College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Faculty member walks through field with graduate student.

CALS Council of Graduate Advisors (CCOGA)

The mission of the CALS Council of Graduate Advisors (CCOGA) is to sustain and develop a network of graduate advising staff by sharing knowledge, best practices, and resources to foster the success of graduate students and programs.

Activities

The council hosts six business meetings a year with guest speakers, social and outreach events, and ongoing networking. Business meetings are at rotating locations held on the second Wednesday of the month from 9-10:30 a.m. A video link to view the meetings is provided.

Council members are staff within a CALS academic unit who possess job duties related to graduate students, including advising and the academic processes. Members serve on a CCOGA Committee and attend at least 25% of CCOGA meetings and activities. Members provide information to students and faculty regarding graduate programs and certificates both in person and online. Affiliate members are faculty within CALS or staff from UF/IFAS Research and Education Centers or other UF colleges. Affiliate member job duties include assisting graduate students or the academic processes and advising.

To receive email updates for business meetings and announcements, contact CCOGA’s recording secretary, Robin Snyder, at rsnyder@ufl.edu. Gain access to the council’s SharePoint site, which includes resources, presentations from guest speakers, and more.

CALS Council of Graduate Advisors Membership

Those eligible to apply for CCOGA membership would possess UF job duties related to graduate students in CALS, such as but not limited to: advising for campus or distance education, academic processes, recruiting, admission, monitoring milestone completion, letters of appointment, troubleshooting, maintenance, and retention. The CALS Deans with graduate degree program responsibilities serve as ex-officio members.

CCOGA Executive Committee Members (July 2019-June 2020)

President, Gregg Henderschiedt (Family, Youth and Community Sciences)
President Elect, Nicole Sloan (Family, Youth and Community Sciences -- Distance Education)
Recording Secretary, Robin Snyder (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
Best Practices and Mentoring Committee Chair, Jessica Ulloa (Plant Pathology)
Recruitment Committee, Michael Sisk (Soil and Water Sciences)
Recruitment Committee Ex-Officio Advisor, Heather McAuslane (CALS Assistant Dean)
Ex-Officio Advisor, Joel Brendemuhl (CALS Associate Dean)

Outreach

CCOGA organized and sponsored a spring Financial Planning professional development activity for all UF graduate students with Dr. Marti Gillen. Each student discovered one’s spending "style" and set financial goals.

Networking

Professional development opportunities abound among CCOGA members as they share resources, ideas and tools. A staff member in the UF Career Connections Center facilitated a networking workshop with students and staff.

Sharing Resources

CCOGA members pose, with M.S. students from Haiti. In December 2016, UF/IFAS Global sent a CCOGA member to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to present informational sessions on UF admissions processes and CALS graduate offerings and majors. In the following year, CCOGA members worked together in the admission processes to recruit over twenty of these students. This photo is a visual cornerstone of our mission and genesis in forming CCOGA as an official group.