Community Engagement Group

Mission Statement

The USETDA Community Engagement Group was founded in 2021 to continue important conversations among members outside of the yearly conference. This group focuses on identifying opportunities for members to learn more about important topics in the ever-changing thesis landscape, promoting professional development among members, and creating a space for networking. Themes we will consider include:

  • exploring resources and tools to help us advise students and other university stakeholders; 
  • building connections throughout campus to support the student experience;
  • learning tips for navigating campus policies and processes, starting conversations, and recommending changes;
  • considering the changing role of thesis reviewers in the graduate school and/or library and advocating for the professionalization of the role; and
  • creating a supportive community among ETD professionals that promotes self-advocacy and self-care.

Our bimonthly meetings may vary in format, with some being led by USETDA members and others featuring invited guests. Anyone interested in suggesting a topic or signing up to participate in the group should complete this form. If you have questions please contact Emily Wuchner at wuchner2@illinois.edu.

USETDA Community Engagement Group Committee

  • Emily Wuchner (Chair)
  • Valerie Emerson
  • Sally Evans
  • Terri Green
  • John Hagen
  • Teri Robinson

Meeting Dates

All meetings held from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Central (2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern)

  • February 28, 2024
  • April 24, 2024
  • June 26, 2024
  • August 28, 2024
  • October 23, 2024

Coming Soon

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Central (2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Eastern)

Topic: At our session, Kim Fleshman (Bowling Green State University) and Ericka Findley (University of Utah) will talk more about their research study about non-traditional theses and dissertations. This study will analyze the individual and university-level perceptions and policies surrounding non-traditional ETD submissions. We’ll learn about their goals for the project and what it entails. If you want to participate in this study or just learn more about their work, we hope you will join us for this fascinating discussion!

Past Events

  • October 25, 2023
    • The ETD Process Group – John Fudrow, Repository Librarian at the University of Pittsburgh Libraries will discuss communications and engagement related to ETD processing and approvals between the University Libraries and various administrators and staff stakeholders in a decentralized graduate school environment. The University of Pittsburgh approves ETDs in a decentralized workflow. This creates a wide array of issues and many opportunities for information to be lost or never shared with those that need it. Consequently, a group called the ETD Process Group was established around 2005 and has been evolving ever since. This group invites representatives from the Office of the Vice Provost, the Registrar’s Office, the University Library System, and a small number of staff from our 15 ETD approving schools. In 2018 the group began initiating project plans for future enhancements and organizational agility.
  • June 28, 2023
    • Exploring Equity and Inclusion in Digital Scholarship – In our fall conference we hope to explore issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the creation and dissemination of ETDs. This important topic, however, is not one that is frequently discussed. In this Community Engagement Group session, we’ll be having an open conversation about DEI and how it relates to our work with ETDs. What are some of the challenges our students encounter? What challenges do graduate school and library professionals encounter? Audiences and readers? Has your university done anything to embrace DEI or have you noticed possible barriers? How can we act as advocates? We’ll discuss these questions and more at our session with the hopes of proposing a panel session or a speaker at our conference.
  • April 12, 2023
    • Embargoes and Project Planning – We’ll start by discussing an embargo issue that a member of the CEG is having. I know that she would love to hear about our experiences and brainstorm next steps. We’ll then transition into thinking about how we make summer plans. For many of us, summer is a quieter time that allows us to work on different types of projects, whether they are large projects, ones we’ve forgotten, or ones we’ve put off. In this session, we’ll discuss questions such as:
    • What projects (or project types) do you have planned for the summer?
    • How do you prioritize what to work on?
    • What are some strategies you use to make progress?
    • How do you incorporate breaks and self-care into the summer?
  • February 23, 2023
    • What Matters to You the Most? – As we ease into 2023, we want take some time to reflect on our needs, goals, and hopes for the coming year. What matters to you the most? Our first Community Engagement Group meeting of the year will bring together our library and graduate school communities to have a facilitated discussion and brainstorming session. At this session, we’ll build community and identify topics for further, deeper exploration in the coming year.
  • October 26, 2022
    • Accessibility – At this session, we will be focusing on accessibility, which was a hot topic at our recent conference. Alison Haynes, ICT Compliance Coordinator at Kent State University, presented at USETDA 2022 and she has many ideas regarding how to think about accessibility and how we might implement it at our institutions. Much of the session will by Q&A and brainstorming, so make sure to bring your questions to the meeting! Whether you are just starting to think about accessibility or if you are finishing up your initial plans, there will be a lot that we all can learn at this session.
  • August 3, 2022
    • Presenter: Lily Compton. The Center for Communication Excellence (CCE), housed within Iowa State University’s Graduate College, runs the Thesis/Dissertation Writing Program (TDWP). The CCE trains and hires graduate students to be Thesis/Dissertation consultants and supervises the reviewers. Additionally, the TDWP offers various events, including informational seminars, formatting boot camps, and writing retreats. Currently, CCE staff members oversee specific aspects of the TWDP. The COVID-19 pandemic and staff members’ maternity leaves have brought to light the need for cross-training so that staff members can seamlessly take over duties for each other as needed.
    • This presentation will provide an overview of the following: The organizational structure of the TWDP and their roles
    • The planning model by semester
    • The documentation and communication protocols
    • Future ideas
    • Lily Compton is the Graduate Communication Programs Coordinator, Center for Communication Excellence, Graduate College
  • February 16, 2022
    • Fostering Relationships Between Libraries and Graduate Schools
  • April 6, 2022
    • Strategies for Practicing Self-Care in the Workplace
      • In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to put ourselves last. Between working in offices that are short-staffed, supporting anxious students, and navigating deadlines, we might find ourselves skipping lunch or working overtime to keep up. In this session, librarian Bobbi Newman of the University of Iowa will discuss the importance of workplace wellness and will give us tips for incorporating self-care in our daily routines.
      • Bobbi Newman is the Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist at the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Region 6 at the University of Iowa. She is the author of the forthcoming book Fostering Wellness in the Workplace: A Guide for Libraries. Learn more about Bobbi on her website: https://librarianbyday.net/.  
  • June 8, 2022
    • Presenter: G.W. Swicord  G.W. Swicord, Theses and Dissertations Project Manager at the University of Florida Libraries, will be leading a discussion on metadata. What is it? Why do we need it? How can we help students with crafting their metadata to increase findability? He’s done a lot of great research on this topic and has a list of questions for us to discuss.
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