University of Arkansas graduate students in the Razorgrad Institute of Success and Engagement (RISE) program recently participated in two opportunities — a site visit to Blue Cross Blue Shield and a professional certification workshop — as part of the Graduate School and International Education's ongoing effort to provide relevant and critical professional development to graduate students.

"These opportunities are critical for our graduate students to ensure they earn more than just an education at the University of Arkansas — we want them to have the skills, knowledge and wisdom they need to succeed both personally and professionally after graduation," said Ed Pohl, dean of the Graduate School and International Education. "I want to thank everyone involved, including the Office of Career Connections and Blue Cross Blue Shield, for offering these opportunities to our students."

GSIE partnered with the university's Office of Career Connections to organize a site visit last month for RISE students to the Springdale corporate office of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, where they learned more about the organization's workforce and employment opportunities, as well as career and self-development advice from employees and leaders at the company.

"Organization site visits and career conversations give graduate students a unique, inside view of the industry, and enable students to build connections with professionals who can speak personally about their company's culture, priorities and societal problems they're tackling," said Erica Estes, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of career connections at the U of A. "Gaining industry insights enables students to explore career options they may not have considered previously and use industry and organization language to apply for internally and externally shared career opportunities. Site visits provide students with unique opportunities to stand out from the crowd, and help professionals better understand the value of hiring U of A students. Ultimately, site visits and career conversations lead students to be better informed about career options and to land internships and jobs in the hidden job market."

RISE students also participated in a three-day Lean Six Sigma Certification workshop in April. Lean Six Sigma is an approach to process improvement that focuses on eliminating the waste of resources and defects in processes and products through six principles - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. The workshop was led by IISE Instructor Elizabeth Gentry.  

"Certifications such as these are part of our goal in GSIE to maximize students' degrees with industry credentials that will set them up for post-graduation success," said Umer Rahman, associate director of graduate student support.

The RISE Program is a bridge program that helps incoming students transition to graduate school through mentorship and connection with peers that helps participants understand services, resources and experiences offered on campus and beyond. The program was made possible through a gift from the Hearst Foundation.

Applications for the 2024-25 cohort of RISE participants will open in June. Preference is given to domestic students who are first-generation and earned their previous degree(s) at an institution other than the University of Arkansas. For more information, visit the RISE program website.