2025 Annual Conference

Welcome to the Conference from 2025 Co-Chairs: Our Vision for Community

Our National Conference, now more than ever, is not just an event—it’s a space where we come together to support one another, navigate uncertainty, and build resilience. Given the rapid changes in higher education and beyond, we are intentionally creating space for reflection, connection, and community this year.
 
To foster this sense of refuge and support, we are incorporating dedicated spaces for wellness, reflection, and dialogue, as well as structured moments to celebrate and uplift one another. Further details about how the conference will accomplish this will be available as the program comes into shape and as the Conference Committee continues to evaluate our members' responses to the Pre-Conference Reflection Survey. We also want to embrace a culture of comfort and camaraderie, including a dress code that encourages you to be yourself. Whether that is business casual or business professional or casual, feel free to wear whatever makes you comfortable and confident. And be ready for a special School Spirit Day where attendees can wear their school apparel!
 
We hope these efforts will help create an environment where our members feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. We cannot wait to learn, listen, and laugh alongside all of you.

- Bryan McGrath & Evan Walsh (Harvard Medical School) 

Hear from our Conference Co-Chairs About What to Look Forward to in June!

More information about: Conference Theme  |  Conference Registration & Details  |  Pre-Conference  |  Conference Agenda  |  Keynotes |  Social Events & Exploring Minneapolis  |  Sponsors & Exhibitors  |  Questions 
 

Our Theme for 2025: Flowing Forward: Navigating Currents of Change

This inspiring and forward-looking conference will celebrate the positive impacts our work has on the lives of graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and campus stakeholders, emphasizing our shared commitment to adapting and evolving within academia's shifting landscape. It offers a unique opportunity to showcase and discuss innovative programs, resources, collaborative relationships, and dynamic data approaches that help us stay responsive to the changing needs of graduate students and postdocs.

As a city renowned for its vibrant arts scene, beautiful natural landscapes, and progressive cultural values, Minneapolis sets the stage for GCC members to “flow forward”—to embrace the changes that empower our growth as a community. Together, we’ll share accomplishments, new ideas, and innovative strategies that allow us to navigate the currents of our field with resilience, purpose, and vision. Join us for an enriching experience that will reignite your passion, expand your skills, and help you flow into your next professional and career roles with a refreshed sense of identity and purpose.

As our work environments evolve, we all encounter new challenges. Yet, even while struggling with these changes, we find opportunities to highlight what energizes and motivates us in our diverse roles. By reconnecting with our sources of passion and purpose, we can chart a course forward, empowered and ready to take the next steps in our own careers. Join us as we navigate these currents together, flowing forward with resilience, vision, and renewed inspiration.

Conference Registration & Details 

PLEASE NOTE: This year, attendees are responsible for booking their own hotel rooms at the Royal Sonesta Minneapolis. The link with our group rate ($200/night) will be provided in your registration confirmation email.

Pre-Conference Workshop 

• new in your career-development role
• attending your first GCC conference and seeking colleagues
• returning for an immersive day of information and connections
• seeking concrete suggestions for advising/coaching, resources, and programs for graduate students and/or postdoctoral scholars; or
• launching your own path as future leaders within the GCC and beyond

Conference Agenda

• Explore Minneapolis
• Pre-conference workshop for first time attendees and new professionals
• New Member Meet & Greet
• Conference Welcome Reception
• Communities of Practice Dine-Arounds (TBD)

• Keynote Presenters: Michelle Stockness (kickoff) & Urmila Venkatesh (afternoon)
• Member Generated Sessions 
• GCC Regional Meet-Ups
• Optional Social Events (Twins Game or Dine-Arounds)

• School Spirit Day - Represent your School with Swag!
• Keynote Presenters: Michelle Boyd
• Member Generated Sessions
• Presentation Showcase
• Off-campus Reception @ Lumber Exchange (Dylan's & Sawyer's On 5th) 

• Updates from GCC Leaders
• GCC 2026 Annual Conference Details
• Member Generated Sessions
• Conference Wrap-Up
• Explore Minneapolis 
   

Keynote Speakers

Wednesday, June 11th 

Kick-Off Keynote: Michelle Stockness
Working title: Together We Thrive: The Power of Partnerships and Collaboration to Navigate Change

Afternoon Keynote: Urmila Venkatesh, MFA
Working title: You Are Here: Meeting the Present Moment, Acknowledging the Past, and Illuminating Possible Futures 

Urmila Venkatesh is currently a coach, facilitator, and Assistant Director of Alumni Career Education at Stanford University. Venkatesh’s 20-year career in higher education most recently involved being a Fellow of the Stanford Life Design Lab and before that, Assistant Dean of Career Education for PhDs and Postdocs. In this role, Urmila managed the team of career educators supporting doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars across disciplines to find meaningful careers in and beyond academia. Urmila is an inaugural fellow of the NIH-funded pd|hub career exploration collection, most recently training teams at 10 universities to implement her model of storytelling in career development. 
 
Throughout her career, Venkatesh has centered her efforts on the needs of marginalized populations, and is especially dedicated to supporting international students, first-generation students, and women of color at all stages of their academic careers. She has devoted her career to creating greater educational equity and well-being by using tools like storytelling, design, reflection, and deep listening, to help others access their own resources, capacities, and confidence. 

Venkatesh’s leadership positions in higher education have spanned Stanford University, The New School for Social Research, and the University of Michigan. Venkatesh holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of California Berkeley and a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. 

Thursday, June 12th 

Morning Keynote: Michelle Boyd, PhD
Working title: Process Before Product: Fostering Calm, Confidence and Community in Trying Times

Michelle Boyd is an award-winning writer, the founder of InkWell Academic Writing Retreats, and the creator of Composed, a transformative writing retreat that teaches scholars how to overcome their writing fears. She spent the first part of her career studying the political significance of black racial identity in Chicago. She has received many honors for her scholarly, nonfiction, and audio work, including a Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association for her book Jim Crow Nostalgia: Reconstructing Race in Bronzeville.

Michelle is also a self-described struggling writer whose success obscured the challenges she faced throughout her career as an academic. After earning tenure, she focused her research and service on helping scholars better understand their âwriting process. In 2012 she co-founded and coached her first retreat for graduate students. Three years later, she left the academy and founded InkWell.

Scholars who work with Michelle call her coaching “magical,” but it’s not magic—it’s science. Her retreats are based on research showing that each scholar has their own unique writing process, and that many of their struggles come from external demands and internal fears that prevent them from following that process. The only thing she loves more than writing is helping scholars who dread it experience more calm, confidence, and productivity in every writing session.
 

Social Activities & Exploring Minneapolis

Whether you're drawn to Minneapolis for its vibrant arts scene, scenic parks and lakes, diverse culinary experiences, or live music, we hope you'll take this opportunity to immerse yourself in everything the city has to offer. From exploring renowned museums and theaters to enjoying outdoor activities along the Chain of Lakes, Minneapolis has something for everyone to enjoy. 

Wednesday, June 11 - Minnesota Twins vs Texas Rangers @ 6:40pm
  
Take YOU out to the ball game! GCC has reserved a block of seats in Field Box 5 for the Minnesota Twins v. Texas Rangers game at Target Field on Wednesday, June 11 @ 6:40pm. Your partners, families and +1s are invited to join in the fun. Target Field is only a 10-minute walk from the conference hotel. Tickets are $33 each.
 
If you would like to attend the baseball game, you can indicate your interest when completing your conference registration. You will also be prompted to let us know how many tickets you will need. The GCC Conference Committee will then contact you after you have registered to confirm your attendance and collect payment. Keep in mind: Tickets are limited and will be reserved on a first-come first served basis.

Thursday, June 12 - Off-Campus Reception at The Lumber Exchange @ 6:00pm-9:00pm
          
The Lumber Exchange Building – listed on the U.S. National Register of Historical Places - was the first skyscraper built in Minneapolis (dating way back to 1885) and was billed as one of the first fireproof buildings in the country. It is the oldest high-rise building standing in Minneapolis, and is the oldest building outside of New York City with 12 or more floors!
 
The GCC Off-Campus Reception will be held in two adjoining locations on the 4^th floor: Dylan's, a beautiful space that overlooks the stunning Bob Dylan outdoor mural; and Sawyer's On 5th, a rustic space that provides a picturesque view of the sun setting over Minneapolis. Enjoy some glitz & glamour, wine & beer, appetizers, and socializing with your GCC colleagues! The Lumber Exchange venue is less than a 10-minute walk (0.3 miles) from the conference hotel.

• Dine-Arounds: Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11th (General & Communities of Practice) - Times and Locations TBD 
• Explore Minneapolis at your leisure:

   

2025 Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors

GOLD SPONSORS




SILVER SPONSORS

                


BRONZE SPONSORS

                           


FRIENDS OF GCC