Milestones & Pathways was a program started in 2016 to create unit-driven programming to support graduate student writing and professional development:
- Milestones activities help students reach key benchmarks in their graduate training, including passing departmental examinations and writing dissertations.
- Pathways activities provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in careers within and outside the academy. These events may include alumni networking opportunities and professional development workshops.
To date, Milestones & Pathways has supported over 130 department driven initiatives to support their graduate students. As part of our Doctoral Students Success Initiative, and with the newly formed Arts & Science Office of Graduate Professional Development and Student Success, Arts & Science will in 2023–24 begin a three-year pilot to reduce barriers of access to Milestones & Pathways funding and distribute annual funding to all units to utilize toward writing and professional development activities.
Annual funding will be provided to units via a budget transfer directly into your graduate unit’s dedicated Milestones and Pathways account. Unused allocations will be recouped at year-end (mid-April 2024). The transfer for 2023–24 will occur in May 2023.
General Guidelines for Funding
Units are permitted to use their M&P for activities connected to helping students complete degree requirements (e.g., preparing comps, writing theses) or developing skills and knowledge for their careers after the degree (e.g., career panels, working groups for professional skills).
Questions about Milestones & Pathway funding should be directed to Jessica Finlayson, Financial Officer, Graduate Operations, at graduatefunding.artsci@utoronto.ca and requests for support in developing programming should be directed to Joel Rodgers, Graduate Student Professional Development Coordinator, at joel.rodgers@utoronto.ca.
Suggested Activities
On-Campus Writing Groups
Recommended Duration
4 to 12 sessions over several weeks or months (depending on the goal and scope of the group)
Recommended Facilitators
Weekly meetings may be peer-facilitated by graduate students, but we recommend that faculty members or experts be invited to run writing workshop sessions.
Recommended Participants
Graduate students at any stage in their program, in groups of 6 to 15. Departments may opt to target a specific group of graduate students (e.g. students preparing conference submissions or PhD candidates writing their dissertations).
Suggested Locations
Department Lounge or Classroom Space
Off-Campus Writing Retreats
Recommended Duration
1 to 3 Days
Recommended Facilitators
At least one writing instructor or faculty member who will lead group discussions, run writing workshops, and provide one-on-one consultation during the retreat (as needed). If there is no facilitator, proposals should include a detailed agenda/outcomes for the retreat.
Recommended Participants
Graduate students at any stage in their program, in groups of 6 to 15. Departments may opt to target a specific group of graduate students (e.g. students preparing conference submissions or PhD candidates writing their dissertations).
Professional Skills Workshops
Recommended Duration
2 to 3 hours
Recommended Facilitators
1 to 2 university faculty and/or staff members, possibly with support from senior graduate students. If no university faculty or staff members are available or able to facilitate the needs of the workshop, we may support external facilitators.
Recommended Participants
Graduate students at any stage in their program. Departments may opt to target a specific group of graduate students (e.g. PhD candidates considering alt-ac careers).
Notes:
- Paying honoraria: Funding may be requested to pay honoraria for external speakers, with the exception of University of Toronto faculty and staff.
- Paying faculty member costs: While we encourage faculty members to actively participate in M&P funded activities, we suggest units fund faculty participation (e.g., travel costs, etc.) through other budget lines as much as possible.
- Reoccurring funding requests: Although funding may be used for the same initiative in subsequent years, we advise that departments consider taking over funding for ongoing and well-established programs.