{"id":58620,"date":"2024-07-29T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/?p=58620"},"modified":"2024-07-24T10:57:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T14:57:05","slug":"behind-the-scenes-predoctoral-matriculation-week-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/2024\/07\/29\/behind-the-scenes-predoctoral-matriculation-week-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBehind the Scenes\u201d of Predoctoral Matriculation Week: How Erica Stocks, GSDM Student Affairs Director, organizes the event-filled week for incoming DMD and DMD AS Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><br \/>\n<div class=\"bu-slideshow-container erica-stocks-bts-predoc-week autoplay\" id=\"bu-slideshow-container-58618\" data-slideshow-name=\"erica-stocks-bts-predoc-week\" data-slideshow-delay=\"4000\" style=\"width: auto; \"><div class='slideshow-loader active'><div class='loader-animation'><\/div><p>loading slideshow...<\/p><\/div><div class=\"bu-slideshow-slides\"><ul class=\"bu-slideshow transition-slide\" id=\"bu-slideshow-58618\"><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_0\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2011_1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_1\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2011_2-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_2\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2011_3-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_3\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2014_2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_4\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_5\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2016_1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_6\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2016_2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_7\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2017_1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_8\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2017_2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_9\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2018-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><li id=\"bu-slideshow-58618_10\" class=\"slide \"><div class=\"bu-slide-container slide-caption-bottom-right\"><img src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"bu-slideshow-navigation-container\"><ul class=\"bu-slideshow-navigation nav-icon\" id=\"bu-slideshow-nav-58618\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-1\" class=\" active\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>1<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-2\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>2<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-3\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>3<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-4\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>4<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-5\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>5<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-6\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>6<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-7\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>7<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-8\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>8<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-9\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>9<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-10\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>10<\/span><\/a><\/li> <li><a href=\"#\" id=\"pager-11\" class=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>11<\/span><\/a><\/li> <\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<em>Stocks is no stranger to Boston University as she is a double Terrier, graduating from the College of Communication in 2001 and Wheelock College of Education &amp; Human Development in 2012. She has been working for GSDM since 2010, first as Student Affairs manager, now as student affairs director. (Photos from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bu_dental\/albums\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BU Dental Flickr<\/a> of Stocks during GSDM Predoctoral Matriculation Week over the years, dating back to 2011.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Getting into dental school is a phenomenal accomplishment\u2014but then the hard work of <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">doing<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\"> dental school begins.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For the fourth installment of our ongoing \u201cBehind the Scenes\u201d series, we spoke with Erica Stocks, GSDM director of student affairs, about how she designed and planned t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">he first week of dental school<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for this year\u2019s incoming students, the DMD Class of 2028 and the DMD AS Class of 2026. This week, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">better known as Predoctoral Matriculation Week,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is designed to prepare incoming DMD and DMD Advanced Standing students for a successful academic experience and to smooth their transition to life at GSDM.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI feel the enthusiasm [from] students who are extremely excited to be here,\u201d Stocks said. \u201cThey&#8217;ve worked exceptionally hard to get into dental school. There&#8217;s a lot of anxiety about this transition and we want them to feel supported and happy, So, we have to start it off right.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stocks is no stranger to Boston University as she is a double Terrier, graduating from the College of Communication in 2001 and Wheelock College of Education &amp; Human Development in 2012. She has been working for GSDM since 2010, first as Student Affairs manager, now as director of student affairs.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As she prepared this year\u2019s Predoctoral Matriculation Week, her goal was to maintain the right balance between informational sessions, panel discussions, instrument pick-up, fittings, social events, and everything else in between before the week\u2019s culminating event: Professional Ceremony. For predoctoral students, Professional Ceremony officially welcomes them into the field of dentistry and GSDM. Students will recite the professional oath for the first time, in addition to receiving a Boston University pin that they will wear during their White Coat Ceremony and Commencement later in their GSDM journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58623\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58623\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"no_border no_style rounded wp-image-58623 size-medium\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2019_1.jpg 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58623\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stocks with her husband and child during the 2019 Predoctoral Matriculation Week (Photo from BU Dental Flickr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When finalizing the schedule, Stocks said she purposely tries to incorporate learning sessions along with what she calls \u201cfun stuff.\u201d For example, Monday, July 29 starts and ends with social events, with lectures, including the required Title IX and Ethics lectures, scheduled for the afternoon.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThere are so many moving pieces to make a week of programming, but it does take months [to organize],\u201d Stocks said. \u201cIt\u2019s like putting together a puzzle. I have sessions that are set that can\u2019t move, [they] have to be where they are for logistical reasons. So the challenge becomes, how do I fit in everything in a way that flows, that feels like it makes sense, that doesn\u2019t overburden students with too much information, and gives them that space to meet each other and connect?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Stocks works with various departments\/offices across GSDM and BU including Admissions, Meetings &amp; Events, Communications &amp; External Relations, Facilities, Clinical Affairs, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, &amp; Belonging, Academic Affairs, Student Wellbeing, Information Technology, and Development &amp; Alumni Relations, to organize and facilitate the week.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cIt takes a village, honestly,\u201d Stocks said. \u201cThere&#8217;s so many things that have come together to make it happen.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The biggest change this year is using a flipped classroom model, Stocks said, through which students can review information from presenters and offices on a Blackboard site before attending the in-person information sessions. Stocks is hoping this will allow students to be more active participants.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cThese presentations can be a little bit shorter, and they can be more high level,\u201d Stocks said.\u00a0 \u201cThey can really [focus more on] asking and answering questions since they\u2019ve already had chance to review the information at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The planning for this year\u2019s Predoctoral Matriculation Week started last August, immediately following the conclusion of last year\u2019s matriculation. Stocks said <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the Student Affairs team debriefed with all participating departments and sent an evaluation to students within two weeks of matriculation. She said it\u2019s vital to get feedback as soon as possible while it is fresh in everyone\u2019s minds.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Based on this feedback and additional research, Stocks started brainstorming for any new non-required lectures or panels. In recent years, she said there has been an increasing focus on promoting wellbeing resources, leading to the general resources session added in 2022, and a new workshop from the university\u2019s Student Wellbeing Office added this year.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stocks said social events like the Rainbow Reception (for LGBTQ+ students) and the BIPOC New Student Reception were added to the programming in 2021 to provide students a space to connect with peers, faculty and staff. (Any new student is welcome to attend the receptions if they choose to.)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cEvery year, [the week] changes a little bit because our students coming to GSDM are different. We are seeing increase in first-generation students and students who are parents.\u201d Stocks said. \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">They don&#8217;t have the same needs and come here with such a variety of life experiences. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">We&#8217;ve been through a global pandemic, which has changed so many people and society in so many ways, and that then changes what we focus on with our programming.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">After the initial debriefing, all things Predoctoral Matriculation Week were on hold until after Intersession. In January, Stocks said the Student Affairs team resumed their efforts by putting in room requests for each event for the week. Once the room requests were approved, the team worked on finalizing when, where, and how the programming was going to take place.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Starting around the end of February, Student Affairs begin to receive the names and contact information of students who plan to matriculate from Admissions. From there, Student Affairs started communicating to these students by first sending a welcome email. They increased communications as the new academic year got closer, giving students information on everything they need to do.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58622\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58622\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"no_border no_style rounded wp-image-58622 size-medium\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-550x550.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-710x710.jpg 710w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/files\/2024\/07\/Stocks_2015_2-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58622\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stocks (right) with Rhett during the 2015 Predoctoral Matriculation Week. (Photos from BU Dental Flickr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cFor us, it&#8217;s creating that connection,\u201d Stocks said. \u201cSo that then they do arrive here, they feel like they&#8217;ve been supported, they have the information, and giving them space to also ask us questions.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Once there was a set schedule for the week, the Student Affairs team uploaded the itinerary to an app called Guidebook. According to Stocks, the team used to print copies of the materials for students but found that approach to be unsustainable and impractical.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8220;Guidebook has proved to be a really nice thing because it&#8217;s easier for our staff to maintain,\u201d Stocks said. \u201cWe can go and make schedule updates and add content and links and those updates can happen and pretty much in real time.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Student Affairs staff couldn\u2019t survive the week without the matriculation ambassadors and coordinators (29 students total), Stocks said. The ambassadors consist of current GSDM predoctoral students who apply and are selected to help shepherd new students through matriculation weeks. The program started in 2014 and has expanded to include two roles: matriculation ambassadors and matriculation coordinators.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWe have a small team and we have so much programming and so many students, we really felt the matriculation ambassadors was an opportunity to help support the staff, professional staff, but then also providing current students with a peer mentorship and leadership development opportunity,\u201d Stocks said. \u201cIncoming students can hear information from professional staff but hearing it from a fellow dental student who&#8217;s their peer, the information [may] hit a little bit differently.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is a lot of collaboration for one week, but Stocks said it\u2019s always worth it. Her favorite memories are seeing new students connecting, watching friendship form, and seeing students recite the oath for the first time. These may be small moments, but it shows the big picture that comprehensive programming is beneficial.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWhen we&#8217;re creating programming, particularly matriculation, [we ask ourselves,] what&#8217;s the impact that it&#8217;s going have on students? Why is it important to their educational experience and to them as people?\u201d Stocks said. \u201cIt\u2019s all very intentional.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/author\/rachelgp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Grace Philipson\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:80,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the fourth installment of our ongoing \u201cBehind the Scenes\u201d series, we spoke with Erica Stocks, GSDM student affairs director, about how she designed and planned the first week of dental school for this year\u2019s incoming students, the DMD Class of 2028 and the DMD AS Class of 2026. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21998,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13895,13840,13889,13839,13894],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21998"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58620"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58664,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58620\/revisions\/58664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/dental\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}