Spring 2026 Offerings
The Nuts and Bolts of Mentoring Graduate Students: Building Relationships, Setting Goals, & Creating Success
Facilitated by Matt Englar-Carlson
Effective mentoring of graduate students of color is not mentoring as usual. It requires culturally responsive attention to the multiple identities and lived experiences of the mentee. This workshop explores evidence-based mentoring practices that focus on nurturing the relationship between mentor and mentee. Cultivating belonging and mattering, addressing overcoming barriers in higher education, and setting reasonable and reachable goals are the building blocks of graduate student success. Attendees will reflect upon their mentoring style, develop practical strategies for communicating with mentees, and gain an understanding of realistic ways to be an effective mentor.
A Servingness Approach to Increasing Graduate School Intent at an HSI
Facilitated by Adrian A. Rodriguez
This workshop reviews research on servingness, community cultural wealth, and Latiné resilience to increase graduate school intent, especially for Latiné and first-generation college students. Participants will explore culturally sustaining practices that introduce graduate experiences, build self-reassurance, reduce academic stress, and strengthen support networks aligned with CSUF’s commitment to servingness. The session blends data-driven insights with interactive discussion and practical strategies to promote belonging and demystify graduate school.
Feeling Seen and Heard: Using Communicative Immediacy to Build Trust Across Difference
Facilitated by Erika Thomas
This workshop explores how immediacy behaviors, e.g. verbal strategies, accessibility cues, and forms of nonverbal engagement, can counteract uncertainty, distancing, and difference and, instead, foster an environment where mentees of diverse backgrounds feel empowered and connected. Participants will examine and consider how interpersonal and intercultural communication tools can foster trust, navigate misunderstandings, and result in growth and support for mentees (and mentors).
Mentoring Grad Students Through Precarity
Facilitated by Sarah G. Grant
This discussion-oriented workshop focuses on the precarious worlds of Cal State Fullerton graduate students and faculty at various ranks. Starting from a standpoint of acknowledgment — precarity exists and is not going away anytime soon — we will tackle what this means for us and the students we advise, mentor, and teach. After exploring various experiences of precarity, we will work through several case studies and discuss practical strategies to mitigate the impacts of precarity while strategizing ways to foster work-life harmony and degree completion.
Supporting Graduate Students’ Mental Health
Facilitated by Adrian A. Rodriguez
This workshop explores how faculty can support graduate students' mental health by considering intersectionality, resilience, discrimination, microaggressions, and imposter syndrome. Attendees will develop strategies to broach mental health topics, cultivate empowering academic environments, and promote a culture of well-being and cultural responsiveness in their departments.
Funding Their Futures: Strategies for Faculty to Support Graduate Student Success
Facilitated by Matt Englar-Carlson
Graduate school funding and financial support is often a challenging labrinyth for graduate students and faculty. Recent changes in federal loans by the Department of Education makes this even more challenging. This workshop equips faculty with actionable strategies to connect students with scholarships, funding, and travel opportunities—both on campus and beyond. Learn how to identify hidden pockets of support, guide students through the application process, and empower first-generation and underrepresented graduate students to leverage their cultural strengths and talents. Participants will leave with practical tools, fresh ideas, and a roadmap to foster graduate student success in a resourceful and impactful way.
Learn About Your Grad Students – A Data-Driven Guide for Better Teaching
Facilitated by Volker Janssen
Our campus serves almost 5000 graduate students, but our campus-wide conversations rarely focus on their stories and background. As a result, faculty often make assumptions based on our undergraduates, or on our own graduate school experiences. Neither are good guides. In this practical workshop, the former program director for Project upGRADS and ELEVAR explores a data-based approach to a better understanding of our program’s graduate cohorts.
The Resilient Faculty: Thriving Without the Superhero Cape
Facilitated by Jason Branch
Are you wearing the superhero cape but running on empty? This workshop is designed to help faculty prioritize their own well-being while continuing to support their students effectively. Explore practical self-care strategies and learn how to build healthy systems, routines, and boundaries with graduate students. Leave with actionable tools and fresh ideas to foster resilience and sustainability in your academic life.
Supporting First-Generation Students Using Community-Building Strategies
Facilitated by Edson Andrade
Establishing a sense of belonging can be challenging for first-generation college students, whose identities and cultures are often not represented in higher education. This workshop shares community building as a vital strategy for nurturing students’ success and belonging.
