By Gail Hairston

 

Karen Kelsky, the successful founder and president of The Professor Is In, an academic-career consulting business, visits the University of Kentucky campus April 7.

 

Kelsky will have a busy schedule on Friday, mentoring graduate students, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff in preparing for successful careers both inside and outside academia. Her visit is part of the annual "Life After Grad School" series, organized by the Graduate Student Congress. 

 

Once a tenured anthropology professor at the University of Oregon and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she now runs her successful advising business, but is also a frequent columnist as well as a frequent source for other writer’s articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education. She is the author of “The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. into a Job.” For more detail about Kelsky’s fascinating career path, visit https://chroniclevitae.com/people/150-karen-kelsky/profile.

 

Below are Kelsky’s scheduled appearances at UK:

 

Keynote Address   “Hacking the Academic Job Market” 10 a.m. Friday, April 7 106 Classroom Building

 

A presentation on the state of the academic job market (for all graduate students, post-doctoral students, faculty, and staff).

 

“Advising for Advisors: How to Help Your Ph.D.s in a Time of Turmoil” 1 p.m. Friday, April 7 320 Chemistry-Physics Building 

 

Insights into advising/mentoring graduate students for current and future job markets (for all faculty and staff who advise/mentor graduate students).

 

“Going Post-Ac: The Non-Academic Job Search” 3-4:30 p.m. Friday, April 7 320 Chemistry-Physics Building 

 

Insights into preparing for careers beyond the professoriate (for graduate students, their faculty advisors and post-doctoral students). 

 

 

 

Kelsky's visit is followed next week by two additional panel discussions and workshops for graduate students and post-doctoral students, sponsored by the UK Graduate Student Congress.

 

“Meeting Your Future Colleagues: Strategies for Effective Networking” 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, April 10 James F. Hardymon Theater, Davis Marksbury Building

 

Developing contacts and exchanging information is an important skill for finding or furthering a career. In this panel discussion, graduate students will learn tips and strategies for networking and will discuss how to use social media effectively to navigate the job market.

 

“Transforming Yourself into a Competitive Candidate: Planning Early” 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 James F. Hardymon Theater, Davis Marksbury Building

 

Successful preparation for life after graduate school starts while still in the program. At this panel discussion, graduate students will learn what steps to take throughout the course of their program to finish well prepared for the job market.

 

Sponsored by the UK Preparing Future Faculty Program, the Graduate School, the Graduate Student Congress, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Careers Beyond the Professoriate initiative.  

 

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue