Monthly Monitor: Conference Considerations for Doctoral Students
Guest Editor Julisa Tindall, MSW (She/her)
In this issue, we cover the benefits and considerations for attending professional conferences as a doctoral student, issues to navigate regarding quity and accountability, and suggestions for setting and meeting goals. We also share information for the upcoming DSC Writing Retreat and current Social Work Snippets.
Why Attend Conferences as a Doctoral Student?
Conferences, Community, and Accountability
Equity Issues to Consider for In-person Conferences
Advice for First Time Conference Attendees
Professional Development: Setting and Meeting Goals as a Doctoral Student
Upcoming Events: Mentoring Committee to Host DSC Writing Retreat
Upcoming Events: SSWR 2023 Student Panel & Luncheon
Social Work Snippets
Editorial -
Why Attend Conferences as a Doctoral Student?
By: Julisa Tindall, MSW, Doctoral Student (she/her)
For new and continuing doctoral students, questions about academic conferences often arise. First and foremost, what exactly is an academic conference? An academic conference is “a gathering of researchers and/or professionals in a given field wherein scholars present their ideas and engage in discussion and critical interaction with other experts and peers” (Academic Conferences). Additionally, conferences typically occur once a year and vary in length (some are only a day long, and some can last up to a week). Overall, you can think of them as large social and educational events with formal and informal opportunities to connect with others in your field.
So, why should I attend conferences as a doctoral student? Getting your name out there and building your CV/resume as a student is key whether you plan on pursuing a career in academia or not. At conferences, you can do both and much more (Reasons Why Academic Conferences are Essential)! I know the idea of conferencing can seem overwhelming, and there are a million ways we, doctoral students, can talk ourselves out of going to academic conferences. So, I would like to share with you all, as a reminder, some of the benefits are attending conferences.
In-person networking opportunities: Academic conferences are how researchers connect and stay up to date with the latest research in their fields, as well as meet new peers and catch up with peers across institutions. At conferences, you can meet like-minded people who share your passion and interest, whether they are researchers or other students, and expand your social connections and networks as a doctoral student – which is great.
Further personal and professional growth: Presentations can be scary and anxiety-provoking at any stage of your doctoral journey but presenting at a conference gives you the opportunity to practice these skills and showcase your ideas. Presenting at a conference and listening to other presenters can help with your personal and professional development. Just remember, we are all there for the same reason – to learn and grow.
Learn about the latest trends in the field: Conferences are the perfect gateway to the information you need since researchers often premiere their ideas and findings there. Also, conferences usually include practical workshops where you can learn and test out new information in a supportive environment. It will allow you to generate new thoughts, learn fresh insights, and gain greater clarity in your own research – i.e., how to keep it clear and engaging.
Explore new places: Participation in academic conferences often requires travel, whether locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. While at these conferences, try to look beyond the conference. If possible, before you head out, plan an extracurricular activity to ensure you make the most of your stay – e.g., explore the local scenery, history, cuisine, and culture, or if you know people in the area, you could try to connect with them.
While it may not always be feasible or seem to attend academic conferences during your doctoral journey, it is worth it to go to at least one during this time. Take advantage of university, local and regional conference opportunities as well as national and international conferences, if it is possible for you. We understand the challenges of balancing usual doctoral student responsibilities and trying to gain conference experience. So, in this issue, we address some of these concerns about conferences, provide tips on conferencing, and more. Ultimately, I encourage you to find a conference that works best for you!
Conferences, Community, and Accountability
I went to my first in-person conference this year. During the conference, I was so inspired by watching my friends/colleagues present their work, network, and just put themselves out there. Their drive and minds are amazing to me, and it was so exciting to connect and celebrate their hard work and accomplishments. It left me with a sense of community and mutual support at a much-needed time.
I’ve been filled with such a sense of imposter syndrome that I’ve been doubting everything I do. Classwork, research, and work have all become really overwhelming. However, engaging with my friends/colleagues during the conference reinspired me.
While I found the most intense joy and sense of community with my friends/colleagues, my disillusionment with the institutions that are supposed to protect and support us intensified.
Throughout the conference, I was constantly reminded of the pervasive unwillingness to accept responsibility for creating a space that is accessible and inclusive.
As I got ready for my return flight, I learned about the sexual harassment that numerous attendees (including doctoral students and professional social work practitioners) experienced at CSWE, as well as CSWE’s inaction.
Doctoral students, especially, are in a precarious position. Our access to employment largely relies on us proving our productivity and networking, so attending conferences is seen as required for many. We also have very little power within the academic hierarchy. This power imbalance is exacerbated by our apparent insignificance to the organizations that are supposed to protect and support us.
Let’s imagine a conference that actively supported, affirmed, welcomed, and included us. Let’s imagine a conference that was designed to ensure our safety against harassment and assault. I believe it would look like this:
We would be able to find all-gender restrooms at a social work conference.
The receptions would have adequate seating arrangements and buffet-serving stations that accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.
There would be virtual options to support immunosuppressed people and/or people who struggle to afford the cost of traveling, housing, and food.
People who report repeated sexual harassment and abusive behavior by an associate professor would have their safety prioritized and the professor removed from the conference the first reported incident.
Safety would be more than a harasser receiving a “cease and desist” and being told to block someone’s number.
Responsibility for harassment would finally be placed on the individual doing the harassing rather than the people who are being harassed.
Organizations would accept responsibility for not responding to abusive behavior adequately.
We would not be told that “this is just something that happens at conferences.
Organizations would stop hiding behind non-response statements and waivers of liability for their failure to make our safety their priority.
The organizations that we rely on for professional and social capital need to do better. By sharing our experiences and demanding responses, we can begin the process of creating a space that celebrates accountability, inclusivity, accessibility, and safety. As we go through our programs and enter the field as professionals, we have the opportunity to reshape the institutions and organizations that often seem to forget their responsibilities to us.
Equity of Access to Academic Conferences: A Call to Keep Remote and Hybrid Formats
As COVID-era restrictions end and academic conferences return to mostly in-person formats, many scholars, including those with disabilities, will no longer have the privilege of attending. Despite growing rates of highly contagious respiratory infections such as the flu, COVID-19, and RSV, remote and hybrid options at our large social work conferences have greatly dwindled. For instance, CSWE offered no virtual or hybrid options this past month. Also, the schedule of events live-streamed at SSWR next January is highly limited. Through this, organizations are withdrawing access from many scholars. In many ways, these decisions to "return to normal" are perpetuating the academic elitism and ableism we, as social workers, should be fighting against.
Importantly, though many were resistant to hybrid and virtual conference formats in 2020, new data have shown that diversity and inclusion soared as a result of this change (a change disability activists have long been fighting for). A study led by University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, and Arizona State University compared attendance data from several conferences during their in-person and then virtual years. They included factors related to cost, gender, career stage, and academic location. Unsurprisingly, they found that attendance by students and postdoctoral scholars skyrocketed (by as much as 344%) when events transitioned to remote. The high costs of travel and accommodations at in-person conferences can be restrictive for those from lower socioeconomic groups or those with limited travel funding, like students and postdocs. Further, female participation greatly increased as well as attendance by scientists who are gender diverse. The shift to virtual conferences resulted in greater diversity in the population of attendees. If we truly want to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in social work, we should learn from these data and adapt our future conferences accordingly.
Through avenues like Twitter this past year, we heard choruses of academics sharing the ways in which virtual conferences accommodated their needs, in addition to keeping them safe from illness. Caregivers could listen to sessions without interrupting routines. Individuals experiencing chronic pain didn't have to endure long travel days and endless networking events on their feet. Womxn weren't subjected to the sexual harassment and assault pervasive at many in-person events. In short, remote conferences reduced access disparities among marginalized scholars.
Of course, remote access does not equate to full conference accessibility. Engaging hybrid conferences will require innovation, imagination, and full stakeholder buy-in. For example, due to poor set-up and logistical planning, many virtual networking events were poorly attended, particularly by higher-level faculty members. Hybrid options often didn't include all sessions offered in-person and left remote conference-goers isolated and disconnected. If we engage disabled scholars and build innovative remote options, we have the potential to create safer, more inclusive academic spaces for all kinds of scholars, not just the most privileged. To start, check out Clara Bosak-Schroeder, Laurel Fulkerson, and the CripAntiquity community’s guide on “Best Practices for More Accessible Conferences.”
And to read more about the importance of remote access, virtual conferences, and inclusive academic conferences, please take a moment to browse this resource compiled by Nicole Schroeder after a Twitter conversation with @DisabledAcadem followers. "This list is designed to provide an introduction to the benefits of remote access, so that we can normalize hybrid and remote events in the academy. It is merely a starting point for larger discussions about access, accessibility, and inclusivity.”
Advice for First Time Conference Attendees
I recently attended my first conference, and it was such an amazing experience! There were so many opportunities for meeting new students and faculty, networking, learning about other areas of research, learning about ways to get through and be successful in my PhD program, and speaking with various recruiters from so many different states.
As I wondered the different rooms full of presentations and workshops, I asked myself two questions:
Why am I just now attending a conference?
How could I have been better prepared?
Although the answer to the first question, I cannot honestly answer, I can help a little with the second. Below are some things that I wish I would have known before attending my first conference that will hopefully help someone else in the future:
Take Business Cards
What I have found during the conference that I attended is that everyone is on the go. Sometimes, people may not have the time to write down all your information and remember to contact you. Business cards were the best way for me to quickly provide all contact information to whomever I wanted to connect with afterwards. This was also helpful for me to remember names, schools that individuals are at, research areas, job titles, and much more information. Taking business cards makes conversing and exchanging information quick and memorable. A few affordable places to make and order business cards, whether you want them same day or shipped, include Canva and Office Depot. There is an added bonus if you are active on Linkedin and have your information handy to make connections.
Network
Sometimes, people attend conferences with other individuals that they know. They may be from their school, people that they know from the organization, or even people from their specific program. It is important that you break away from your usual group and network. Although this may be nerve-racking, especially for an introvert like myself that is still trying to master small talk and meeting new people, it is so beneficial. Getting out of your comfort zone and going up and introducing yourself to people you don’t know can provide so many more connections, new knowledge, and insight about many things, including your research area and potential schools that you may be interested in.
Create your Elevator Pitch
Along with networking, a quick blurb of who you are, what you do, and what you are interested in can go a long way. I found myself meeting new people and having to quickly tell them information about me due to either more people waiting to speak to them or them having to rush off to the next workshop. Having something quick and concise prepared so these conversations can go quickly and confidently would have helped a lot. Although I knew that I would be meeting new people, I never put too much thought into what I would say once this happened. A quick 2-3 minute speech preparation can help you feel confident in what you will say and how you will keep others interested in wanting to know more about you after the conference.
Dress Professionally, but Comfortably
The conference I went to was business casual all weekend. This brought challenges because this was my first conference, and I did not know if I should do heels, a suit, dresses… The decision to pack was one of the hardest because I was not sure exactly what to bring or what other people would be wearing. Something important to note was that there was a lot of walking, standing, and sitting for most of the days. Therefore, taking comfortable clothes, like slacks, professional flats, etc., would have been more helpful so that I could look like a professional but also move around freely and comfortably without worrying about my feet hurting or having a wardrobe malfunction. Of course, you want to take casual clothes too, to wear after the business meetings and workshops are over.
Rest
Conferences can be tiring. There is always something going on at any point in time. Almost everyone that I ran into during the last day or two of the conference were complaining about how tired they were and needed rest and relaxation. There are often breaks in conferences, with most conference events ending in the late afternoon or evening. It is important to find some time to relax and rest so that you can continue to enjoy each aspect of the conference. I honestly found myself so tired and burned out that I did not attend one of the presentation sessions because I did not have the energy to do so. Ample rest in between the presentations earlier in the week would have helped a lot. However you can get rest in, do it.
Preview the Agenda
Knowing where you want to go before the conference is important. For this particular conference, the workshop and presentation rooms were small. This meant that once a room was filled up, I ran the risk of either having to stand for the entire hour and a half, sit on the floor, or go to another presentation that I did not want to attend. Looking at what presentations will be available, as well as the times and the locations beforehand, would have helped me immensely. This way, I can arrive early and not waste time looking for where I am supposed to be or which workshop I want to go to the day before or the day of.
Enjoy Yourself
Conferences are for professional development, but they can also be fun. Make sure you are enjoying yourself, remembering why you attended, and making the most of it.
Although I am sure there are so many other ways to be prepared to attend your first conference, these are ways that I feel would have specifically helped me. Going forward, I know that I will be more well prepared, whether I am presenting or just attending the conference. I hope that these tips are able to help fellow first-time conference attendees just like myself.
Setting and Meeting Goals as a Doctoral Student
As doctoral students, our time and attention are often divided among many projects, teaching obligations, coursework, and non-professional commitments. In managing our workload, it can be helpful to develop strategies and utilize organizational tools to keep track of deadlines and meet our goals.
Here are a few organizational tools that have been helpful to myself and my colleagues as we have navigated our PhD programs. All of these have free options, which I’ve used, but some also have paid versions that offer some additional features. These are all downloadable as apps on your phone, too!
Monday.com: Monday is one of several task management online platforms. It offers a range of display options to keep track of different projects, tasks, and deadlines, with the ability to set reminders and prioritize workflows.
Trello.com: Trello is similar to Monday, but it offers users the ability to organize tasks in the Kanban framework, where you can visualize works-in-progress and deadlines organized into categories.
Asana.com: Asana works similarly to Monday and Trello. I haven’t used it personally, but I know that research teams often make use of it to track individual task assignments and deadlines.
Apart from these organizational platforms – which might be better suited for collaborative work – there are a number of strategies for time management, communication, and productivity out there! Here are a few free options that I’ve benefited from using:
Protected writing time is a strategy where individuals block off time in their calendars for writing projects. For those of us working on articles or dissertation projects, having time blocked off where there are no meetings or administrative tasks to distract us is immensely valuable. It gives us a means of focusing on the task at hand while also prioritizing writing over the many other pulls on our energy and attention.
The Pomodoro method encourages people to work in bursts with breaks in-between focus sessions. This method is particularly effective for a large-scale task that will take substantial time and energy, as it prevents hyperfocus and burnout.
Bullet journaling is an approach to note-taking, tracking habits, creating to-do lists, and making daily agendas. You can use any journal with gridded or blank sheets, and it is a fun way to exercise your creative muscles when setting it up!
Although there are other strategies and tools to set and attain goals, I prefer these because they are cost-effective and easy to implement. What other user-friendly tools do you, your colleagues, and your advisors rely on?
Mentoring Committee Writing Retreat Dec. 2nd
The mentoring committee will host a writing retreat on December 2nd, check out the registration information below.
Social work doctoral student writing retreat on December 2nd, contact rxhu@umich.edu for questions or register at https://tinyurl.com/DSC-WritingRetreat-Dec
SSWR 2023 Doctoral Student Luncheon & Panel
At the 27th Annual Conference for the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) in 2023, the SSWR Doctoral Student Committee (DSC) will hold its yearly Student Luncheon panel on Saturday, January 14, 2023 from 12:30pm-1:30pm MST at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. The purpose of the luncheon is to convene social work scholars, educators, and organizers to discuss a topic that is timely and relevant for our community. The Student Luncheon panel this year is titled: “Social Work’s Role in Combating Anti-Transgender Legislation and Promoting Trans Rights” and is open to all students attending the conference. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix, Arizona in January!
SOCIAL WORK SNIPPETS:
Call for Papers
Special issue: The Future of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Social Work: Challenges and Opportunities
Deadline: November 30, 2022
The Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work is inviting submissions for the special issue, The Future of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Social Work: Challenges and Opportunities. Learn more. Deadline is November 30, 2022.
Special Issue on Money within Couple Relationships
Deadline: December 15, 2022
The Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning has announced a call for papers for a special issue on “Money within Couple Relationships.” Original research papers or focused literature reviews with topics relevant to couple dynamics related to money management, financial counseling, and financial planning are welcome. Papers should explore topics about relational dynamics of money in a new, unusual, and/or interesting way. Get the details here (at the bottom of the page).
Interested authors are encouraged to first submit their working papers to the 2023 AFCPE Symposium for initial feedback (submissions are due in early June 2023). Papers accepted by the symposium will receive priority for consideration in the selection process for this special issue. The symposium submission deadline and other information can be found here. For questions or inquiries about the special issue, please contact the guest editor, Sonya Lutter.
Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work
Deadline: Ongoing
Announcing a new, open access, peer-reviewed social work journal dedicated to abolitionist perspectives in social work research, education, policy, and practice. Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work is now accepting articles for publication with our first issue anticipated for early Spring 2023.
Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work grew out of recognition that abolitionist perspectives are not fully embraced by the profession due to social work’s longstanding role in supporting and maintaining the carceral state. As abolitionist perspectives have grown, these perspectives are often criticized as potentially harmful to the profession and those the profession serves. As a result, these perspectives are often marginalized and excluded from mainstream social work discourses, including social work journals. Thus, Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work exists to provide a dedicated and supportive space for the development and dissemination of these ideas.
Disability Justice in Social Work - Special Issue Proposal for the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare
Deadline for Abstracts: February 6, 2023
Social Work values include social justice and dignity and worth of the person (National Association of Social Workers, 2021), yet many social workers receive little training in disability rights, history, and culture (Ogden et al., 2017) and disabled social work practitioners, students, faculty, and staff experience marginalization, exclusion, microaggressions, and discrimination in our field (Kattari et al., 2020; Kiesel et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened these issues given the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on disabled people in their personal, professional, and educational roles across the lifespan. To live up to our social work values, we must integrate a disability justice approach that rejects ableism and moves past a medical model (Slayter & Johnson, 2022). This special issue will provide an opportunity for in-depth exploration of how disability justice principles can be applied in social work practice, education, policy, and research and serve as a resource for current and future social workers in a wide variety of roles.
Call for Presentations
Making the Connection: Policy and Practice
The Cincinnati Children’s Social Work Education Committee is seeking compelling presentation proposals that address a wide range of topics related to the impact of social policy on clinicians, patients, and families for the 2023 Annual Social Worker and Clinical Counselor Conference, Making the Connection: Policy and Practice. Learn more.
Cincinnati Children’s Social Workers, Clinical Counselors, and Community Health Workers have been, and continue to be at the forefront of systemic and dynamic change and are pivotal to the culture and health of our community by providing support, compassion, and empowerment through clinical practice. Be a part of this valuable professional development experience by sharing your knowledge, innovative solutions, and strategies with hundreds of social workers, clinical counselors, and community health workers at Cincinnati Children’s.
All proposals must be submitted via email to SWeducationcouncil@cchmc.org to be considered..
Funding Opportunities
Grand Challenges for Social Work Doctoral Award
Deadline: December 9 by 8pm ET
The Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW) is pleased to announce the call for applications for its inaugural doctoral awards cohort. The Doctoral Awards are an exciting new element of the GCSW’s efforts to Go•Grander and are generously funded by the New York Community Trust. Doctoral awards of $3,000 are available to support dissertation or capstone expenses of social work doctoral students whose work addresses at least one of the Grand Challenges. It is expected that awardee proposals will discuss the impact on and potential to create policy and practice changes. One award will be made for each of the 13 Grand Challenges. Please view guidelines to apply here. If you have additional questions, please contact GCSocialWork@ssw.umaryland.edu
The Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Grant
Deadline: December 1, 2022
The Horowitz Foundation makes approximately twenty-five grants each year. Research grants are open to researchers in all social science disciplines and are not restricted to US citizens or those enrolled in US institutions. Awards are for $7,500; proposals in certain targeted areas receive additional amounts. In addition, the Irving Louis Horowitz Award ($5,000) is given to the overall most outstanding project proposal, and the Trustee’s Award ($3,000) is given to the proposal that is deemed most innovative in theory and/or methodology.
Awards are granted for policy-related research in all major areas of the social sciences. Only doctoral students whose dissertation proposals have been approved by their committees are eligible to apply. Awards are approved solely on merit and are not allocated to ensure a representative base of disciplines. Applicants need not be citizens of the United States or U.S. residents.
Spencer Foundation
Deadline: December 5, 2022
Purpose: The program supports rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound field-initiated research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. The funder seeks to support scholarship that develops new foundational knowledge that may have a lasting impact on educational discourse. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible. Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education, are not eligible.
Eligibility: PIs and Co-PIs applying must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.
Funding: up to $50,000 over up to 5 years, no IDC
Key Dates: December 5, 2022 (applications due)
Details: http://www.spencer.org/small-research-grants
Not following “SWRnet”?
Formerly known as the IASWR Listserv, SWRnet (Social Work Research Network) was launched in October 2009 to continue serving the social work research community by providing regular updates on funding opportunities, calls for papers, conference deadlines and newly published research. SWRnet is administered by the Boston University School of Social Work.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is created as free service by SSWR Doctoral Student Committee Communications Subcommittee members:
Tasha Childs
Riley Hostetter
Isaac Akapnitis
DeShara Doub
Hannah Boyke
Fatima Mabrouk
Alauna Reckley
Paulette Nance
Brianna Suslovic
Julisa Tindall
Kiley McLean
The opinions expressed in this newsletter are the opinions of the individuals listed above alone and do not claim to represent the opinions of SSWR or the SSWR Doctoral Student Committee.