GradInfo Newsletter--September 2008
Important Dates
Workshops: Thesis Workshop, Fall 2008 Workshops for Students, Workshops for Faculty and Staff
Announcements : California Pre-Doctoral Program, President's Graduate Scholars Fellowships, Provost's Graduate Scholarships
Deadlines: Graduation for Fall Graduates, Advancement for Spring Graduates, The Robert and Norma Craig Fellowships, Graduate Student Research Merit Award, Spring 2009 Admission
FYI
This newsletter will also be available on our Web site; click News & Events on the DGS Web site.
DGS Office Hours
The Graduate Office continues to offer expanded business hours, weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until noon, and 1:00 until 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. closing time on Fridays).
New and Returning Program Coordinators
Please join us in welcoming these new and returning graduate program coordinators:
Arthur Parham, Animal Science (interim)
John Constable, Biology
Shigeko Seki, Computer Science
Peter English, Criminology
Erin Dormedy, Food and Nutritional Sciences (interim)
Jenelle Gilbert, Kinesiology
Doreen De Leon, Mathematics (interim)
Robert Fire, Nursing
Gerardo Munoz, Physics
Suzanne Kotkin-Jaszi, Public Health
Carol Rankin, Rehabilitation Counseling
Yolanda Doub, Spanish
Walter Ullrich, TeachingA complete list of graduate program coordinators is on our Web site: <www.csufresno.edu/gradstudies/narratives>.
If your program has changed coordinators recently, and that change is not listed above or on the Web site list, we need the "Graduate Coordinator/Director Official Appointment Notification" form on file in our office. It's available on the DGS Web site under ""Forms."
Web Site Updates
There are still outdated links from department Web sites to DGS Web pages out there. Please alert your Webmasters that our URLs have changed due to our adopting the "Clean Up the Web" standards last year. The only difference for almost all DGS Web pages is changing the suffix from ".htm" or ".html" to ".shtml".
Graduate Handbook
The Graduate Handbook, which is distributed to graduate coordinators and is available in the Faculty section of our Web site, is undergoing its 2008 revisions. The copies of the revised pages will be sent out to coordinators and put on the Web site in September.
McNair Scholars
The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is an exciting effort designed to encourage low-income individuals who are first-generation college students and/or historically underrepresented in graduate education to pursue doctoral study. The McNair Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, proposes to motivate and prepare promising students for graduate study. As a result of participating in the McNair Program, McNair Scholars will gain demonstrable research skills, acquire valuable knowledge about graduate education and how to access it, and increase their chances of applying for and being successful in doctoral study. McNair Scholars, under the direction of a faculty mentor, will be responsible for the completion of a carefully planned research assignment for which they may be selected to receive a stipend of up to $2,700 to defray costs of participation in the summer research project. In addition, McNair scholars establish a supportive network of scholarly professionals and peers. Other activities and benefits include: travel to a professional meeting or conference; seminars designed to introduce participants to the culture of graduate education through successful role models; participation in a GRE Intensive Review Session; assistance in defining, setting, and realizing educational goals; and access to computer and information technology. The McNair program benefits from the joint sponsorship of the Division of Graduate Studies and the Division of Student Affairs. The facilities of both offices are made available to McNair scholars to ensure their continued educational advancement.
More information about the McNair Program is available on the McNair Web site: www.csufresno.edu/mcnair
Please join us for the McNair Research Symposium on Friday, October 24, 8:30 am-1:00 pm in the University Business Center.
IMPORTANT DATES
For Workshop dates, see below under Events & Workshops
For a full list of important dates and deadlines for graduate students and faculty, go to the "Dates & Deadlines" section of the DGS Web site.
Until September 5: Application period for master's degrees or certificates of advanced study to be awarded in Fall 2008. Forms are now available online under the "Forms" link on the DGS Web site, and in the Division of Graduate Studies office.
September 26 : Deadline for the Advancement to Candidacy petition to be turned in to the Graduate Office for students graduating in Spring 2009
October 17 : The Robert and Norma Craig Fellowship application deadline (details below)
October 17: The Graduate Student Research Merit Award application fall deadline (details below)
October 24 : McNair Research Symposium, 8:30am-1:00pm, UBC
October 27 : Thesis final draft deadline
November 1 : Last day to apply for Spring 2009 admission (CSUMentor.edu)
December 19 : Master's Degree Clearance form deadline for students graduating in Fall 2008
WORKSHOPS
Thesis Workshop
One more workshop for Thesis 299 students will be offered this semester, on Saturday, September 6 , from 9 until 10:30am, in AG 109. Thesis process and required formatting, including instruction on the thesis template, will be included. This workshop is useful for students at any stage of their thesis. Preregistration is required so we'll have enough handouts available. Students may register online: <www.csufresno.edu/gradstudies/thesis/>; by phone: 8-2418 or 8-2448; or in person in the Graduate Division, Thomas Administration Rm. 132.
Fall 2008 Workshops for Students
Registration is required for these workshops and is now open on the DGS Web site.
Workshops for graduate students:
Topic (Date, Time, Location)
Thesis Workshop (Sept. 6, 9 - 10:30am, Ag109)
Writing a Research Paper (Sept. 10, 2 - 3:30pm, Ag109)
Applying to Doctoral Programs (Sept. 16, noon - 1pm, UC202)
Identifying and Dealing with Stress (Oct. 1, noon - 1:30pm, UHC Conf. Rm.)
Advancement to Candidacy (Oct. 10, 3 - 4pm, USU 312-314)
Conflict Resolution Strategies (Oct. 17, 2 - 4pm, UC 202)
Communicating Research: Oral Presentations (Nov. 7, 2:30 - 4pm, UC 202)
Workshops for Faculty and Staff
Topic (Date, Time, Location)
Course and Curriculum Change Procedures (Sept. 8, noon - 1:30pm; UC 202)
Graduate Advising Workshop, in three parts (Sept. 5, 1:30 - 3pm; Sept. 11 , 11am - 12:30pm; and Sept. 19, noon - 1:30pm; all in UC 202)
Electronic Admissions I (Beginning: all-inclusive) (Sept. 26, 11:30am - 1:30pm, PB194)
Electronic Admissions II (Refresher) (Oct. 3, 11:30am - 1:30pm, PB194)
Advancement to Candidacy (Oct. 10, 3 - 4pm, USU 312-314)
Thesis Advising (Oct. 16, 10 - 11:30am, UC 202)
Becoming a McNair Mentor (Oct. 20, noon - 1pm, LS 181)
Using Graduate Students to Maximize Your Recruiting Efforts ( Nov. 14, noon-1:30pm)
Do you have suggestions for additional topics? Contact Dianne Dickerson at 278-2448 or dianned.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
California Pre-Doctoral Scholars, 2008-2009
The California Pre-Doctoral Program is designed to increase the pool of potential faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of California State University students. The $3,000 award provides travel funds for the student and faculty sponsor to travel to doctoral institutions and professional conferences, and for other selected activities that would increase their acceptance into doctoral study. In addition scholars also have an opportunity to apply for a summer internship.
The Division of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate the 2008-2009 California Pre-Doctoral Scholars and their faculty sponsors!
Scholar, Degree, Faculty Sponsor
Michael Flores, Public Health, Helda Pinzon-Perez
Eliane Ly, French, Rose Marie Kuhn
Luis Morales, Criminology, Matthew Jendian
Georgianna Negron, Psychology, Sunde Nesbit
Tiffany Rogers, Communication, Shane Moreman
Soua Xiong, Psychology, Song Lee
President's Graduate Scholars Fellows, 2008-2009
Each academic year, President Welty awards two President's Graduate Scholars Fellowships to incoming, first-semester master's degree or Ed.D. students. Each program may nominate one fall applicant. Scholars receive $3,500 for their first year of full-time graduate study with the possibility of a second-year award.
Congratulations to the new and continuing President's Graduate Scholars Fellowship recipients:
First Year:
Kimberly Hudson - Business Administration
Lauren Lieder - Physical TherapySecond Year:
Ioannis (Yannis) Toutountzis - Plant Science
Katsuhito Watanabe - Linguistics
California Graduate Equity Fellows, 2008-2009
The California Graduate Equity Fellowships, grants up to $4,500, are available for underrepresented graduate students. This program seeks to increase the diversity of students completing a graduate degree program at California State University, Fresno and encourages continuation on to doctoral programs and consideration of university faculty careers.
Congratulations to the 2008-2009 new and continuing fellows!
Tzitzijanik Serrano Campos, MS Counseling
Maria Teresa Garcia, MPT Physical Therapy
Sabrina Garcia, MS Nursing
Alicia Gonzalez, MPH Public Health
Raymond Maestas, MS Plant Science
Frances Rond, MS Plant Science
James Tyner, MFA Creative Writing
Mary Vongsackda, MA Psychology
Salome Yu, MA Linguistics
Provost's Graduate Scholarships, 2008-2009
The Provost's Graduate Scholarships are awards of from $1,000 to $3,000 per year for two years whose purpose is to help attract high-quality students to graduate degree-granting programs. Graduate coordinators apply on behalf of their programs. DGS awards the monies based on graduate program criteria such as quality of the recruitment plan and mentoring of students.
Congratulations to the 2008-09 scholarship recipients:
Art and Design: Lyssa Bird
Biology: Whitney Janzen, Brett Moore
Biotechnology: Lorenzo Cipani, Amish Karanjit
Civil Engineering: Jose Gomez
Communication: Hagar Attia, Nicole Takemoto
Creative Writing: Michelle Brittan, Andrew Corcostegui, Miguel Jimenez, Karen McKie, Laura Musselman, Mario Rosado, Kristofer Whited, Andre Yang
Education (Reading/Lang Arts option): Alissa (Baker) Wolf
Engineering (Electrical Engineering option): Kedar Basavaraj, Akshay Srikanth Heblikar, Tom Pittenger, Gaganpuneet Kaur Sandhu
Geology: Emily Davis, Andy Shriver
History: Ryan Brunkhorst, Luke Fleeman, Nikola Pang, Michael Tercero
Kinesiology: Robbie Bellamy, Kerry Duncan, Ervin Hernandez, Terrence Jordan, Tara Kulikov, Kristy Matthews, Inez Monday, Daisuke Shibata, Ryan Walker
Linguistics: Kaori Aono, Nicole Engle, Fumi Niizeki, Vahide Rasekhikolokdaragh, Hacer Tercanli, Nalee Thao, Lianna Tran, Lena Vasilyeva
Physics: Roger Newcomb
Physical Therapy: Henry "Rocky" Cisneros, Yoshi Fujii, Andy Christopher Harrison, Joel Hensley, Jeff Lum
Plant Science: Marcelo Moretti, Christine Rainbolt
Psychology: Joy Ewart, Jordan Silbert
Public Health: Elizabeth Granados, Kudzai Nyandora, Amol Vadalkar
Rehabilitation Counseling: Neetu Aurora, Sunday Fadiya, Jenny Sau, Janeth Vega
DEADLINES
Graduation for Fall Graduates, September 5
Students completing a master's degree in Fall 2008 semester must apply for graduation during the first two weeks of the semester, August 25-September 5. Applications are now available on the DGS Web site and in the DGS office.
The crucial deadlines for students who intend to graduate in Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 are on our Web site. This Web page is updated regularly. Please bookmark it. <www.csufresno.edu/gradstudies/requirements/deadline.shtml>
Advancement for Spring Graduates, September 26
September 26, 2008, is the deadline for graduate students to petition for advancement to candidacy in order to be eligible for Spring 2009 graduation. Advancement petitions are due in the Division of Graduate Studies office, Thomas Administration Building, room 132, by 5:00 p.m. Compliance with this deadline is especially important for students intending to register for project (298) or thesis (299) units in Spring 2009 because advancement is a prerequisite for 298 or 299 enrollment. Petitions submitted after the deadline will be processed as time allows, in the order that they are received.
The Robert and Norma Craig Fellowship - Up to $1,000, October 3 deadline has been extended to October 17
The Division of Graduate Studies is pleased to offer once again the Robert and Norma Craig (RNC) Fellowships. The RNC Fellowships ($1000, based on 100 hours @ $10/hr.) are designed to provide benefits to both graduate students and faculty. Fellowship stipends must be used to foster student development through mentored activities such as providing research or instructional assistance, or by conducting some faculty-assigned duties, thus freeing faculty members to proceed with the development of research, instruction, or other professional activities. Application and guidelines are available in our office, Thomas 132, and on our Web site, <www.csufresno.edu/gradstudies/financial/rnc.shtml>. Contact Louise Neal, lneal or 278-6174. Application deadline is Friday, October 17, 2008. Funds need to be expended by May 30, 2009.
The Graduate Student Research Merit Award, October 17
These $1,000 awards are provided for meritorious graduate student research proposals associated with the thesis/dissertation 299 or project 298 requirement. Information and applications are available in our office, Thomas 132, and on our Web site, <www.csufresno.edu/gradstudies/financial/gsrma.shtml>, or contact Louise Neal, lneal or 278-6174. The application proposal and all supporting documents must be submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies by Friday, October 17, 2008. It is emphasized that applications not including all necessary supporting documents will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified.
Spring 2009 Admission, November 1
Prospective students applying for Spring 2009 admission must do so by November 1, 2008. All applicants must apply online via CSU Mentor, <www.csumentor.edu>. This date is subject to change. Check the DGS Web site for updates.
