Coming in April: Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week and 3MT Competition

Pacific will celebrate Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week from April 1 to 5. This week of recognition and special events was started in 1993 by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students as a way to show appreciation for the contributions, impact and value of graduate and professional students nationally and to support their wellness and professional development.

Recognizing that graduate and professional students now represent nearly half of Pacific's total student population, the university celebrated Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week for the first time in 2018. Organized by the Graduate School, a series of student-focused events throughout the first week in April celebrates the contributions of our students to Pacific's mission, raising awareness of their efforts in teaching, research and service at our three-city university.  

A featured event during this year's celebration will be Pacific's second annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. The 3MT Competition invites students to present their research to a lay audience in three minutes. The inaugural event at Pacific in 2018 included 10 entries and was judged by the Stockton mayor and Pacific faculty and students. The winner of last year's competition — Amy Burns — traveled to Las Vegas and participated in the 3MT regional competition at the Western Association of Graduate Schools annual meeting.  

This year's 3MT event will be held on Thursday, April 4, on the Sacramento campus from 5-7 p.m. The competition is open to all active, enrolled graduate and professional students in good standing. Monetary prizes will be awarded to first-place, runner-up, and "people's choice" winners. The Graduate School warmly welcomes all students, faculty, staff and community members to join this event and celebrate the original graduate and professional research conducted across Pacific's three campuses. Transportation from the Stockton and San Francisco campuses will be provided to 3MT participants.  

Look for "I [heart] Graduate Students" buttons across campus in April. The buttons will also be available at the Graduate School office in Knoles Hall 211. Other featured events will include swag giveaways, writing workshops and student appreciation breakfasts.