Graduate School Newsletter

June 30, 2022


Table of contents

Click on a category name to view that section, or click on a headline to read the full announcement.

Faculty and Staff

Admissions

Graduate Student Success

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

 

Faculty and Staff

  • Communications/Marketing Specialist Position Launched

The Graduate School has launched the Communications/Marketing Specialist position. This new position will develop and implement, with academic units, communication strategies and develop marketing materials that are aligned with the KSU Communications and Marketing Division’s work and the university’s brand. They will also serve as marketing coordinator for all digital, web-based and print materials for the K-State Graduate School by working with the Graduate School administrative team. The search committee for this position are:

    • Dr. Megan Miller, Student Success, Grad School, Committee CHAIR
    • Anne Rubash, DCM
    • Dr. Lisa Melander, Sociology
    • Dr. Erika Lindshield, Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Health

 

Screening of applications will begin three weeks after posting and continue until position is filled. You can view the full position on the K-State Career’s Website.

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  • Director of Graduate Recruitment Position Launched

The Graduate school has launched the Director of Graduate Recruitment position. The director will serve in a strategic leadership role within the Graduate School, will work with the vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate school, as well as with the academic units, in creating a graduate recruitment unit within the Graduate School and leading it. The search committee for this position are:

    • Dr. Mark Ungerer, College of Arts and Sciences, Biology, Committee CHAIR
    • Dr. Marcellus Caldas, Graduate School and Office of International Programs
    • Kimberly Voight, Director Student Services, Olathe campus
    • Joe Horan, Head Admissions, Graduate School
    • Nicole Marple, Program Assistant, Food Science Institute
    • Dr. Michael Pritchard, K-State Salina Campus
    • Suzanne Lane, Recruiter | Student Services Team, Global campus
    • Suzy Auten, Director, Professional MBA Program, College of Business
    • Mirta Chavez, Interim Associate Vice President Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs

Screening of applications will begin three weeks after posting and continue until position is filled. You can view the full position on the K-State Career’s Website.

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The Graduate School has scheduled the Fall Brown Bag Sessions, Associate Dean’s Meeting, and all of the Graduate Council Meetings. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:

    • Brown Bag Sessions
      • September 21, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Eisenhower 121
      • October 19, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Eisenhower 121
      • November 16, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Eisenhower 121
      • December 14, 11:30am – 1:00pm, Eisenhower 121
    • Associate Dean’s Meeting
      • October 3, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Eisenhower 121
    • Graduate Council Meeting Schedule
      • All committee members have been sent a calendar invitation for these meetings. You can also view the schedules on the Graduate School Website.

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Dr. Marcellus Caldas will be working with the Graduate School and Dean Petrescu this Summer on grant writing, data analysis, setting up the graduate student recruitment unit projects, and on preparing for the new academic year. These projects will be building on Dr. Caldas' experience in international research collaboration and a history of teaching, research and administrative work as former department chair, Vice-Director of the Graduate School, Director of International Research Collaboration, Co-chair of faculty affairs in the faculty senate, and Assistant Provost for International Collaboration and Educational Programs. Dr. Caldas can be reached at caldasma@ksu.edu.

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The Spring 2022 semester’s incomplete “I” grade report shows that 130 graduate students have 186 incomplete “I” grades in courses taken in the Spring semester. This means that some students earned an incomplete grade in more than one course.

After reviewing the I report, please work with your graduate faculty colleagues and with the students on finalizing the course assignments and grades in these courses.

 

The final grades have to be assigned in the system by December 13, 2022. If the grades are not finalized by this deadline, incomplete grades will roll over to an F grade, negatively impacting the students’ progression towards graduation.

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The Graduate School is considering changing the name of concurrent programs (BS/MS and BA/MA) to accelerated programs for the following reasons:

    • to better reflect the 4+1 programs (4 years UG and 1 year master)
    • to avoid the confusion currently existent on campus with the concurrent degrees in undergrad education
    • to align our language with the mainstream one used in higher education for accelerated programs, as well as with the language used by faculty when discussing these accelerated programs
    • to also make K-State graduate programs more competitive

 

Given that this name change is not a policy change, it does not need to go through governance process. Preliminary conversations with Faculty Senate and Graduate Council leadership gathered support for the name change.

 

Dean Petrescu would like your opinions about these change before making the name change in the new catalog (AY 2022-2023). Please provide your thoughts and comments through Qualtrics.

 

Implementation of accelerated programs: The Graduate School is working with the Registrar’s office to develop a clear operationalization process for these accelerated programs. More information is forthcoming.

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Admissions

  • Important Information for New International Student Arrival for Fall 2022

    • International students were asked to arrive on campus by August 12, 2022, the date listed on the I-20 or DS2019 document.
    • If your departments is requiring students to arrive earlier than August 12th, please keep in mind that students can travel up to 30 days early to the USA (can start their travel to the USA by July 12, 2022). This is a Department of State travel regulation.
    • Students who are on an assistantship were asked to arrive close to the August 12th date in order to apply for a social security card and be put on entered in the system in order to received their stipends. Students cannot be paid until they have their SSN.
    • If a student is having problems with getting their visa processed or challenges in arriving in the USA by August 12, please ask them to contact the Teresa Baughman (baughman@ksu.edu) in the Graduate School.
    • The last day for late arrival for an international student for the Fall 2022 semester is Friday, August 26, 2022, pending department and Graduate School approval. If you know that due to visa or travel challenges a student might be arriving late, the department and the student need to inform the Graduate School of their late arrival no later than Monday, August 22, 2022 by emailing Teresa Baughman (baughman@ksu.edu). The Graduate School will need time to prepare new I-20’s and late arrival letters in order for the student to travel to the USA and to be allowed to enter into the country.
    • If the student cannot have their flight arrangements to arrive by August 26, they will need to defer their admission date to a future semester.
    • Please contact Teresa Baughman (baughman@ksu.edu) or Joe Horan (jphoran@ksu.edu) for questions related to international students.
    • All new international students attending classes on campus are required to check in person with the Graduate School upon their arrival to campus. They will not be able to enroll until they check in with the Graduate School.
    • All newly admitted international students are required to complete a tuberculosis screening for Lafene Health Center officials prior to arriving in the United States. Failure to complete the form prior to arriving to Kansas State University will impact their enrollment.
    • For instructions on completing the TB Compliance Form using the Patient Portal on the Lafene Health Center website please go to www.k-state.edu/lafene.
      • Select myLafene+ at the top, right hand side of the webpage
      • Log in using your K-State eID and password
      • Confirm your date of birth and select “Proceed”
      • Select “Form”
      • Select “Tuberculosis (TB) Screening Questionnaire”

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Graduate Student Success

On June 21, the Graduate School held a “Getting Ready for Your First Graduate Student Semester” Zoom session to share getting started information and address questions from incoming graduate students. Just over 100 students joined the session. Students who were unable to attend on June 21 are encouraged to attend a repeat offering of the session on July 19 or 21. A recording of the session will also be made available.

    • Schedule of additional activities (view a detailed schedule)
      • "Getting Ready" Zoom session – July 19 and July 21
      • Orientation for new international students – Aug 15
      • Welcome session for all new grad students – Aug 17 (in-person) and Aug 18 (virtual)
      • Orientation for new Graduate Teaching Assistants – Aug 18
      • Resources fairs, community building, and opportunities to get acquainted with campus – Aug 18-26
    • Getting started checklists and tutorials: This section of our website guides new graduate students through the K-State onboarding process (e.g., enrolling in classes, accessing technology). We also have guidance specifically for new international students and for grad students who are starting an assistantship. Learn more.

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Join Dr. Carlos Grijalva and Dr. Frankie Felder as they present Strategies to Promote the Success of Every Student. In this presentation, you’ll learn numerous ways you can strategically and intentionally support students as they strive to meet the expectations of your program, address nonacademic matters such as finances and housing, and navigate their own feelings of self-doubt and wanting to belong. Register for this presentation here.

This summer, the Graduate School welcomed 17 new graduate student ambassadors! The ambassadors are current K-State graduate students who volunteer their time to serve as a welcoming connection and resource for addressing questions from prospective and incoming graduate students and providing tours of the K-State campus to future graduate students. They also support their peers by promoting opportunities, resources, and critical information that will support fellow graduate student success.

The graduate student ambassadors have diverse backgrounds and experiences. Here’s a little about who they are.

    • 8 masters, 17 doctoral
    • Representing 19 programs from 6 colleges
    • From 7 U.S. states and 8 countries
    • 2 online students, 3 Olathe campus students, and one student at Ft. Leavenworth
    • Some ambassadors are also first generation students, parents, and active duty military or veterans

Learn more about the graduate student ambassadors!

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Upcoming Events and Deadlines

July 1

GSC Travel Award application deadline for events that begin in September

July 19

"Getting Ready" Zoom Session

July 21

"Getting Ready" Zoom Session for incoming graduate students

Aug

GSC Travel Award application deadline for events that begin in October

Aug 12

Summer Graduation Deadline

Aug 15

Orientation for New International Students

Aug 17

New Student Welcome & Orientation: In person, 1pm-4pm

Aug 18

New Student Welcome & Orientation: Virtual, 1pm-4pm

Orientation for new Graduate Teaching Assistants

Aug 18-26

Resources fairs, community building, and opportunities to get acquainted with campus

Sep

GSC Travel Award application deadline for events that begin in November

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