{"id":136600,"date":"2026-10-22T09:12:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=136600"},"modified":"2026-10-22T09:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:52:59","slug":"grad-studies-team-helps-students-throughout-academic-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/10\/22\/grad-studies-team-helps-students-throughout-academic-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Grad studies team helps students on path to degree"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If UNMC graduate students don\u2019t yet know Samuel Rickert and Jamie Engelken, they will eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Engelken and Rickert are UNMC\u2019s graduate studies specialists. Their role is to assist graduate students throughout their time at UNMC, as well as help prospective students work through the admissions process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rickert has been with the Graduate Studies office since August. His role is to help current students at any point during their process toward a University of Nebraska graduate degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;ve really enjoyed working with our team and getting to know the students we serve,\u201d said Rickert, who comes to UNMC from a career in teaching and education. \u201cEvery day brings new opportunities to learn and solve problems, and it&#8217;s rewarding to help students as they work toward their degrees. I&#8217;m excited to see how our programs and services continue to grow in the future.&#8221;Like Rickert, Engelken is available to help current students. But a large part of her role is helping to shepherd prospective students through the sometimes daunting application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u201cGraduate Studies encompasses a diverse range of academic programs, from graduate certificates and master&#8217;s degrees to doctoral programs.\u201d said Engelken, who took the admissions role in May of this year, after coming to UNMC Graduate Studies in March 2025 from an education career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI admit and process all of the students who go into our graduate programs \u2013 from non-degree students, intercampus and our regular educational paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI enjoy being the first contact for new students,\u201d she said. \u201cThey&#8217;re very excited and want to know more. Once they&#8217;re admitted, I can also advise them on what is to come next. So I especially enjoy guiding students through the admissions process, helping them transition from admission to matriculation, and supporting them as they begin their academic journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bridget Hamill, PhD, director of the UNMC Office of Graduate Studies, said she was pleased to have such a strong team providing student support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBeing new to the position, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to work with Jamie and Sam,\u201d Dr. Hamill said. \u201cTheir dedication, professionalism and steadfast focus on student success exemplify the excellence of our team and our commitment to graduate students.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Samuel Rickert and Jamie Engelken aim to provide advice, support on academic journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":136602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"134107,46580,132190,31104,52000,123274","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-student-news","topic-unmc-community","department-graduate-studies","department-graduate-studies-newsletter","author_override-john-keenan-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is 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