Category: Announcements

Items that are time sensitive and require action

Nominations open for the 2009 Distinguished Dissertation Award

Nominations are closed for the 2009 competition.

Nominations are now open for the 2009 Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. This year, nominations are being accepted from dissertations in the fields of:

  1. biological and life sciences (more details)
  2. humanities/fine arts (more details)

Michigan Tech may nominate one student in each field. PhD students who have completed all of their degree requirements between July 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009, are eligible.   Next year, the 2010 competition will accept nominations in the fields of social sciences and mathematics/physical sciences/engineering for students who have graduated between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010.

A nomination packet must include the following:

  1. a completed nomination form. The form is available at http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/2009UMI_NominationForm.pdf .
  2. a 10-page abstract of the dissertation, double spaced on white letter-sized paper.
  3. optional: abstract appendices containing non-textual material such as charts, tables or figures.
  4. a letter of reference from the dissertation advisor.
  5. a letter of reference from a member of the nominee’s dissertation committee.
  6. a letter of reference from a person chosen by the nominee.
  7. a pdf file of the dissertation on a CD.

The letters of reference should address the significance and quality of the dissertation work.

Nominations should be delivered to Debra Charlesworth in the Graduate School no later than 4 p.m. on June 19. Contact Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) if you have any questions about the competition.  See also the Council for Graduate School’s announcement page.

Seminar May 21(2pm): Submitting your thesis or dissertation

Update: View this seminar online.  See the 2009 Archives.  It will be online for approximately one year.

Are you planning on finishing your thesis or dissertation this semester or next semester?  Do you assist students submitting theses or dissertations?  If you answered yes to either of those questions, please join the Graduate School at our next seminar designed to help students, faculty, and staff better understand current procedures and have all of their questions answered.

Join Debra Charlesworth of the Graduate School for a description of online submission of a thesis or dissertation from start to finish. This seminar will be useful to students preparing their documents as well as faculty and staff who assist students.  We will also introduce a new dynamic form, which is part of our continuing effort to reduce the number of forms students need to complete and make them easier to complete correctly.  The seminar will be May 21st at 2:00pm.

Please register for the event at our online registration site:

http://www.gradschool2.mtu.edu/registration/events/

Once you register, you will receive a confirmation with the location and a reminder of the date and time.  Space is limited, so register early! The seminar will be taped and available online for those unable to join us at this time.

Spring Graduates – May 11, 2009 deadline

To graduate in the spring semester 2009, graduate students must have all final paperwork submitted and approved no later than May 11th by 4pm.  All forms are online with a detailed list for each degree type.  Final items typically include:

  • A final thesis, report, or dissertation
  • Binding order form (TD-Bindery, theses and dissertations)
  • Life After Michigan Tech form
  • Report on Final Oral Examination (M6/D8)
  • Survey of Earned Doctorates (for PhD students only)

Students should contact Nancy Byers Sprague for questions related to degree auditing, and Debra Charlesworth for questions related to theses and dissertations.

Graduate Student Council Seeks Award Nominations

Each year, the Graduate Student Council honors the Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Mentor, Outstanding Student Scholar and Outstanding Student Leader. The awards are presented to recipients at the Research Colloquium Banquet in April.

If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, see information about the awards, including the submission process, on the Graduate Student Council’s activities page at http://gsc.students.mtu.edu/activities.html . The nomination deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20.

If you have any questions, contact Randy Harrison, public relations chair of the council, at rsharris@mtu.edu .

Funding Available for Leading Graduate Student Visits

To support campus visits for leading graduate student candidates, the Graduate School has set aside $1,000 per department, with a maximum of $500 per student. Students who have applied for the highest degree offered by the program are eligible. Multiple requests may be submitted to utilize the $1,000 any time prior to June 1. Special consideration will be given to requests that contribute to meeting the University’s strategic goal of attracting and supporting a world-class and diverse student population.

Requests for campus visit funding can be submitted online.

The Graduate School is available to assist departments with campus visits. For more information, contact Jodi Lehman or Jacque Smith at 487-2327.

Summer and Fall 2009 Doctoral Finishing Fellowships

The Graduate School is accepting nominations for Summer and Fall 2009 Doctoral Finishing Fellowships. The Graduate School anticipates funding up to 10 fellowships per semester with support ranging from $2,000 to full support (stipend plus tuition).

Applications are due Monday, March 16th at 4pm in the Graduate School.

Full details can be found in Tech Today or on the web.

Please direct any questions to Debra Charlesworth (ddc@mtu.edu) or Heather Suokas (hlsuokas@mtu.edu).