April 6^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.

Newsletter distribution reducing to every other week

Based on feedback received, distribution of the Graduate School newsletter will reduce to every other week. Special messages will be sent if critical information needs to be shared between newsletters. Faculty and staff are still welcome to share feedback on the newsletter in a brief survey. 

Contribute to advancing graduate education and to supporting your work

The Graduate School will distribute 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. Timeline: the survey will be sent out by Friday April 9, 2021. It will be open for three weeks, until Monday May 3, 2021. A reminder will be sent out a week before May 3rd.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to learning about your work in the graduate education area!

Graduate Program Directors

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

Serve as a marshal or attend commencement as a non-hooding faculty member

Graduate faculty are invited to serve as marshals and/or to attend as non-hooding graduate faculty at one or both Graduate School commencement ceremonies on May 14, 2021. If interested in serving as a marshal or attending as non-hooding faculty, complete a brief online form by April 5.

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

Celebrate your graduate students

April 5-9 is national Graduate Student Appreciation Week! Graduate students make valuable contributions to teaching, research, scholarship, creative discovery, and mentoring of graduate students. Many also engage in leadership and service to support the graduate student body and contribute to initiatives of the university. We hope you’ll express your appreciation to graduate students this week.

Doctoral candidate in biology receives Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship

Anil Pant, doctoral candidate in biology, Nepal, was awarded the $17,600 Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship in Molecular Biology.

Accepting Applications: Graduate Student Support Scholarships

The Graduate Student Council and Graduate School are pleased to offer the following special Graduate Student Support Scholarships in spring 2021 to address some of the unmet financial needs among graduate students: 1) Technology Support Scholarship, 2) Course Fee Support Scholarship, and 3) Publication Support Scholarship. Priority application deadline is April 9.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

View the Graduate School’s full calendar of events.