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NEWS ARCHIVE : NOVEMBER 2003

GRAD EXPO 2003

Over 300 prospective graduate students recently attended GRAD EXPO 2003, Grad Expo photo-long shotan event sponsored by the university’s Division of Graduate Studies. The one-day event was designed to help those prospects meet graduate faculty members and apply for admission to one of the university’s 40 graduate degree programs, the joint doctorate, certificates of advanced study, and the credential programs.

“We know that most photo: one-on-one interactionstudents gather their information on-line, but their feedback shows us that all students still benefit from one-on-one,” said Dr. Dianne K. Dickerson, Associate Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies. “Many of our programs had their own graduate students helping, which provided an added dimension.”

Some 150 of the attendees completed evaluation forms on the event, the reward for which was a free scoop of ice cream from the university’s farmers’ market. Overwhelmingly, the evaluation forms indicated that the opportunity to meet and ask questions of program faculty was the greatest benefit of GRAD EXPO 2003.

The event was aggressively marketed, with all Fresno State juniors and seniors and over 600 Valley schools and businesses receiving invitations to attend.

Dickerson was pleased with the overall turnout for GRAD EXPO 2003, which included representatives from many of the campus offices serving graduate students and augmenting the graduate school experience. Photo: undergrads getting informationStaff from the offices of admissions, testing, financial aid, career services, and the alumni association were present, thus creating a kind of “one-stop shop” for attendees in need of a wide array of services. Such a venue, Dickerson added, helps position our programs as competitive with those of other institutions.

In addition to the opportunity to apply to a graduate degree program on-site, students were also able to register for the GRE, GMAT, and MAT. “These students were able to position themselves in their future graduate careers and make decisions as a result of this event,” Dickerson said. “We are glad we did it.”