April 30, 2019 Events and Deadlines
This newsletter is distributed to department heads, graduate program directors, graduate program contact staff, and graduate faculty.
Graduate Program Directors
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.
Annual CollegeNet Updates are due May 31st
The Graduate School is requesting all programs to review their program specific area of the online application for annual updates. Changes should be submitted to Joe Horan, the admissions coordinator, at jphoran@k-state.edu
Fall 2019 Graduate Student Orientation
The Graduate School and other campus support units will host welcome and orientation activities for new graduate students admitted to graduate programs for the summer and fall 2019 terms during the week of August 19th. A tentative schedule of sessions and activities is available on the Graduate School website. A detailed schedule will be posted by early June. Incoming graduate students who have accepted their admission offer in CollegeNet will be sent a direct email notification about orientation. To ensure that all students receive this information, graduate programs are encouraged to promote graduate student orientation activities to their new and current graduate students.
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).
Faculty
Graduate Student Parental Leave Accommodation
As was shared with department heads, graduate program directors, and contact staff at the Graduate School’s spring 2019 update meeting, the Graduate Council approved a policy for Academic and Employment Accommodation and Leave for Pregnant and Parenting Graduate Students in December 2018. The policy appears in Chapter 1, Section F of the Graduate Handbook. Graduate students who wish to request academic and/or employment leave for the purpose of welcoming a new child (whether through childbirth, adoption, or foster care) must complete the Graduate Student Parental Leave Academic and/or Employment Accommodation Application. The form is to be submitted to the student’s graduate program, employing unit, and the Graduate School four months prior to the anticipated delivery date or placement date if the child(ren) is to be welcomed through adoption or foster care. If four months’ notice is not possible under the circumstances, the form should be submitted as soon as possible. Departments seeking financial support to help fund employment accommodation must submit the Departmental Work-Life Grant Application. Application forms are available in the Miscellaneous section of the Graduate School’s Forms page.
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.
Course Auditing Survey
The University is currently assessing participation in class audits and related policies. All graduate faculty members should have received an email as follows with the link to the survey. Please assist the efforts of the Committee on Academic Policy and Procedure (CAPP) by participating in the survey. Questions regarding the survey can be directed to Dr. Bronwyn Fees, Molly McGaughey, or Nick Brown.
The Committee for Academic Policy and Procedures requests all staff with instructional and advisor roles complete a short survey. These survey responses will help the University assess our practices for the Kansas Board of Regents compliance with class audits and related policies.
Even if you have NOT worked with an auditing student in the past year, please complete the survey. We desire a strong response rate. For those without auditing students, the survey will take 30 seconds. For those with auditing students, the full survey may be completed in approximately 3 minutes. Your feedback is important. This survey will close at 5:00 PM on May 6th. Survey Link
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 is open until the day of the race, and a limited supply of t-shirts are still available for order. Event proceeds will support GSC initiatives and activities.
Iman Outstanding Faculty Awards - nominations
Through the generosity of Dr. Ron and Mrs. Rae Iman, the K-State Alumni Association
annually honors K-State faculty for outstanding accomplishments in teaching and research.
Nominations are accepted from current K-State faculty and staff, so we encourage you
to promote this award to your staff. Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Research will be awarded to a full-time K-State faculty member who has distinguished him or
herself in their chosen profession and who have contributed significantly through
research to improve the betterment of the educational experience or whose research
has had a significant impact on their area of study. Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching will be awarded to a full-time K-State faculty member and is designed to honor excellence
in high quality of instruction, strong relationships with students inside and outside
of the classroom, and reputation for scholarship and distinguished service to the
university.
The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. Friday, June 28. The awards presentation will be held at the K-State Alumni Center on Monday, October 7 and the nominee must be able to attend. For information on the criteria for the awards
and a nomination packet, please visit Iman Outstanding Faculty Awards - nominations.
Graduate Students
Spring 2019 graduates: Important information regarding final transcripts and diplomas
To secure a transcript at the end of the Spring 2019 term with final grades included, there are important actions graduating students must take. Diplomas for Spring 2019 graduates will be mailed approximately eight weeks after spring commencement. Graduates must be sure their desired mailing address is listed for their degree/diploma address in KSIS.
Graduate Student Council Travel Awards
May 1 is the deadline for graduate students to apply for GSC travel awards for travel to academic and professional events that begin anytime in July.
Accepting Applications: Science Communication Fellowship
The Science Communication Fellowship is specifically designed for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers and is Sunset Zoo's flagship program of it's Behind the Science initiative. Fellows will enhance their science communication skills through a dynamic, engaging, and participatory workshop series. They also will develop a hands-on educational activity to use in multiple settings at Sunset Zoo and beyond, as well as a personalized webpage to engage multiple audiences with their work on Sunset Zoos Behind the Science website. Application and more information available on the Sunset Zoo website. The application deadline is May 3rd at 5:00 pm.
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.
