At a Glance: April 6, 2026
Announcements
Celebrating Graduate Student Appreciation Week
We’re excited to celebrate Graduate Appreciation Week from April 6-10 with a series of special events designed to recognize and appreciate you! Take a well-deserved break, connect with your peers, and join us for a week of professional development, fun, and celebration.
Throughout this week, we will have our virtual bulletin board, where you’ll have the chance to win prizes, and virtual professional development events. For our local online learners, there’s also the Champaign-Urbana baseball tailgate and meet up and an opportunity for professional headshots. Visit our Graduate Student Appreciation Week Event Calendar page for the full list of events and activities.
We want to highlight two virtual professional development events happening during the week.
Wednesday, April 8
Career Pivot Strategies with Jessica Virtuoso (MBA '20), senior consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers |12:00 - 12:45 pm CT
- Hosted by a Gies Alum
- Learn more about career pivot strategies and the use of AI in your pivot.
- Register Here: Career Pivot Strategies with Alumna Jessica Virtuoso (MBA '20)
Thursday, April 9
Navigating Uncertainty in Your Career | 4:00 - 5:00 pm CT
- Hosted by the Graduate College
- This hands-on workshop focuses on developing perspectives and plans in the face of career uncertainty.
- Register Here: Navigating Uncertainty in Your Career Workshop
Join the Hub on GiesConnect
If you haven’t joined the Hub yet, now is the time! We’re excited to share that we are completing the merge of the Gies Online and Learner and Alumni Networking Hub (the Hub) communities within GiesConnect on the InScribe platform this week. This brings everything together to create a stronger, lifelong Gies community—connecting learners and alumni throughout their careers. The Hub brings a variety of channels (program and academic, interest, industry, regional), chat features, and engagement opportunities.
If you have not yet joined the Hub, create an account today here or through your Gies Student Portal using your LinkedIn credentials. If you already joined the Hub previously with a Gies login and password, you need to log out and sign back in using LinkedIn to create a new profile.
Please note: GiesConnect notifications will now be sent to the email associated with your LinkedIn account. You can update this anytime in your LinkedIn settings.
Apply to Be a Growth Coach for BUS 401 Course
The Cohort Experience Program is hiring Growth Coaches for the upcoming academic year. Growth Coaches facilitate small weekly discussion groups for undergraduate seniors enrolled in BUS 401. This role is ideal for graduate learners interested in teaching, coaching, mentoring, or student development. Growth Coaches receive training, ongoing support, and paid professional experience. We seek reliable, reflective applicants who enjoy facilitating discussion-based work with undergraduate students. To learn more about the position and apply, visit the Growth Coach Application Website.
McKinley Relaxation Resources
As a Gies Online learner, you have a lot of commitments and responsibilities to balance — finding time to relax can be a challenge. Luckily, McKinley Health Center provides a list of relaxation techniques, exercises, and tips on their website! Check out their online resources here.
Diversify Your Career Strategy
It is important to have a holistic approach to your career search and Gies Online Programs offers resources to diversify your career strategy, including:
- Handshake- Explore job postings and connect directly with employers.
- Big Interview- Practice mock interviews for a hands-on learning experience.
- VMock- An AI resume builder tailored to your specific skills and career path.
Beta Gamma Sigma Members: Request Your Honor Cords for May Convocation
Are you an active member of Beta Gamma Sigma planning to participate in the May 2026 Convocation Ceremony? Make sure to complete the request form by Wednesday, April 15 to receive your honor cords to wear with your regalia during the ceremony. You will need your member number to complete the request form. Learners can find this information by logging in to the membership portal at betagammasigma.org.
Important Reminder: To streamline the graduation process, cords will be distributed exclusively at the Pre-Ceremony Open House event. They will not be available at the ceremony or via mail, so please plan to join us at the Open House to collect yours!
Gies Events
Seattle Meet Up
Wednesday, April 15 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm PT
Gies Business is looking forward to providing an opportunity for our iDegree learners and alumni in the Seattle area to gather for a meet up! Join your fellow learners and alumni for an evening of networking and connecting. The event will take place at Elliot's Oyster House (1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56 Seattle, WA 98101).Please register by Wednesday, April 8. We look forward to seeing you there.
Coffee and Conversations With Gies Online Women
Thursday, April 16 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm CT
Join us for an informal and engaging discussion featuring women in the Gies Online community who will share their experiences in business school and beyond. This conversation will highlight how the Gies community supports women in achieving their goals while navigating graduate education and professional growth.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear from fellow learners about building confidence, developing leadership skills, and balancing career and personal commitments while pursuing a graduate degree. If you’re interested in connecting with other women in the Gies community, we hope you’ll join us for the conversation.
Register for Coffee and Conversations
Washington DC Meet Up
Thursday, April 16 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm ET
Gies Business is looking forward to providing an opportunity for our iDegree learners in the Washington DC area to gather for a Meet Up! Join Alumni and your fellow learners to grow your Gies business network. The event will take place Thursday, April 16 at Proper 21- K Street (2033 K Street Northwest Washington, DC 20006-- Farragut West is the closet Metro stop). Space is limited. Please email Jim Lukeman at lukeman@illinois.edu to notify that you will attend by Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00 pm ET. We look forward to connecting with you!
Share the Benefits of Gies Online Programs
Thursday, April 23 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm CT
Do you know someone interested in Gies Online but still has questions about our credentials? Share this event and invite them to learn more directly from our students and recruitment staff! The event will provide an overview of the available credentials through Gies Graduate Programs, feature insights from current ambassadors, and include a Q&A session. We would love to connect with anyone you know who might be interested.
Chicago Meet Up
Tuesday, April 28 | 6:00 - 8:30 pm CT
Gies Business is looking forward to providing an opportunity for our iDegree learners and alumni in the Chicago, IL area to gather for a Meet Up! Join Senior Associate Director of iDegrees, Heather Aldridge; Senior Student and Academic Success Specialists, Micaela Childress and Erica Burks; your fellow learners for an evening of networking and connecting. The event will take place at Puttery (932 W Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607). Please register by Tuesday, April 21. Light food and refreshments will be provided as well as one round of mini golf. We look forward to connecting with you!
Gies News
Study Finds Workplace Leaderboards Can Encourage – or Undermine – Employee Generosity
A new Gies Business study, published in The Accounting Review, finds leaderboards that rank recognition given spur more helping—while “recognition received” can backfire. Here’s why and what to do.
Use the Event Calendar for information on upcoming events, such as iConverge and iDegree Convocation, as well as academic dates and deadlines for the semester. Click event titles below for details on the events happening this week.
Graduate Student Appreciation Week Activities
Monday April 6 - Friday April 10
Illinois Regional Coffee Chat
Thursday, April 9
California Regional Coffee Chat
Thursday, April 9
Champaign- Urbana Meet Up
Friday, April 10
In Case You Missed It...
Previous At-a-Glance issues are available for viewing via the Announcements section of the Online Programs website.