Laurel Haycock, librarian at Wilson Library, has posted recent Ed Psych Dissertations on her blog at http://blog.lib.umn.edu/hayco001/edlibblog/2009/08/edpsy-dissertations-at-the-u-of-m.html.
We need a representative to the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). COGS represents the interests of all graduate students at the University of Minnesota. Their mission is to work with the administration and the Graduate School to make sure the needs of graduate students are known. More information is available at http://www.cogs.umn.edu/.
Our representative would attend monthly general assembly meetings (Wednesdays, 5:30-7:00 in Fall Semester) and report back to Ed Psych students. If you are interested in being Ed Psych's COGS representative, contact Kathy Walter (kwalter@umn.edu) by Monday, September 22. An election (via email) will be held if we have more than one person interested.
Carolyn Schriver, a first year master’s student in the CSPP program, has just been chosen to receive the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) Advisor of the Year Award!
She received this award in honor of her work as Advisor to the Minneapolis Community & Technical College Student Senate this academic year. Regarding her work Carolyn states, “the Senate has made large strides this year for the welfare of the student body at MCTC, and I have been privileged to be an integral part of this progress.� She will officially accept the award next Friday, April 18th, at the MSCSA Spring General Assembly in Breezy Point, MN.
Be sure to congratulate her on this noteworthy achievement!
March 2008
Monday-Friday, March 17-21
—Spring break
Monday, March 24
—First day of second 7-week session
Monday, March 31
—Last day to receive 100% refund for second 7-week session
—Last day to register without instructor approval for second 7-week session
April 2008
Tuesday, April 1
—Graduate School April graduation application deadline
Sunday, April 6
—Last day to receive 50% refund for second 7-week session
—Last day to cancel a course without receiving a "W" on transcript for second 7-week session
—Last day to add a course without instructor and college scholastic committee approval for second 7-week session
Tuesday, April 8
—Summer registration begins for admitted students
Thursday, April 10
—Queued registration begins for fall 2008
Tuesday, April 15
—Summer registration begins for non-admitted students
Sunday, April 20
—Last day to cancel a course without college scholastic committee approval for second 7-week session
May2008
Thursday, May 1
—Graduate School May graduation application deadline
Friday, May 2
—Open registration begins for fall 2008
Friday, May 9
—Last day of instruction
Saturday-Sunday, May 10 &11
—Study days
Monday-Saturday, May 12-17
—Final examinations
Saturday, May 17
—Last day of spring 2008 semester
Wednesday, May 21
—Final grades due for spring 2008
If you are:
1) changing education levels (i.e., from Master's to Ph.D.)
2) changing your major
you are required by SEVIS to update your I-20 to reflect these changes.
Failure to do so could cause your SEVIS record to be terminated. Come to ISSS to speak to an F-1 advisor. For ISSS advisor walk-in hours, go to http://www.isss.umn.edu/office/walkins.html
If you have any questions, contact us at 612-626-7100.
We’re missing three boxes from the move into Education Sciences. Two of the boxes belong to Lesley Craig Unkefer and they were labeled with her name and room 350B; the other box was labeled room 275B abd Stacy Danov’s name. Please check through any unopened boxes you may have in your office and notify staff in 250 EdSciB if you find these.
University Counseling & Consulting Services (UCCS) offers counseling, consultation, instruction, and testing services to the Minnesota educational community at two Twin Cities campus locations:
Minneapolis: 109 Eddy Hall
St. Paul: 199 Coffey Hall
Phone: 612-624-3323
UCCS has a Grief Group for students who have lost parents. During the fall semester, the group will be meeting on Tuesdays, 4:40 - 6:10. Students can contact UCCS at 624-3323 to set up a group orientation appointment, or they can contact Sarra Beckham-Chasnoff, the group facilitator, directly at 624-3675 or beckh002@umn.edu.
More information on UCCS services is available at http://www.uccs.umn.edu/
Greetings and Happy Spring. As you know, thanks to some of your colleagues, you have a new vehicle for communicating with the Ed Psych Graduate Advisory Council (GAC) and faculty: the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC). The co-chairs of this committee are Danielle Dupuis (Foundations) and Monica Jacob (School Psychology). At the April GSAC meeting, they brought a number of items that were raised by students. Here is a summary of those items and the GAC response to them.
1. Program Planning: It was expressed that some students have a difficult time reading and making sense of their student handbooks for the purpose of program planning.
While each track in Educational Psychology has its own particular requirements, there are some suggested guidelines for hitting milestones in the degree requirements, making adequate progress in one's degree program, and engaging in developmentally appropriate professional development activities. In the coming weeks, we will revise the existing table that is in the student handbook that depicts the departmental milestones. Additionally, we will work with each program to post a clear set of milestones that are unique to each program.
2. Developmentally appropriate professional development activities: It was expressed that after a student has served as a TA or a course instructor, it is difficult to have to relinquish that position to another graduate student.
We hope that students would approach changes such as this as "moving into" other opportunities rather than "moving out of" their previous positions. As part of the preparation and training of our Graduate Program in Ed Psych, the faculty makes an attempt to facilitate developmentally appropriate professional development activities. For example, for the graduate students who intend to seek academic positions upon graduation, it is important that they have experience in the tripartite mission of University faculty: teaching, research, and service. Therefore, attempts are made to provide students with opportunities, guided practice, and feedback in each of these areas. Students should carefully consider opportunities such as service on committees both within the University and within one's academic discipline.
In addition, students should work with their advisors to identify opportunities to practice higher-ed teaching (e.g., TAs, instructing courses, developing special topics courses for undergraduate and professional degree programs) and to engage in research (e.g., RAs). In many cases, these professional development activities are associated with opportunities for employment (i.e., TAs and RAs). In fact, well over 75% of Ed Psych graduate students receive financial support in the form of Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships from the Department, College, or University. However, paid positions are rarely guaranteed for the duration of a students' degree program and from an advising perspective, professional development must be a higher priority than funding. This sometimes results in very difficult decisions regarding funding opportunities. For example, it would be more appropriate for a graduate student to TA 2 courses, teach a course, and hold 2 research assistantships over the course of their degree program than to TA for 12 consecutive semesters. The latter would represent a consistent funding stream, yet would not provide developmentally appropriate professional development opportunities.
3. Taking advantage of other opportunities: Please pay careful attention to announcements posted on the Student News Blog, the College's home webpage, and postings around Burton, Elliot, and Pattee Halls. At least once per week there is a brown bag colloquium on some topic as well as numerous presentations from guest speakers from outside the University. Take advantage of these opportunities, as they might spark a new interest, fuel an existing interest, or contain opportunities for collaboration that you might not otherwise encounter.
Jennifer J. McComas
Director of Graduate Studies
Congratulations to Professor Ernest Davenport on receiving the 2007 University of Minnnesota Outstanding Community Service Award! Ernest was recognized primarily for his work preparing groups for the ACT/SAT exams. Ernest, along with the other four awardees from across the UM, will be recognized at an award dinner in April as well as a reception and ceremony at a Board of Regent’s meeting.
Sarra Beckham-Chasnoff of UCCS is again facilitating a support group for students who have lost a parent. The group is meeting on Wednesdays, 2:15 - 3:30.
If you're interested, call UCCS (612-624-3323) or e-mail Sarra (beckh002@umn.edu) for more information.
Professor Jay Samuels is the recipient of the Minnesota Academy of Reading (MAR) Award for his distinguished career and significant contributions to the field of literacy as an educational researcher and literacy educator.
The new Student Mental Health web site www.mentalhealth.umn.edu is a web resource designed for students, their parents, faculty, and staff who are looking for student mental health information and related resources at the University of Minnesota.
According to a recent survey, nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed that they have trouble functioning, and 15 percent meet the criteria for clinical depression. Untreated depression can lead to suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among college students. Students can access mental health services at:
. Boynton Health Service (http://www.bhs.umn.edu/services/mentalhealth.htm), and
. University Counseling and Consulting Services (http://www.ucs.umn.edu/).
Additional University resources you should be aware of to assist students are:
Disability Services (http://ds.umn.edu) provides assistance with academic accommodations for students with diagnosed mental health conditions. Consultation and problem-solving regarding disability issues is available for faculty, staff, and supervisors.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/) provides a number of workshops and programs which are designed to help teaching assistants and faculty to deal with a variety of classroom situations, including those related to students who may have a mental illness or disability.
Remember: The University is closed December 25 and 26 and January 1. Have a great break!
Professor David Johnson and his brother, Roger Johnson (C&I), won the 2007 Brock International Prize in Education. This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on the practice or understanding of education.
Council of Graduate Students (COGS) has published Staying on Course, an in-depth guide about what you can do to make graduate school a good experience. This booklet will guide a first year student with numerous tasks, such as working with an advisor, filling out forms and just getting accustomed to graduate student life. This booklet also provides advice to continuing graduate students on taking preliminary exams, presenting research, staying motivated, job searching and having fun. Lastly, advice is given to faculty on interacting with students. Moreover, students will find it helpful to see things from a faculty's perspective. Staying on Course is available for download (http://www.cogs.umn.edu/pdfs/StayingonCourse2005.pdf) or from the COGS office.
If you are having trouble communicating with your advisor, you may want to set up an appointment to meet with both your advisor and a third person such as the coordinator of your track or the department chair (John Romano). This third person may help facilitate a discussion, mediate a conflict between you and your advisor, or assist in resolving a conflict.
The Graduate Adviser in the Learning Abroad Center, Jinous Kasravi, is available to discuss international opportunities for interested graduate students. She is available for walk-in appointments every Thursday from 10am-1pm in 230 Heller Hall. Appointments can be scheduled at other times Monday-Wednesday by emailing gradadv@umn.edu. During the appointments she will discuss international internship, study abroad, and research abroad opportunities as well as funding sources.
Take a look at the profile on Ernest Davenport's work helping minority students prepare for college: http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/PartnersWork_helps_bridge_achievement_gap.html
Virginia Clinton, a doctoral student in Psych Foundations, was just profiled in today's Star Tribune's business section, in a feature called "Cash Check:" http://www.startribune.com/745/story/692700.html.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico, and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. The new requirements will start to be implemented on Dec. 31, 2006. See the U.S. State Department website at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
Please take this information into account if your passport is due to expire or if you need to get a passport. There may be delays in getting a passport due to the Dec. 31 deadline.
An outage of the University's central database (PeopleSoft) is planned for mid-July, due to a system upgrade.
The outage will last for one week, from July 14 through July 22, and will affect all University areas that use
PeopleSoft to conduct their business. Please note that your account on University One Stop will also be unavailable during the upgrade week. Students will not be able to register for courses, print transcripts, or update their personal information during this time. (Please direct any questions regarding your One Stop account to a One Stop counselor at 612-624-1111.)
The Graduate Student Service and Progress Office (GSSP) has just been notified that the fee their publishing company charges to register a student's copyright for their thesis/dissertation, is increasing from
$45 to $65 effective July 1, 2006. This is an optional service that the publishing company provides to our students. Individuals may choose to register their copyright on their own, through the Library of Congress.
Karen Cadigan, a doctoral student in School Psychology, has been selected to receive the President's Student Leadership and Service Award. Karen's nomination noted her contributions to creating and operating the Postbaccalaureate Early Childhood Policy Certificate, her work in outreach to the legislature and broader community, and her service to the Itasca Project's Early Childhood Work Group. She was selected from a pool of over 100 other nominees - as President Bruininks said in his letter to her, "high praise indeed." She will be honored at a banquet on May 1.
The University of Minnesota takes pride in developing tomorrow's leaders. Each year, the President's Student Leadership and Service Award (PSLSA) recognizes the accomplishments and contributions made by outstanding student leaders at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. It is presented to approximately one-half of one percent of the student body for their exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota and the surrounding community. Awards will be presented at the President's Award Banquet taking place on May 1st, 2006. The President's Student Leadership & Service Awards are facilitated in coordination with the Office of the President, Office for Student Affairs, University of Minnesota Alumni Association, Twin Cities Student Unions, and the Student Activities Office.
Undergraduate candidates who apply for the PSLSA can also be considered for the UMAA Student Leadership Award and the Donald R. Zander Award for Outstanding Student Leadership. Graduate candidates who apply for the PSLSA can also be considered for the Mary A. McEvoy Public Engagement and Leadership Awards. Following the selection committee review of applications, candidates will be notified if they are PSLSA recipients and given further information on subsequent application processes, if applicable.
The PSLSA Selection Committee identifies the extent to which nominees have contributed to the University of Minnesota community through Leadership and Service as defined below.
Nominations
The quality of the nomination is extremely important. If given insufficient descriptions or information, the submission cannot be adequately evaluated. The PSLSA Selection Committee represents University students, faculty and staff. This panel considers and evaluates all of the nominations.
Please direct your questions to Erik Dussault, Student Activities Office, (612)626-6919. Nominations will be accepted Jan 1 - Feb 10th, 2006
All nominations are due no later than 4:30pm on Friday, Feb 10th in the Student Activities Office (126 Coffman Memorial Union). Additional information and nomination forms are available at http://www.sao.umn.edu/leadership/awards/pslsa.php
Walk-in Flu Clinic - LAST CHANCE!!
Monday, December 5th, 10am to 6pm
Coffman Memorial Union - Great Hall
The vaccinations are available at no charge to students, staff and faculty.
WHY: Influenza is an upper respiratory infection that kills 36,000 people in the United States per year and is responsible for over 110,000 hospitalizations. When you receive a vaccination you not only reduce your chance of getting influenza, you reduce the chance you will spread it to others.
Do it for the herd!
There will be at least 8 nurses providing injections and we expect over 2000 people to be vaccinated. The lines should move very quickly and everyone that is standing in line at 6:00 pm will be vaccinated.
This clinic is sponsored by Boynton Health Service and Employee Benefits.
The Graduate Student Service and Progress Office will be closed this Thursday, December 1 from 9-10 for commencement rehearsal and most of the day on Friday December 2, for the Commencement Ceremony.
Limited service will be provided in the Graduate Admissions Office, in 309 Johnston Hall.