Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the launch of the new online official transcript ordering system and pricing structure has been delayed until February 8, 2012. The current system and pricing structure will be used until then.
See the previous entry on The Ledger to learn more about the new online transcript ordering system.
The issue reported earlier with email log-in appears to be resolved. If you have any issues, report them to 1-HELP. For an up-to-date status of various University systems, check the Office of Information Technology's system status page.
Original message:
Staff are reporting issues logging into their email this morning (Monday, January 30, 2012). The problem seems to be isolated to Gmail; all system issues should be reported to 1-HELP.
In order for graduate education processes to be automated, specific roles (i.e., individuals who will be included in a workflow) must be clearly defined. One such role is the "Plan Level Coordinator" (PLC). There is a PLC identified for each degree plan (frequently a DGS assistant) who will receive requests, consult with those who need to be involved in the decision-making, and record the decision in the workflow. This role is integrated into the registration exceptions process and will be important in future processes.
If you are unsure who is the PLC for a specific plan, contact Heather McLaughlin.
The Grad PCAS project team is requesting that all colleges verify that they have completed the review of their program entries in PCAS. To confirm the review is complete, send an email to Vicki Field by February 1. If the review has not yet been completed, the email should include the names of the programs still under review and the expected completion date.
Vicki Field, on behalf of the Grad PCAS project team, sent an email to collegiate contacts on January 27 with detailed information about this request.
All requests for the ASR imaging unit should now be directed to asrfiles@umn.edu. This includes name changes, duplicate records, and record conversions.
The Council of Graduate Schools has published a statement, "Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants," since the 1960s and the University of Minnesota is a signatory of this resolution. The resolution, commonly referred to as "the April 15th resolution," concerns conditions surrounding acceptance of offers of certain kinds of graduate student financial assistance.
The general spirit of the resolution is that:
All University of Minnesota graduate programs that offer funding to admitted students must abide by this resolution and must use clear wording about acceptance deadlines in all funding offer letters sent to admitted students. Graduate programs should also provide a copy of this resolution or a link to the URL along with every offer letter for a scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship. More information, including examples of acceptable working for funding offer letters is available at http://www.grad.umn.edu/prospective_students/april15.html.
Update (2/9/2012): The launch on February 8, 2012 was successful with students ordering both paper and electronic (certified PDF) official transcripts.
Update (1/31/2012): Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the new online official transcript ordering system and pricing structure launch has been delayed until February 8, 2012. Until then, the current system and pricing structure will be used.
A new online system for ordering official transcripts is scheduled to go live on February 1, 2012. This new system will be available for all students, past or present, on all University of Minnesota campuses. It offers faster ordering and processing, an electronic (certified PDF) official transcript option, and doesn't require an Internet ID (x.500) and password to create an order. In addition to the system change, a new pricing structure for transcripts will take effect.
The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) unveiled a new look for their website last week. Features of the new design include:
Though the look and navigation have changed, the content itself remains the same. Any bookmarks you may have will still work.
At the January RAC meeting, Lisa Wiley presented how the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences drafts its policies for graduate education. She has provided her presentation, hand outs, and the manuals used by faculty and program coordinators.
Presentation: CFANS Graduate Education
Handout: UMN/CFANS graduate faculty status
Handout: Flowchart for routing ECAS graduate course proposals for non-fast-track changes
Handout: Table for registration exception requests
Reference Manual: Graduate faculty
Reference Manual: Graduate program coordinators
Handbook: Prospective graduate student
Question: How will the new FERPA regulations affect our work at the University?
Answer: New FERPA Regulations were released in December by the Department of Education. Most of the regulations related to a greater ability for the University to share information with state and local education agencies. There were no changes that affect how student service professionals work with private student data.
In order to prepare for the Graduate School transition, the Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) office will close on Tuesday afternoons to allow transition working groups to meet. Starting Tuesday, January 17, the GSSP office hours will be:
Monday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Tuesday 8 a.m.-noon
Wednesday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Thursday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Students on the UMTC campus who started in fall 2010 or later can now satisfy their liberal education theme requirements by completing four out of five themes. Students who started before fall 2010 will continue to follow the requirements that were in place prior to fall 2010. This change does not affect students enrolled in programs offered exclusively on the Rochester campus.
Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Bob McMaster sent an email explaining the change[PDF] to directors of undergraduate studies, associate deans for undergraduate education, college deans, and the Council of Undergraduate Educators on December 13, 2011. Please note: the email incorrectly stated that the change applied to the Rochester campus. The change applies only to Twin Cities campus programs.
All stages of the registration queue for fall 2012 will start with last names that begin with the letter "R." The complete registration queue will be posted on the One Stop website in late March.
Work is underway to automate the process for assigning a committee for graduate students. Following the consultative model for transforming administrative processes, a user group representing both Twin Cities and Duluth programs has been assembled (see below). This group has completed an initial review and has documented the current official process for assigning a committee. The group has also started the discussion on requirements for the process going forward. Analysis of future process requirements and system capabilities is ongoing.
Testing is underway of the new online form and workflow for adding and updating advisers for post-baccalaureate students. Initially scheduled for a December release, the form will instead launch early spring semester to align with the release of an online form for adding and updating committee member assignments. These forms will launch together because of the critical relationship of advisers and committees; the joint release will also allow for a more effective revision of the Degree Program Form.
The Office of Information Technology recently announced a new look for the sign-in page for University of Minnesota. More information, including a visual comparison of the current and new sign-in page, can be found on the OIT News blog entry.
