2027 Doctoral Institute Symposium
June 12, 2027 | Morris Brown College | Atlanta, Georgia
About the Institute
Less Listening. More Learning, Doing, and Progressing.
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The 2027 Rising Scholars Doctoral Institute Symposium is designed differently from a traditional academic conference. Rather than centering the day around keynote addresses and presentation-style sessions, the Symposium uses a workshop- and lab-centered model that gives participants opportunities to actively work on the challenges, skills, strategies, and goals that matter most to their doctoral journey or institution.
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Throughout the day, participants will move between interactive workshops and hands-on learning labs designed to transform information into application.​
What's the Difference?
Workshops: Learn the Strategy
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Workshops provide focused instruction led by experienced faculty, researchers, practitioners, and doctoral professionals. Participants learn practical strategies, frameworks, tools, and approaches they can apply to real doctoral challenges.
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Topics may include scholarly writing, research methodology, dissertation development, responsible use of AI, defense preparation, doctoral persistence, student support, faculty development, and completion strategies.
Learning Labs: Put It Into Practice
Learning labs take participants beyond listening and into application.
Instead of simply hearing how something should be done, participants have opportunities to work on it during the Symposium. Depending on the session, scholars may review dissertation alignment, strengthen research questions, examine writing, practice defense responses, explore research tools, develop completion plans, or receive guided feedback.
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Institutional participants may use labs to examine student-success practices, identify support gaps, explore retention and completion strategies, and begin developing solutions they can take back to their campuses.
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Learn It. Apply It. Advance It.
The workshop/lab model follows a simple philosophy:
LEARN → PRACTICE → RECEIVE FEEDBACK → DEVELOP A PLAN → MOVE FORWARD
Our goal is for participants to leave the Symposium with more than notes and inspiration. We want them to leave with greater clarity, practical tools, completed or improved work, new connections, and defined next steps.
Who Should Attend?
The Doctoral Institute Symposium is designed for individuals across the doctoral and graduate-education ecosystem:
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Doctoral Students — Strengthen the skills and knowledge needed to progress through the doctoral journey.
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Prospective Doctoral Students — Gain a clearer understanding of doctoral expectations and prepare for the transition into advanced study.
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ABD Scholars — Rebuild momentum, address dissertation barriers, and develop actionable completion strategies.
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Faculty & Dissertation Chairs — Explore strategies for mentorship, feedback, scholar development, and effective doctoral supervision.
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Graduate Administrators — Examine practices that influence persistence, progression, engagement, and completion.
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Student-Success Professionals — Explore ways to strengthen academic and nonacademic systems of doctoral support.
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Higher-Education Leaders — Consider institution-level strategies for improving graduate pathways, student success, research development, and completion.
Student Learning Tracks
Participants can select learning experiences that align with where they are in their doctoral journey.
Scholarly Writing
Strengthen doctoral-level writing, organization, scholarly voice, argument development, and academic communication.
Research
Build greater confidence in research design, methodology, data collection, analysis, research alignment, and research tools.
Dissertation Development
Work through critical elements of proposal and dissertation development while identifying strategies for overcoming common barriers to progress.
AI & Doctoral Scholarship
Explore responsible and ethical ways to use artificial intelligence as a tool for learning, thinking, research development, and scholarly productivity without compromising academic integrity or scholarly ownership.
Defense Preparation
Develop presentation strategies, practice responding to committee questions, strengthen research communication, and prepare for the dissertation defense experience.
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Completion Strategies
Identify barriers, establish priorities, develop accountability strategies, and create an actionable plan for maintaining momentum toward completion.
Professional & Institutional Track
The Symposium is also a learning environment for the professionals and institutions responsible for supporting graduate and doctoral education.
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Doctoral Retention
Explore factors influencing doctoral persistence and identify opportunities for earlier and more coordinated intervention.
Completion Strategy
Examine the doctoral journey from enrollment through graduation and identify institutional practices that can better support progression and completion.
Faculty Development
Strengthen faculty approaches to doctoral mentorship, dissertation supervision, feedback, communication, and scholar development.
Responsible AI
Explore the opportunities, challenges, policies, and educational implications of artificial intelligence in graduate and doctoral education.
Student Support Systems
Examine how academic support, research resources, mentoring, writing assistance, engagement, and other services work together to support doctoral success.
Graduate Pipeline Development
Explore strategies for helping students identify appropriate graduate opportunities, prepare for advanced study, transition successfully, and remain connected to institutional graduate pathways.
Institutional Participation
Bring More Than an Individual—Bring Your Institution Into the Experience.
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Colleges and universities can use the Symposium as an opportunity to support scholars while simultaneously developing the faculty, administrators, and leaders responsible for their success.
BRING A COHORT
Send doctoral, graduate, or prospective graduate students to participate together and return to campus with shared strategies, resources, and momentum.
SEND A LEADERSHIP TEAM
Invite graduate administrators, faculty, dissertation chairs, student-success professionals, and institutional leaders to participate in the Professional & Institutional Track and explore strategies relevant to your institution.
BECOME A PARTNER
Collaborate with Rising Scholars Inc. to expand access, contribute expertise, support programming, and strengthen graduate and doctoral success.
SPONSOR SCHOLARS
Help remove barriers to participation and continued doctoral progress by investing in scholar support through Rising Scholars Inc.
The Rising Scholars Doctoral Institute Journey
2026 — Where It Began
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2026 Doctoral Learners Conference & Gala
Our inaugural Doctoral Learners Conference brought scholars, faculty, professionals, institutional leaders, and supporters together in Huntsville, Alabama, for learning, dissertation development, practice defenses, research education, networking, recognition, and celebration.
VIEW 2026 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS →
2027 — Where We Go Deeper
Doctoral Institute Symposium | Morris Brown College
The 2027 Symposium shifts the focus toward an intensive workshop and learning-lab experience, giving scholars and institutional participants dedicated opportunities to learn, practice, collaborate, and develop actionable next steps.
2028 — Where We Come Together Again
Doctoral Learners Conference & Gala
The full Doctoral Learners Conference & Gala returns in 2028, bringing together an expanded community of scholars, faculty, institutions, partners, presenters, and supporters for doctoral development, research, networking, institutional collaboration, and celebration.
Don't Just Attend. Come Ready to Work on What's Next.
Whether you are a scholar trying to move your dissertation forward, a faculty member supporting doctoral learners, or an institution seeking stronger approaches to graduate student success, the 2027 Doctoral Institute Symposium is designed to provide a space to learn, apply, collaborate, and advance.
REGISTER | BRING A COHORT | BECOME A PARTNER | SPONSOR A SCHOLAR