Date released: August 25, 2025
Dear Students, Faculty, Administrators, and Staff,
Whenever we set out on a journey, it pays to map it out beforehand. And while we’re on that journey, it pays to check and recheck that map, to make sure we’re still on track. Those two steps not only make our journey easier — they also make reaching our desired destination much more likely.
So as we embark on this new year of graduate education at the University of Florida — whether as a new arrival or a seasoned returnee — my thoughts turn to a conceptual roadmap called self-determination theory, by which each of us can chart our course through the semesters that lie ahead.
Self-determination theory posits that we all share three basic human needs:
- Autonomy: The feeling that we’re choosing to do what we’re doing.
- Competence: The feeling that we can succeed in what we’re doing.
- Relatedness: The feeling that what we’re doing connects us to others.
Those three basics shape our intrinsic motivation — our drive to do something because it sparks a feeling of personal accomplishment, value, and growth deep within us, propelling us forward.
I invite you to consider these starting points as a launch pad for your own academic or career journey at UF, whether you are just starting out or shifting into high gear. Informed awareness of our basic needs and motivation beforehand can open our eyes to what resources to seek to navigate the landscape of graduate education together. And that very intentional, strategic approach can catalyze growth that transforms timidity into excitement, doubt into confidence, and barriers into breakthroughs.
And please know that as you lay claim to your own autonomy, competence, and relatedness to fuel your intrinsic motivation, the Graduate School stands ready to advance your own process of self-determination. Check out the tactics, tools, and teamwork we have in store for you. We’re but a telephone call (352 392 6622), keyboard click (grad.ufl.edu), or campus stroll (106 Grinter Hall) away!
Go Gators!
Nicole L.P. Stedman, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Dean
The Graduate School
University of Florida
Graduate School