To better describe its purpose and mission, the Student Faculty Liaison Committee (SFLC), has changed its name to the Graduate Leadership & Development Committee (GLDC).
As the group has evolved over the years, its goals have grown beyond just serving as a student voice on faculty committees to include career and professional development events, scientific outreach to the community, departmental social events, recruiting the next class of Integrated Program in Biochemistry (IPiB) students, and more. Each year, the group also organizes the annual IPiB Retreat.
“Our new name reflects not only what our committee does, but also the training and experience that those on the committee can gain,” says current GLDC Chair Josie Werner of the Wildonger Lab. “The name allows us to better tell our story. Along with giving students a voice in the department, we also get to enrich the experience of graduate students with leadership and professional development events.”
The group’s mission reads: “The Graduate Leadership & Development Committee contributes to the professional development of IPiB graduate students in a holistic manner by creating opportunities to foster research, scholarship, career development, and community engagement skills. We provide organized mechanisms for graduate student professional development and service to the IPiB and greater Wisconsin communities. Additionally, we promote an inclusive and tightly-knit community of students and faculty through recruitment of future graduate students, the annual IPiB Retreat, and departmental social events.”
All IPiB students are encouraged to join GLDC and attend its monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. A series of sub-committees with individual chairs and members help carry out its activities each year.