All Sessions

This workshop will explore the many transferable skills you have gained during graduate school and how to translate these skills to the non-academic job market. We’ll review transferable skills employers value (e.g., collaboration, critical thinking, project management) and discuss the types of graduate school experiences where you may have honed these skills. You will have time to reflect on your unique experiences and articulate the transferable skills gained from them. To get the most out of the session, please review this worksheet and come prepared with questions and/or experiences to share. 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.

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.

1 session on January 9, 2026

In Person: This program is offered yearly for U-M Student Life staff free of charge. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a terrific tool for helping people change behavior. It's especially helpful for medical staff (lifestyle changes and medication adherence), therapists/counselors for behavior change to support mental health, faculty (a way to communicate with students about classwork), and academic, leadership, and wellness coaches. Its use is being expanded to Student Life advisers, supervisors, and more. Learn basic, foundational skills for MI, including spirit (Compassion, Acceptance, Partnership, Evocation), OARS (open questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries), identifying and responding to change talk, and a brief overview of discord (if time permits). There will be plenty of practice in "real plays" (you get to work on your own behavior changes that you are ambivalent about--so bring a couple of behaviors you would like to change). While you won't be an expert at MI when you are done, you will be able to start the practice, move forward in your skills, and know how to improve. Please only register if you can attend all of the training dates, as each day builds on prior sessions. All Fridays, all in person, 9 am to 2:30 pm with a 30 minutes lunch break (bring your own lunch or order in).

* Friday, January 8, 9-2:30, location University Health Service (UHS), Meeting Rooms 1&2

* Friday, January 15, 9-2:30, UHS, Meeting Rooms 1&2

* Friday, January 22, 9-2:30,UHS, Meeting Rooms 1&2

* Friday, January 29, 9-2:30,UHS, Meeting Rooms 1&2

** For non-Student Life staff there is a $300 charge for the 20 hours of training. Student Life staff, please note that there may be a $25 charge to your department if there is no cancellation at least three days before the training begins or if you no-show on the first day.**

Rackham program staff and faculty are invited to attend the Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF) Information Session with the PACE team. During this virtual meeting we will discuss the goals of the RMF program, how to assess eligibility and evaluate for the RMF criteria, review the award process including the new application for RMF allocations, and answer any questions you have about the administration of the fellowship. Whether or not you attend the information session, we encourage you to visit our website or contact the PACE team (rackham-pace@umich.edu or 734-615-5670) with any questions. Zoom meeting details will be provided after registration.

Focus: Using AI to support exploratory and early-stage analysis.
Description:
This session would introduce ways AI can assist with foundational analysis tasks, such as summarizing data, identifying patterns, suggesting appropriate baseline methods, and helping interpret descriptive outputs. The goal is not to replace statistical judgment, but to help participants move more efficiently through the first pass of analysis.
Possible hands-on activities:
Generate descriptive summaries of a small datasetAsk AI to suggest appropriate baseline analyses for different data typesDraft code for summary statistics, simple visualizations, or basic modelsCompare multiple candidate approaches for an initial analysisInterpret example outputs and discuss what they do, and do not, mean

Focus: Using AI to critically assess outputs, check reasoning, and strengthen trust in findings.
Description:
This session would focus on using AI as a tool for review rather than solely for generation. Participants would practice checking results for plausibility, identifying possible errors or overclaims, and building habits for validation and reproducibility. This is especially important for avoiding misplaced confidence in AI-assisted work.
Possible hands-on activities:
Ask AI to critique an interpretation of findingsCross-check whether a result matches the stated method or assumptionsGenerate a validation checklist for an analysis workflowIdentify possible sources of bias, confounding, or errorReview examples of flawed outputs and discuss how to catch them

Focus: Using AI to communicate research clearly to different audiences.
Description:
This session would explore how AI can help researchers translate technical work into accessible and audience-appropriate communication. Participants would practice adapting the same core findings for different settings, such as collaborators, community partners, students, leadership, or public-facing summaries.
Possible hands-on activities:
Turn a technical summary into plain-language prose
Draft a short abstract, presentation blurb, or project update
Reframe the same findings for academic vs. non-academic audiences
Generate slide outlines or talking points from key results
Create a first draft of documentation, FAQs, or knowledge-transfer notes

Sarah Imhoff (she/her) is the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and the Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University. She writes about religion and the body with a particular interest in gender, sexuality, disability, and American religion, as well as maintaining a research specialty in religion and law. She is author of Masculinity and the Making of American Judaism (Indiana University Press, 2017) and The Lives of Jessie Sampter: Queer, Disabled, Zionist (Duke University Press, 2022). She is the founding co-editor of the journal American Religion.