Cultivating Community and Confidence Through the Thesis Writers Retreat

Allyce Horan

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: GSD 2: Identity and Motivation
Tagged Division: Graduate Studies Division (GSD)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/56180

Paper Authors

biography

Allyce Horan Colorado School of Mines

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Allyce Horan is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Department at the Colorado School of Mines and former Director of the Writing Center. Allyce’s interdisciplinary background includes a B.A. in History & French and an M.A. in History. Her current research projects include understanding how individual STEM disciplines discuss and categorize concepts of “good” writing, methods to cultivate community for STEM graduate students, and writing across the curriculum.

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Abstract

In 2019, graduate students at our STEM institution were lamenting the lack of community and opportunities available to them compared to undergraduate students. The Writing Center was witnessing this sentiment firsthand in appointments with our graduate students who were seeking support not only with their thesis or class essays but also in cultivating positive relationships with their advisors and peers. In response, our institution's Writing Center hosted its first Thesis Writers Retreat—the event was marketed as an exclusive multi-day event for graduate students where they could simply find time to write, share meals, and attend workshops on topics ranging from stress management to literature reviews. Within weeks of registration opening, the event was at capacity and through the years it has evolved into a signature annual event. While other institutions often call similar events “boot camps,” we chose to reimagine the event’s goal and accordingly called ours a retreat. Students at STEM institutions are already high achievers who can also experience high expectations from peers and faculty, so we wanted to provide our graduate students with an opportunity to not just make headway in their graduate projects but to also ignite a community of learners in a supportive environment; the retreat encourages students to appreciate key milestones in graduate school instead of only focusing on the finish line. In addition to making this event fully catered, interdepartmentally staffed, and free, we also host the event in an off-campus space adjacent to a park with nature preserves and hiking trails. By creating a truly retreat-like environment, we find that students leave the event energized instead of drained. To promote positive working relationships and communication, students are required to meet with their advisors before attending to co-create a realistic goal for that week. We also require that students complete daily reflections that encourage them to think critically about their own progress so that they can create sustainable steps toward graduation. A larger post-event survey has allowed us to make informed decisions about developing the event, and the survey results illustrate that we are achieving our original goals—students overwhelmingly report that they feel more confident in their writing, equipped with key skills, and connected to a graduate community. By adopting a similar style event, other institutions can create a signature student experience that can not only support their graduate students’ holistic success but can also lead to improved retention.

Citation
Format

Horan, A. (2025, June), Cultivating Community and Confidence Through the Thesis Writers Retreat Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/56180

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In 2019, graduate students at our STEM institution were lamenting the lack of community and opportunities available to them compared to undergraduate students. The Writing Center was witnessing this sentiment firsthand in appointments with our graduate students who were seeking support not only with their thesis or class essays but also in cultivating positive relationships with their advisors and peers. In response, our institution&#39;s Writing Center hosted its first Thesis Writers Retreat—the event was marketed as an exclusive multi-day event for graduate students where they could simply find time to write, share meals, and attend workshops on topics ranging from stress management to literature reviews. Within weeks of registration opening, the event was at capacity and through the years it has evolved into a signature annual event. While other institutions often call similar events “boot camps,” we chose to reimagine the event’s goal and accordingly called ours a retreat. Students at STEM institutions are already high achievers who can also experience high expectations from peers and faculty, so we wanted to provide our graduate students with an opportunity to not just make headway in their graduate projects but to also ignite a community of learners in a supportive environment; the retreat encourages students to appreciate key milestones in graduate school instead of only focusing on the finish line. In addition to making this event fully catered, interdepartmentally staffed, and free, we also host the event in an off-campus space adjacent to a park with nature preserves and hiking trails. By creating a truly retreat-like environment, we find that students leave the event energized instead of drained. To promote positive working relationships and communication, students are required to meet with their advisors before attending to co-create a realistic goal for that week. We also require that students complete daily reflections that encourage them to think critically about their own progress so that they can create sustainable steps toward graduation. A larger post-event survey has allowed us to make informed decisions about developing the event, and the survey results illustrate that we are achieving our original goals—students overwhelmingly report that they feel more confident in their writing, equipped with key skills, and connected to a graduate community. By adopting a similar style event, other institutions can create a signature student experience that can not only support their graduate students’ holistic success but can also lead to improved retention.   
AU  - Allyce Horan
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Cultivating Community and Confidence Through the Thesis Writers Retreat 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/56180
ER  -