Dan Volchok from Northeastern University’s Graduate School of Education, and Gardner Institute fellow, co-authored an article with John Gardner titled “Using the First-Year Experience Concept as a Model for Creating the Graduate School Experience.”

 

The article, featured in the NASPA 2026 Knowledge Communities Publication, asks how adapting the First-Year Experience’s proven approach could enhance graduate student outcomes.

 

The Gardner Institute has contributed to the national conversation on graduate student success since 2023, through conferences, podcasts, and publications, including the upcoming book ‘Transforming the Graduate Student Experience: A Call to Expand the Student Success Imperative.’

 

This year, the Gardner Institute’s annual Symposium will feature a track dedicated to the Graduate Student Experience, offering guided discussions and exercises on transforming the graduate student experience. In this workshop, participants will explore current conditions affecting graduate students, learn more about what other institutions believe are the most urgent issues to address, and discuss promising practices.