{"682456":{"#nid":"682456","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u2019s GT6000 Earns NASPA\u2019s Promising Practices Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGT6000, Georgia Tech\u2019s small-group, peer-led, extended orientation program designed specifically for first-year graduate students, has received the 2025 Promising Practices in Graduate and Professional Student Services Award from the NASPA Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services (AGAPPS) Knowledge Community.\u0026nbsp;This award recognizes impactful, innovative programs that support and enhance the graduate student experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, is a U.S.-based student affairs professional development and advocacy organization with over 13,000 members at 1,400 campuses in 25 countries. The AGAPPS Knowledge Community provides a supportive forum for administrators who work across many different educational settings and manage diverse elements of a holistic academic and student services portfolio in support of graduate and professional student success. Its programs and services are dedicated to empowering professionals to foster student success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJackie Yun, Executive Director of the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and Co-Chair of the AGAPPS Knowledge Community, says, \u201cWe at AGAPSS are proud to see institutions like Georgia Tech championing innovative support for graduate and professional students. This initiative exemplifies the kind of collaborative, student-centered work that strengthens our field and is a model for how we can create meaningful change through intentional programming.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGT6000\u2019s initial launch as a \u201cGrad Groups\u201d pilot in 2014 has since grown to become a one-credit-hour pass\/fail graduate-level, institute-wide, extended-orientation course, exemplifying the Office of Graduate Education\u2019s commitment to finding innovative ways to support the transition of new graduate students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGT6000 was founded by James Black, Ph.D., a Georgia Tech alumnus who earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering and previously served as president of the Graduate Student Government Association. Now Director of Student and Academic Affairs and Senior Academic Professional in the Office of Graduate Education, Black developed GT6000 in response to a simple question: \u0027What would have been helpful to me as a graduate student at Georgia Tech?\u0027 The optional, peer-led extended orientation program gives new graduate students an early introduction to campus resources.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince its pilot launch with just 40 students in Fall 2014, GT6000 has grown significantly, serving over 500 participants in Fall 2024, nearly 20% of all new graduate students on the Atlanta campus. In response to both this growth and a broader commitment to enhancing graduate student support, the Office of Graduate Education welcomed Marc Ebelhar, Ed.D., in March 2022. Ebelhar now serves as a Graduate Student Success Specialist and Academic Professional, as well as the Instructor of Record for GT6000.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGT6000 provides a foundation of resilience and knowledge to handle stress, promotes academic and professional success, and facilitates navigating the \u201chidden curriculum\u201d of graduate education. The program is peer-led by experienced graduate students. Each group or course section is composed of a trained Group Leader and roughly 14 new graduate students. These student-only spaces provide opportunities that encourage open and candid dialogue and foster connection.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program has been presented at national gatherings such as the Gardner Institute\u2019s conference on the Graduate Student Experience, a meeting of the AAU Graduate Deans, the NASPA Annual Conference, and NAGAP\u2019s Annual Graduate Enrollment Management Summit. Institutions including Clemson University, the University of Virginia, Notre Dame, and the University of South Carolina have all reached out to learn more about GT6000; some aiming to create similar programs at their institutions. One colleague described Georgia Tech as the \u201cstandard bearer\u201d for graduate student support, specifically pointing to GT6000. Black and Ebelhar are currently writing a book chapter on GT6000 in collaboration with the Gardner Institute on the Graduate Student Experience, to be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in late 2025.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBlack and Ebelhar were recently featured on the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1808070\/episodes\/17065210\u0022\u003EOffice Hours with John Gardner\u003C\/a\u003E podcast. Listen to their episode to learn more about GT6000, and visit the webpage, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/gt6000\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/gt6000\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s GT6000 Earns NASPA\u2019s Promising Practices Award"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s GT6000 program, a peer-led, extended orientation course for first-year graduate students, has received the 2025 Promising Practices in Graduate and Professional Student Services Award from NASPA\u2019s AGAPPS Knowledge Community. Designed to foster early connection, resilience, and academic success, GT6000 has grown from a pilot of 40 students to serving over 500 new graduate students annually. Recognized as a national model, the program exemplifies Georgia Tech\u2019s innovative commitment to enhancing the graduate student experience.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s GT6000 program, a peer-led, extended orientation course for first-year graduate students, has received the 2025 Promising Practices in Graduate and Professional Student Services Award from NASPA\u2019s AGAPPS Knowledge Community."}],"uid":"36363","created_gmt":"2025-05-19 15:35:38","changed_gmt":"2025-06-17 20:06:07","author":"Brittani Hill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"184291","name":"GT6000"},{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"},{"id":"15156","name":"graduate education"},{"id":"2248","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrittani Hill\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarketing \u0026amp; Communications Manager | Office of Graduate Education\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarc Ebelhar\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGraduate Student Success Specialist | Office of Graduate Education\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brittani.hill@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}