As a member of the Episcopal Church, reader of New Thought texts, believer in the “gospel of reincarnation,” mass marketer of antisemitic material, and employer who institutionalized a social gospel, Henry Ford’s contributions to American models of business were informed by and produced for an America he understood to be broadly Christian. Though Ford’s efforts at the head of the Ford Motor Company have commonly been understood as secular, the Motor King was explicit that his work in engineering and auto production was prophetic and meant to remake the world. This talk offers a religious history of Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company, repositioning them within critical studies of religion and examining how Ford transformed American religion in the twentieth century.

Are you interested in learning how to effectively connect with colleagues and prospective employers? Do you want to learn how to discuss your research with those outside of your field? If so, this integrative workshop will help you develop a strong pitch that can be used in networking opportunities. Come and a) learn about the process of networking, b) develop and practice your pitch, c) reflect on when (and when not) to bring your research up in your pitch, and d) understand University Career Center networking and career development resources.


Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

The 36th Annual David W. Belin Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Ayala Fader on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Food will be served at the pre-lecture reception, and Fader will sign books after the lecture. All are invited to join the Frankel Center for our most popular community event of the year!

Hosted by Rackham’s embedded University Career Center career counselors, the topic for this session is resumes. In particular, what are some strategies for writing the all-important bullet point? In an interactive discussion with examples and opportunities to workshop your own resume, we will work on framing your experiences as effectively as possible.

Discover the fundamentals of sports taping in this interactive workshop led by a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). Sports medicine is a specialty within podiatric medicine, focusing on injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization from athletes to weekend warriors. This session will provide practical techniques and insights into how proper taping supports foot and ankle health, enhances stability, and aids recovery. Perfect for healthcare professionals, athletic trainers, and anyone interested in sports medicine.

In a vibrant celebration of National Poetry Month, the dynamic duo behind the art collective Eat Off Art, Edreys and Alexa Wajed, spend three action-packed days immersed in poetry, art, creative expression and social responsibility at the Institute for the Humanities.
Today: A creative art workshop based on poetry formats led by Edreys and Alexa Wajed.
About Eat Off Art
Eat Off Art is a creative design agency focused on building community based in Buffalo, NY. Alexa and Edreys Wajed, the founders of Eat Off Art, are dynamic artists and creative change agents. Eat Off Art is a multi-dimensional agency, platform, and affirmation all in one, providing transformative experiences through creativity, food, and art, countering the adage of the “starving artist,” in subscription to a new narrative of “thriving artists.”
Eat Off Art is a family-owned and family-run small business based in Buffalo, NY. A husband and wife tandem, both from a lineage of brilliant-minded thinkers, tinkerers, artists, and craftsmen, driven to continue a legacy of creativity. Their main intent is to inspire others through their crafts, passions, and endeavors to believe that there is a way to be successful, sustainable, and profitable as artists, especially married artists, with creative children in tow.
“Together they are an unstoppable duo who make up Eat Off Art bringing together creative engagement with food politics and the struggle for race and social justice through visual art, sound, and fashion with a critical and creative genius that is truly unique.” – Dr. Camilo Trumper Associate Professor of History, Director of Undergraduate Studies – University at Buffalo (SUNY)

In a vibrant celebration of National Poetry Month, the dynamic duo behind the art collective Eat Off Art, Edreys and Alexa Wajed, spend three action-packed days immersed in poetry, art, creative expression and social responsibility at the Institute for the Humanities.
Today: A working brunch workshop for humanities students interested in creative writing are strongly encouraged to attend.
About Eat Off Art:
Eat Off Art is a creative design agency focused on building community based in Buffalo, NY. Alexa and Edreys Wajed, the founders of Eat Off Art, are dynamic artists and creative change agents. Eat Off Art is a multi-dimensional agency, platform, and affirmation all in one, providing transformative experiences through creativity, food, and art, countering the adage of the “starving artist,” in subscription to a new narrative of “thriving artists.”
Eat Off Art is a family-owned and family-run small business based in Buffalo, NY. A husband and wife tandem, both from a lineage of brilliant-minded thinkers, tinkerers, artists, and craftsmen, driven to continue a legacy of creativity. Their main intent is to inspire others through their crafts, passions, and endeavors to believe that there is a way to be successful, sustainable, and profitable as artists, especially married artists, with creative children in tow.
“Together they are an unstoppable duo who make up Eat Off Art bringing together creative engagement with food politics and the struggle for race and social justice through visual art, sound, and fashion with a critical and creative genius that is truly unique.” – Dr. Camilo Trumper Associate Professor of History, Director of Undergraduate Studies – University at Buffalo (SUNY)

This workshop is open to all graduate students seeking guidance on cover letters and resumes for positions beyond tenure track roles. It also meets the needs of those applying for internships, including those applying to the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program. The process of synthesizing your academic experiences into strong application materials for jobs and internships beyond academia can be challenging but rewarding. This workshop is a hands-on opportunity for graduate students to learn how to effectively develop a resume using the foundation that they have laid with information from their CVs. Additionally, this session will include tips for writing compelling, tailored cover letters and thinking strategically about how these two documents complement each other.
This workshop is designed for master's students, doctoral students, and postdoctoral fellows. For faculty and staff, please contact rackhampdeworkshops@umich.edu to see if we can accommodate your attendance. Brought to you by the University Career Center, in partnership with Rackham Graduate School.

Film Screenings as part of the 2025-26 Frankel Institute's Symposium on Judaism and Film. Screenings will take place in Rackham Amphitheater from 6:30 - 9 PM on the following dates:

Monday, April 20 - Sabbath Queen (2024, dir. Sandi Simcha DuBowski, USA, 105 min)
Tuesday, April 21 - My One and Only (2025, dir. David Tauber, Israel, 104 min.)

This symposium celebrates the forthcoming 38-chapter volume, The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Film, edited by Olga Gershenson. A screening is a session that follows a film that focuses on the issues discussed in the Handbook. Screenings will take place at night and will feature discussions with the contributors and other scholars in the relevant fields.