Graduate School

Graduate School Bulletin

February 20,2024

 

Table of contents

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

Dean update

Articles of interest

Faculty and Staff

Recruitment

Admissions

Graduate Student Success

Opportunities for Graduate Students

Funding and awards for graduate students

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

 

Dean Update

Strategic Planning

The strategic planning process is moving forward with the launching of needs assessment surveys. We will be sending out by the end of next week surveys to address the needs of graduate students, and all graduate constituents (faculty, staff, graduate program coordinators, department heads, associate deans). Please consider taking the survey when you get it. These surveys are similar to the surveys we used in 2021. Comparing the 2021 data with the 2024 data will provide us the needed information for the Graduate School’s strategic plan but will also give us the opportunity to assess areas in which we made progress and areas in which we have not.

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3MT competition data

I want to thank all the faculty who have encouraged students to present their research at the Graduate School’s research presentation events. For all events, we have been seeing an increase in presenter participation and in the number of faculty mentors.

Here is some data regarding participation in the 3MT from 2016-2024. I hope this data will encourage you to attend this year’s final competition that will take place on Thursday, 2/22 at 5.30pm in the Union ballroom.

3MT Competiton 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Heats(1st Round) 30 30 30 26 30 30 39 52 69
Faculty Mentor 33 45 48
Faculty with more than 1 student competitor 6 5 13
Information about 3MT competition : https://www.k-state.edu/grad/student-success/research-forums/three-minute-thesis/

Detailed Information by colleges and by year can be found (with KSU long-in) in the Graduate Resources team’s folder.

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Articles of interest

Report: Best Practices for Using, Teaching Generative AI in Research

A recent report from Cornell University identified how artificial intelligence tools should be applied to research, with guidance on navigating the shortcomings of generative AI. An article from Inside Higher Education has more information about the report.

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If you come across an article that would be of interest to other graduate programs, please send it to Michael Sellman, Graduate School communication specialist, at msellman@ksu.edu, to have the article featured in a future Bulletin!

 

Faculty and Staff

Slate Implementation Showcase

The March Slate Implementation Showcase will be held March 7 from 2:30 to 3:30pm in Eisenhower 121 and through zoom.

In this session we will discuss the progress of the Slate Implementation as the new application and CRM for the graduate school.

This session will include a sneak peek into the current workflow build. The workflow is what happens to the application after it has been submitted. The sessions will be recorded and saved in the Grad Resources folder.

Please RSVP for this session by March 5th at 5pm

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Donoghue Scholarships Update

The Graduate School has made its decisions for the initial round of offers for the Donoghue Scholarship. This scholarship program was initiated by Dr. Timothy Donoghue, former Graduate School Dean, to recruit top candidates by supplementing graduate assistantship offers. A total of 28 nominations were submitted for the $3,000 GTA/GRA supplement for Master’s applicants with 17 selected for the award. A total of 49 nominations were submitted for the $5,000 GTA/GRA supplement for Doctoral and MFA applicants with 19 selected for the award. In 2023, the Graduate School launched an initiative to include international students among the nominees. This year, 12% of the Master’s and 32% of the Doctoral recipients were international students.

Applicants from all six of the Colleges submitting nominations received at least one award, varying from one Master’s student in Business to 10 Master’s, 10 Doctoral, and one MFA in Arts and Sciences. Awards can only be given to those who are nominated, so we encourage units to leverage their assistantship funding by submitting their best graduate applicants in future semesters to aid in their recruitment. Nominations of Spring 2025 admits will open early this fall.

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Graduate Council Elections for AY 2024-2025

Elections for service on the 2024-2025 Graduate Council are here!

Support from graduate faculty is paramount to the operation of the Graduate Council. Service on the Council is an excellent way to make an impact by being a part of the chief legislative and policy-formulating body of the Graduate Faculty. Council members handle course and curriculum proposals, manage and revise all policies related to graduate programs, review existing programs, and address student affairs. Members gain a much better understanding of policies and procedures and obtain new ideas, both of which benefit their home departments. To learn more, visit the Graduate Council information page.

Membership entails service on one of the four subcommittees and two meetings per month on a Tuesday or Thursday, at 3:30 pm. Regular members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible, but Special members are not. See the Graduate Handbook, Chapter 5 “The Graduate Faculty,” Sections C and D.

Volunteer today by submitting your name and department to gradinfo@ksu.edu. The nomination deadline is Thursday, March 14; self-nominations are welcome and expected.

Here's a general timeline of events:

February 23 Call for Nominations for Graduate Faculty to serve on Grad Council (3-year terms) distributed via listserv. Colleges determine their own representatives.
March 14 Final date for nominations to be sent to gradinfo@ksu.edu
March 19 Final date for nominees to accept the nomination.
March 20 Qualtrics survey ballots e-mailed to Graduate Faculty for voting.
March 31 Deadline for return of ballots. Colleges submit names of representatives to Graduate School.
April 1 Elections complete.

Departments may have only one representative on Council. Academic Area representatives must be from at least two colleges. See the by-laws of the Graduate Council for complete election procedures (https://www.k-state.edu/grad/graduate-handbook/chapter6.html); consult Section B.1 if you are unsure of which Academic Area your department falls.

College representative vacancies:

    • Architecture, Planning, and Design - 1
    • Agriculture - 1
    • Arts and Sciences - 1
    • Education - 1

College representatives are determined by the college graduate faculty and reported to gradinfo@ksu.edu by March 31, 2024.

Academic Area representative vacancies:

    • Applied Natural Sciences - 3
    • Arts and Humanities - 2
    • Basic Natural Sciences - 1
    • Business and Education - 2
    • Mathematics and Engineering Sciences - 3
    • Social Sciences - 1

Questions about Council elections can be sent to Timon Smock at tmsmock@ksu.edu.

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3MT finalists to compete in competition final round

The 12 finalists of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) first round will compete in the final round Feb. 22 in the Student Union Ballroom.

The final competition is open to the public. It will start with a social period at 5:30 p.m. The competition will begin at 6:00. All are invited and encouraged to attend the final round to support your students and learn about the research students are conducting in other graduate programs.

During the final round, judges will select a first-place winner who will receive a $500 scholarship and will represent K-State at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools 3MT competition on April 5 in St. Louis.

The second-place presenter receives a $250 scholarship. And the audience is invited to select a people’s choice award winner by voting for their favorite presentation of the night. The people’s choice award winner will receive a $125 scholarship.

The list of finalists to the following: https://www.k-state.edu/grad/student-success/research-forums/three-minute-thesis/

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Upcoming Events and Deadlines

February 21

Know-How: Graduate School Conversations – Slate info session, 11:30 a.m-1:00 p.m., 121 Eisenhower Hall, and by zoom unless otherwise noted.

February 22

Three Minute Thesis, final round of competition, 5:30pm, Union Ballroom

March 6

Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award Lecture: Jeffrey Pickering, political science and security studies professor, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Leadership Studies, Room 114

March 7

March Slate Showcase: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., 121 Eisenhower and zoom.

All Graduate School events and deadlines

Doctoral defenses

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Recruitment

Upcoming webinars for students interested in pursuing graduate education

The Graduate School will be hosting webinars for students interested in pursuing graduate education, respectively graduate certificate, master's and doctoral. They are welcome to join one or all webinars. The Graduate School is also promoting the webinars to prospective students.

The following webinars will be held in US Central Standard Time.

Feb. 26, 6:00pm

Feb. 29, 8:00am

The Application Process

March 4, 6:00pm

March 7, 8:00am

Funding Opportunities

March 18, 6:00pm

March 20, 8:00am

The Application Process

March 25, 6:00pm

March 27, 8:00am

Why K-State for Grad Education

April 1, 6:00pm

April 3, 8:00am

Funding Opportunities

April 8, 6:00pm

April 10, 8:00am

Resources for Graduate Students

Please visit the Graduate School Webinars and Fairs website for more information.

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Admissions

Slate CRM Implementation for Graduate School - Update

  • The Graduate School continues to work with Carnegie and the slate CRM implementation team. We have moved into Phase III and begun developing our workflows.
  • We have had multiple rounds of testing for the application and received lots of valuable feedback. The structure of the application is complete and we are finalizing the customization.
  • We are building two workflows; one is the review process and the other is for international students. We are working with the undergraduate admissions office to learn from their implementation of Slate with workflows and seek their feedback on their current process.
  • We continue to meet with IT to ensure we are staying on time and building the necessary process for a seamless integration.

The current timeline is as follows:

    • Phase 1- Completed by November 6, 2023
      • Building Records, Forms, Events, and Communications
    • Phase 2- Completed by January 22, 2024
      • The Application form developed
    • Phase 3- Complete by April 15th
      • Workflows designed
    • Final Implementation goal: April 29th
    • Historical Data Migration into Slate by May 31st

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International application processing update

The Graduate School is currently working to process applications and release I-20s for international students. Processing international applications currently takes 2 to 3 weeks. We are prioritizing those applicants who have been offered assistantships. Fortunately, we have more staff assigned to process international applications, which helps with processing the applications quickly and efficiently.

Please direct any questions to gradapply@ksu.edu.

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Graduate Student Success

Etrieve form update

Etrieve by Softdocs is a cloud-hosted system and its emails are relayed through K-State to your inboxes. When K-State’s IT disruptions began, emails were held in a secure queue. Etrieve and its email relay service have now been re-enabled, and the queued emails were sent to your inbox on Feb. 1. No emails were lost during this process. Depending on your role, some Etrieve users may have received a few emails, and others may have received a large amount at once.

The links in those emails are active. However, forms and workflows are still disabled. Currently, no actions can be taken on the packages, i.e., approve/decline. IT will notify departments when more services are available, and the respective departments will let you know when your forms can be completed. Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through these issues.

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KSIS graduation application for summer 2024 is open

The KSIS graduation application is available for students planning to graduate in spring or summer 2024.

If students want their name to appear in the printed commencement program, the KSIS graduation application must be completed by March 4th.

Instructions on applying for graduation in KSIS can be found on the service portal website.

For more information on other graduation requirements and deadlines, as well as accessing the printable checklist to keep track of your progress, please visit the Graduate and Commencement checklist website.

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2024-2025 student health insurance update

In a K-State Today announcement last week reporting on the monthly Kansas Board of Regents meeting, it was shared that the Regents would act on student health insurance benefits and premium rates for plan year 2024-2025. The recommended plan holds premiums flat from the current plan year and does not change the benefit package or eligibility for any plan options. This is the first time in several years that there has not been an increase in premium rates or change in benefits to student health insurance.

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Opportunities for Graduate Students

College of Business seeking student volunteers for DECA Conference

The College of Business is inviting graduate students to volunteer as judges for the annual DECA State Conference. While the conference runs March 3-5, judges are needed for the conference that will be hosted at K-State on March 4.

DECA is a high school program that prepares emerging leaders. During the conference, high school students will compete in a variety of categories.

The Business College is looking for 150 judges total, and currently they need approximately 40 more volunteers. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Students interested in volunteering as a judge can reach out to Megan (mdr2011@ksu.edu) or Logan (lmgauby@ksu.edu) or ksdeca@ksu.edu with any questions. Those interested in volunteer are asked to fill out a Judge Interest Form as soon as possible.

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Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Quad Fellowship applications now open

The second cohort of the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Quad Fellowship is now open to exceptional master’s and doctoral students in science and technology.

The application for the for the 2024-2025 academic year is now available on the Quad Fellowship website until April 1 at 5:00 pm.

The fellowship, initiated by the Quad countries of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, and administered by IIE, sponsors exceptional STEM master's and doctoral students to study in the United States. The fellowship offers a one-time $40,000 stipend for academic expenses, networking opportunities with knowledgeable individuals in STEM, government, and society, and working within a multicultural alumni network dedicated to advancing innovation and research for a positive social impact.

For more information, please visit the Quad Fellowship website. Or, you can contact QuadFellowshipInfo@iie.org if you have any questions.

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Applications for Department of Energy’s NNSA Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship now open

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA LRGF) is currently accepting applications through March 13, 2024.
The fellowship includes at least two 12-week research residences at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Sandia National Laboratories (California or New Mexico), or the Nevada National Security Site.
Renewable for up to four years, the Fellowship is open to U.S. citizens who plan full-time, uninterrupted study toward a doctoral degree at an accredited U.S. university. Second-year (or later) graduate students may apply.
Application instructions and a downloadable poster are available on the DOE NNSA Fellowship website.
Frequently asked questions and specifics regarding submission components and required supporting materials are accessible on the application portal. An instructional webinar recording is also available on the Fellowship Q&A website.

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Graduate School and Staley School of Leadership host Leading Change Workshop Series

Graduate students interested in building community and leadership experience in their personal and professional lives are invited to attend the Leading Change Workshop series beginning Feb. 27.

The series, which is offered through a partnership between the Graduate School and the Staley School of Leadership, introduces students to structures designed to help them as they explore leadership that are essential to their professional and private lives.

All K-State graduate students are invited to participate in the following workshops:

    • Feb. 27, 2:30-3:30 - “Leading with Strengths in Complex Adaptive Systems,”
    • March 5, 2:00-3:00 – “Leadership Coaching.”
    • March 28, 2:30-4:00 – “Better Leadership: Centering Compassion, Wellbeing, and Belonging.”
    • April 4, 2:30-3:30 – “Becoming a Community-Engaged Scholar.”
    • April 26, 3:30-4:30 – “Leveraging Collective Leadership for Sustainable Development.”

All sessions will be offered virtually through zoom and will also be recorded for those who would like to attend but are unable to.

Students who attend the workshops and the other events listed on the GSC Professional Development website can earn a professional development certificate.

For more information, and to register for events, please visit the Graduate School Leading Change Workshop Series website.

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Graduate School to be present at upcoming graduate fairs and conferences

The Graduate School Program Coordinator, Bridget Rainey, will be present at the following events in February to discuss available opportunities with students.

For more information, please contact Bridget Rainey at bdrainey@ksu.edu.

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Last day to apply for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Scholar’s Connect Program

The Feb. 16 deadline to apply for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Scholar’s Connect Program was previously extended to today, Feb. 20, at 11:59pm.

The NIEHS Scholars Connect Program (NSCP) is designed to provide a unique opportunity for highly motivated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focused undergraduate students to connect with NIEHS and receive frontier-level training in biomedical research.

Please visit the NIEHS zintellic website to apply.

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BSL-3 Training/Transboundary Animal Diseases Summer Program

The Center for Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases BSL-3 Training program is accepting applications for the summer program. The two-week program consists of one week of hands-on and classroom training at the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) at Kansas State University and the second week with in-person and virtual presentations from area industry partners and seminars/lectures from national and international subject matter experts in high containment research and transboundary animal diseases.

The deadline to apply is March 4. More information can be found on the Animal Disease Summer Program flyer. Please visit the College of Veterinary Medicine’s BSL-3 application site to apply.

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Writing Excellent Teaching Statements

In this dynamic writing workshop, graduate students and post-docs will learn to craft compelling teaching statements for academic job applications. Graduate students are invited to join Dr. Don Saucier, university distinguished teaching scholar, professor of psychological sciences, and faculty associate director of the Teaching and Learning Center, in a discussion to explore effective strategies to articulate their teaching philosophy. The session will be held Feb. 28, 1:30-2:30, via Zoom. Register to attend.

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Funding and awards for graduate students

Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship accepting applications

The Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship provides an award of $19,000 to a graduate student enrolled in a PhD program at K-State.

The award recognizes exceptional achievement in scholastics and research. Students who would like to apply must show effective communication of research results through publications in leading journals and presentations at national and international meetings. Up to two Sarachek Scientific Travel Awards of $1,500 each may be presented annually.

The application must be submitted by students or by K-State faculty by completing the online application form.

The nomination deadline in March 22, 2024. For instructions and eligibility requirements, visit the Sarachek Predoctoral Honors Fellowship website.

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Upcoming Events and Deadlines

February 21

TLC Professional Development Series: Supporting Student Workers, 12:00- 1:00 p.m. via zoom.

February 22

Three Minute Thesis, final round of competition, 5:30pm, Union Ballroom

February 28

TLC Professional Development Series: Supporting Student Workers, 12:00- 1:00 p.m. via zoom.

February 28

Writing Excellent Teaching Statements, 1:30-2:30pm, Zoom

March 1

GSC travel award application deadline for events that begin in May

March 5

Coffee Chat with the Graduate School Dean, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm, 118 Eisenhower Hall, and by Zoom

March 6

TLC Professional Development Series: Open Education Resources, 12:00- 1:00 p.m. via zoom.

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