April 20^th, 2021

This newsletter is distributed to department heads, graduate program directors, graduate program contact staff, and graduate faculty. Graduate students receive a weekly email on Mondays from the Graduate Student Council. Information about student events and opportunities are also shared here to keep graduate program administrators, faculty, and staff informed.

Contribute to advancing graduate education and to supporting your work

On April 9th, the Graduate School distributed brief surveys to constituent groups (department heads, graduate program directors, graduate faculty, graduate program staff, and associate deans of graduate/research). The surveys will help Graduate School leadership learn more about your roles and challenges you experiences, as well as identify opportunities for growth to facilitate graduate education success.  If you fill multiple roles, you may have received more than one survey. You only need to complete the survey associated with your primary role. The surveys will close on May 3rd. We appreciate your participation and look forward to learning about your work in the graduate education area!

Department Heads

Annual CollegeNet Updates

Annual CollegeNet Updates are due May 31st. The Graduate School requests all programs to review their program-specific area of the online graduate application for updates.

Changes should be submitted to Joe Horan, the admissions coordinator, at jphoran@k-state.edu

Graduate Program Directors

Graduate Student Appreciation Month

April is Graduate Student Appreciation Month. The Graduate School encourages all departments and academic unit to celebrate this event and say THANK YOU to their graduate students for their contributions to teaching, research, scholarship, and outreach activities.  

Nominate students for Distinguished Thesis and Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award and CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award serve to recognize theses and dissertations that have made unique contributions to the student’s field of study. For both awards, each graduate program may nominate one student in each category: 1) Arts and Humanities, 2) Biological/Life Sciences. Nomination deadline is May 7.

Graduate Applications Processing

The internal deadline to recommend admission for International applicants for Fall 2021 was February 1st. This includes individuals who are: Living outside of the United States, applicants who are currently enrolled at an institution in the United States who plan to graduate in spring and plan to travel outside of the United States prior to August.

Departments are encouraged to submit their program recommendations for both International and Domestic applications for admission for Summer 2021 and Fall 2021.

Graduate Faculty

Celebrate faculty success – Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award lecture

The Graduate School has recognized Thomas Phillips, professor of entomology, as a 2020-2021 Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award recipient. Phillips will make a public presentation on his work at 4:00pm on April 27, via Zoom, as part of the Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award. All are invited to attend the lecture.

Recognize outstanding faculty – Nominations open for Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award

Nomination Deadline: May 3

Nominate doctoral candidates for the University Distinguished Professors Graduate Student Award 

Doctoral students from any discipline who have been admitted to candidacy and will be enrolled in the fall 2021 semester may apply. Applicants must demonstrate excellence in scholarship through publications and other accomplishments appropriate for his or her academic field. Application deadline is May 3.

Graduate Student Success

Encourage students to connect with Graduate School leadership

All graduate students are invited to a virtual coffee chat with Dean Petrescu, April 27 at noon. This informal chat session is a great opportunity for students to share their experiences and ask questions to help the Graduate School learn about successes and identify areas of unmet need to support student success. Register for Zoom access.

Support Graduate Student Career Planning – Online Career Conference

The Graduate School and Graduate Student Council will sponsor up to 50 graduate students to participate in Beyond the Professoriate’s annual Online Career Conference, May 1st and 8th. Graduate students interested and available to join the conference should complete a registration form with the Graduate School. They should NOT register on the conference site. The Graduate School will submit bulk registration for K-State graduate students to receive a discount for group registration.

Promote Science Communication Fellows Program

Applications are being accepted for the 2021 cohort of the Science Communication Fellowship program. The 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, develop a hands-on educational activity to engage with the public, and expand their professional network. Application deadline is May 9.

The Histochemical Society Cornerstone Grants

Application Deadline: June 30, 2021

The Histochemical Society’s Graduate Medical Trainee and Graduate Student Cornerstone Grant is encourages interest in histochemistry and histochemical-based research techniques in early-career physicians and scientists. This grant will provide funds to assist graduate medical trainees and graduate students in conducting research involving immunohistochemistry or histochemical techniques and in situ hybridization. The 2021 grant amount is $2,000. Applicants must be graduate medical trainees (residency or fellowship), graduate students (PhD or thesis-based Master’s), or combined degree program students. Click here to submit an application for a Cornerstone or Capstone Grant.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

View the Graduate School’s full calendar of events.