Announcements/Deadlines
- Graduate Education Week is March 21-25. For the full schedule of events, click here.
- Fall 2005 GTA workshop will be held Monday (August 15) afternoon and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
Updates/Reminders (from the February Workshop)
- Departments are encouraged to conduct a preliminary review of applicants’ files (prescreening) and make recommendations for admission or non-admission based upon this review. This review can be done before the Admission Analysis form is issued.
- The AA form will be issued by the Graduate School when our file is complete (application, payment of fee, official transcripts, and official TOEFL scores) OR by departmental request for specific students. If the Graduate School file is incomplete at the time of request, this will be noted on the form. Departments can still make their recommendations for admission or not.
- The AA form will become an automated form this semester and we will provide training when automation is implemented.
- We have initiated the first phase of “eAdvising” from the Graduate School. Each semester we send an e-mail to students without an approved Plan of Study reminding them to file a Plan of Study. Currently, the e-mail goes only to the student. In the future, we will send a list of all students receiving the e-mail message to the designated person in the department. This process was initiated to assist department and faculty to help graduate students make timely progress toward degree completion. More eAdvising through e-mail communication will be forthcoming.
- Assuming negotiations go well, the long awaited “Imaging System” will become a reality sometime during the spring semester. As planned, the system will be a university wide operation that will enhance departmental and Graduate School functionality. Once the negotiations are completed, we will hold an information session. Stay tuned for the next phase of “going digital in graduate education.”
Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
In August 2005, the Donaldson Brown complex will be transformed into graduate housing and the Graduate Life Center. Early in 2006, the Graduate School will move into the first two floors of the Alumni Hall portion of the complex. The place and programs will become a signature component for the Graduate School’s Transformative Graduate Education initiative and reflects our emphasis to build graduate community. More information about the Graduate Life Center, tours of the facility and brochures will be available during Graduate Education week.
Changes in Policies/Procedures
A brief overview of recent changes in policies/procedures was presented and discussed at the February Workshop. These included:
- The policy regarding Visiting Graduate Students now specifies that enrollment for these students normally is limited to one calendar year or 18 credit hours.
- A statement of clarification in the wording of the procedures for Final Examination (Master’s) includes the following: “Normally, the advisory committee will carry out the examination, and can be supplemented by additional members as appropriate.”
- Regarding Probation policy, the wording was changed to: “A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a “B” (3.0) average will be placed on probation by the Graduate School. Departments will receive a copy of the letter for their review and recommendation, if any.”
- ETD submission section was edited to include only thesis/dissertation and omit the major paper (project and report) from the ETD requirement. In addition, a sentence was added: “If the deadline cannot be met, the advisor must send a request for an extension (e-mail is preferred) to the dean of the Graduate School. Late submission of an ETD (other than with an approved extension) will require the student to be enrolled. ”