| Graduate College Update |
| Greetings from the Graduate College: |
| Dr. Jennifer Waldron, Graduate College Dean |
| Like my past messages, the focus of this message is on the intersecting global, national, and local crises we are experiencing. Although few of us need these reminders, here they are again. We are nearing a year from the first references to a novel virus. We are continuing our personal and societal journeys of racial reckoning. We are experiencing the harm and damage from the natural disasters. |
| It is hard to imagine a finale to these trials and sufferings in the near future. Anne Helen Petersen described it this way: “Imagine running a marathon, seeing the finish line and then having someone on the sideline yell that you need to turn around and run all the way home”. Whether we are still running towards the finish line or turning around to run home, we have to and we will utilize our strengths to respond and support each other. |
| I have heard from many that our students, faculty, and staff want to feel connected and manage their stress. I am proud to share that the Graduate College is responding to and supporting the UNI community by establishing an interdisciplinary cluster hire of graduate assistants (GAs) for 2021 spring. The cluster hire will provide experiences to enhance mental health, with a focus on prevention. Dr. Nathan Taylor from the School of Applied Human Sciences and Dr. Sarah Montgomery from Curriculum & Instruction have agreed to serve as co-supervisors, and will guide the 5 to 7 GAs to (a) create and implement workshops, mindfulness techniques, and expressive art techniques, (b) collaborate with other units on campus, and (c) develop and engage in data collection and analysis. Using their skills and discipline-specific knowledge, the GAs will complement the critical and excellent work that is already occurring on campus. Through the assistantship, they will gain professional experience that will influence them beyond graduation. |
| As we near the end of this semester, please share, as needed, Mental Health Resources with students and Stress, Mental Health, and Grief Services with faculty and staff. May we extend and receive encouragement and kindness to and from each other. |
| The Graduate College is committed to the certainty within the uncertainty. Don’t hesitate to contact the Graduate College, members of the Graduate Council, or Graduate Faculty Leaders with questions or concerns. |
| Together, we create a strong graduate community that supports our students. |
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| 1Petersen, A. H. (2020, October 31). Are you suffering from 2020 election burnout? You’re not alone. MSNBC. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/are-you-suffering-2020-election-burnout-you-re-not-alone-n1245586 |
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Hot Off the Press
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- Over our extended winter break, the Graduate College will be providing opportunities for students to stay connected and engaged. Free writing support will be offered through one-on-one appointments, workshops conducted by graduate faculty, and student accountability groups. Please promote these opportunities for any students working on their thesis or other research projects. Exact dates for the workshops listed below will be confirmed soon:
- Literature Review Workshops (Nov 30 to Dec 18, 2020)
- Presentations by Dr. O’Loughlin, Professor Jennings (MLIS), and Dr. Weiss.
- Methodology Workshops (Jan 4 to Jan 22, 2021)
- Presentations by Dr. Harton, Dr. Evans, and Dr. Fontana.
You can refer to the Graduate College Winter@UNI page for more details and the latest updates on these opportunities.
- The Inspire Student Conference for Research and Engagement is scheduled for Monday, April 12 and Tuesday, April 13. The event is an expansion of the Graduate Student Symposium and will be held virtually. The university-wide conference allows both undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their scholarship and engagement. Registration and additional details for the Inspire Conference will be available at the beginning of the spring semester; submissions will be due in March. The event is being co-sponsored by the Graduate College and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Helen Harton (Psychology) and Dr. Windee Weiss (Kinesiology) are faculty co-chairs for the event.
- The Graduate College is pleased to announce the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Advancement Award, which will provide up to 2 eligible recipients each academic year with a full tuition scholarship, full-time graduate assistantship, and $1500 to assist with mandatory student fees and transitioning to graduate studies. Please see the official UNI press release for more details. The award application can be found here.
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Important Dates to Remember
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- Reminder that GA contracts are through December 04. Please use flexibility to determine responsibilities and remote work during the week of November 30th.
- Friday, December 4: Last day to submit a defended thesis/dissertation to Graduate College.
- Wednesday, December 9: As an exception for Fall 2020, the last day to apply for graduation is December 9. All applications submitted after this date will be for a future term. A late fee will apply after November 10.
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Events
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- Graduate Program Coordinator meetings (via Zoom)
- Topics: Getting to Know the Registrar’s Office
- Friday, November 20th, from Noon-12:55 p.m.
- We will only be offering one meeting this month due to time conflicts with the public presentation for the Director position for the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning on Wednesday at 3pm.
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Spotlight on DEI Initiatives
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| For this month’s issue, Dr. Wendy Marie Hoofnagle (the Coordinator of the Women's & Gender Studies Program) discussed how diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into their program. One of the unique features of the WGS program is that the graduate students coordinate various on-campus events throughout the year; obviously, sustaining this programming during the 2020 Fall semester has been a challenge due to COVID-19. For example, WGS has been unable to host their monthly SWAG (Sexuality Women And Gender) talk. Yet, the graduate students were able to modify the Clothesline Project, an annual program to increase awareness about physical and sexual abuse. During the event, participants created t-shirts describing or naming their abuse and the t-shirts were hung in Sabin Hall. This year the Clothesline Project 2020 Bearing Witness was a virtual experience. The WGS program works collaboratively with other departments on campus to help promote their initiatives to UNI and the community at large. Through engaging in and organizing on-campus events, graduate students are able to apply theory to practice and develop their professional skills. |
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Tip(s) of the Month
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- A new electronic application for Graduate Assistantships is in the works. The form can be previewed here. Please do not share this link with students yet; we are working on finalizing a few small things in the backend of the form. This application will send an email application to the default contact for each unit and can be directed to a specific person for positions where a supervisor is listed. This web form will be part of our ongoing efforts to update and streamline the GA process.
- A reminder that Spring 2021 calendar updates for Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Scholarships have already been posted on the Graduate College’s Forward Together page for Graduate Faculty.
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Kudos
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This month’s spotlight is on our MA in Geography program for the recent accomplishments of their students and alumni:
- Recent MA graduate Maria Monakhova is in her first semester at Arizona State in their geography PhD program, while Matt Ruiz, Dane Atkin, and Chris Peirce are at Texas State University- San Marcos obtaining their PhDs in geography.
- Our first Fulbright student Nino Mateshvili, from the Republic of Georgia, began her MA in fall 2020.
- One recent Geography MA graduate - Yiyi Zhang - started her Doctoral program in Geography at McGill University in Canada this Fall and published a paper titled "A Conceptual Agent-Based Model of Farming Households’ Vulnerability to Winter Storms" in the International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research.
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