Graduate School Weekly Newsletter
 

April 16, 2019    Events and Deadlines

This newsletter is distributed to department heads, graduate program directors, graduate program contact staff, and graduate faculty. 

Graduate Program Directors 

Electronic Form Submission – Decisions Workflow

Graduate School student forms can now be submitted electronically via the student forms dashboard on the Graduate School website. Forms submitted electronically through the forms dashboard will be sent through an approval workflow using Decisions which is a business workflow and rule platform administered by the K-State Office of Mediated Education. Students, faculty and staff can access the forms dashboard by navigating to “Academics” on the Graduate School homepage and selecting the “Form Finder”. The direct URL for Graduate School forms: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/academics/forms/ 

After opening the form finder page, click on “Electronic Form Submission” to get to the forms dashboard. You will be required to log in/authenticate with your K-State eID and password in order to access the forms dashboard:  
These forms are not savable and must be completed and submitted in one session. Students may want to use current forms available in WORD or PDF format as a worksheet to review with their advisor or major professor and collect the information that must be entered on the electronic form for submission. After filling out all required fields on the electronic form and submitting it, the form is sent through the approval workflow based on the committee members listed on the form. 

Most forms will be routed to the major professor, committee members, and department head or graduate program director for review. Each of these individuals will receive an e-mail from <grad@k-state.edu> with a link to the form to be reviewed in Decisions. After clicking the link to the form, the reviewer must log in/authenticate with their K-State eID and password to open the form. The reviewer can either approve the form or return it to the student for suggested changes. 

After all required committee member approvals are complete, the form will be forwarded to the Graduate School for final review and processing by the appropriate degree analyst. If approved, a copy of the final form will be e-mailed to the student, major professor and program contact/coordinator after graduate school processing is complete. 

The Graduate School will conduct training sessions for graduate program directors, faculty, and support staff by request. Please send an e-mail to Scott Schlender <scottsch@ksu.edu> to request a training session. Training sessions for groups can be scheduled in the Graduate School classroom space (EH121) or for individuals in their office or Scott Schlender's office (EH114).

2018-2019 Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty

The Graduate School is pleased to recognize Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick, professor of Psychological Sciences as the 2018-2019 Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty. Please save the following date for their upcoming lecture. Tuesday, April 23, 2019, 3:30 p.m. 4061 Business Building, Executive Conference Room.

Call for nominations: Distinguished Thesis and Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The Graduate School is now accepting nominations for the MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award and the CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year’s award categories are 1) Biological/Life Sciences and 2) Fine Arts and Humanities. These awards serve to recognize theses and dissertations that make an unusually significant contribution to their field. Each graduate program may submit one nomination for the thesis award and one nomination for the dissertation award. Please visit the award webpages for more information. Nominations must be submitted to the Graduate School, 113-119 Eisenhower Hall, or via email to Megan Miller (mmmiller@ksu.edu) no later than 5:00 pm on May 3, 2019.

Faculty  

Run, jog, walk, or stroll in the Grad Dash 5k

Celebrate the final weeks of the spring semester by participating in the Graduate Student Council’s Grad Dash 5k.  Race day is Saturday, May 11 and will be held on the K-State campus.  Registration fee is $18 for race participation and a t-shirt, but there also are options for race registration or t-shirt only.  Registration and payment must be submitted by April 24 to secure a t-shirt.  Event proceeds will support GSC initiatives and activities.

Commerce Bank and WT Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award

The Graduate School is accepting nominations for the Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. The award honors current members of the graduate faculty who are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding scholarly achievements and for their contributions to graduate education at the university. Recipients of the award will receive an honorarium and will be recognized during the fall Graduate School commencement ceremony and during a public lecture to the campus community. The link provides information to be submitted as one Word or PDF file to dgf@k-state.edu  by May 3, 2019.

Graduate Students  

ETDR Walk-In Help Sessions 

Graduate students who are planning to graduate in spring or summer 2019 and need assistance using the ETDR template or need assistance with formatting their ETDR are encouraged to attend a walk-in help session being held during the week of April 15 in the Seaton Hall Media Center, Room 1.

April 15, 3-5 pm 

April 16, 6-8 pm 

April 17, 10 am-noon 

April 18, 6-8 pm 

April 19, 1-5 pm

Mock Interviews for International Students

On Thursday, April 25th, the Career Center will be conducting individual mock interviews for international students to practice their interviewing skills.  Interested students should select an interview time in via the Sign-Up Genius Form.  Prior to their mock interview, students should watch the “Preparing for an Interview” presentation facilitated by Mary Ellen Barkley, Assistant Director in the Career Center.  Students should arrive at the Berney Family Welcome Center at least 5 minutes prior to their scheduled interview time on April 25th.  If interested but unable to participate on April 25th, students can schedule a Mock Interview Appointment anytime with their Career Advisor through their Handshake account

De-Escalation Techniques in the Classroom

April 26, 2-4pm, 127 Leadership Studies
The Sociology Graduate Student Association is holding a de-escalation workshop for graduate students, facilitated by Professor Tara Coleman and Brent Weaver. This interactive workshop is intended to discuss "tough conversations" within the classroom and how to "de-escalate" the tension in the classroom to provide a space where open conversations of race, discrimination, prejudices, and conflict can be mediated.  Advanced registration is requested. 

GRAD BASH for Graduating Students

The K-State Alumni Association and Student Alumni Board invite all students graduating in May or August to the Grad Bash at the K-State Alumni Center on Thursday, May 9th, from 4-6 p.m. Enjoy a free food served by members of the K-State administration. There will also be a free gift from the Alumni Association(while supplies last), prize drawings, and the opportunity to network with other graduates.

Changes to Incomplete Grade Policy

As announced by the Office of Registrar, the Incomplete grade policy was recently modified to be effective for courses taken fall 2018 and later. In general, an incomplete grade earned in fall 2018 will convert to a grade of F during spring 2019 grade posting unless a grade change has occurred prior to that time. Some exceptions to this may include graduate research, theses, study abroad and some internship courses.
Occasionally, circumstances arise that necessitate students requesting a grade of incomplete be extended beyond the single semester after the incomplete was granted. Recent modifications to the Incomplete Grade Policy (University Handbook, F83) show how such an extension of an incomplete grade is initiated and processed. 

  • For incomplete grades earned fall 2018 or later, the responsibility for initiating the request for an extension will be placed on the student using a form available on the Office of the Registrar website.
  • A student must first secure a signature from his or her advisor. The advisor's signature indicates an awareness of the student's desire to extend the incomplete. If the advisor is unavailable or the student has no assigned advisor, the student's dean's office must sign in lieu of the advisor. 
  • The student will then discuss the extension request with the instructor and if approved, secure the instructor's signature. 
  • The instructor will then submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The instructor should not submit the form without all required signatures. 
  • The deadline for submission of this form will be the Tuesday of final exam week. 
Graduate Student Writing Retreat Application Deadline Extended

The Writing Center and Graduate School are hosting the annual Graduate Student Writing Retreat May 20-24 and 28-29. The retreat provides graduate students time and space to write in a supportive atmosphere and promotes effective writing practices to boost the dissertation- and thesis-writing process. Applications will continue to be accepted through April 17, or until the retreat reaches capacity for participation.

 

 
footer