October 2023 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students

Vice Provost for EducationHeadshot of Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.
Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
October 2023

Announcements from
Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.

With the fall semester underway, there are lots of activities and resources to support you and help you make connections.

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Student Health and Wellbeing

Graduate Mental Health Task Force + Listening Sessions
The Graduate Student Mental Health Task force has organized a series of listening sessions to learn from graduate and professional students how the University can better address their mental health concerns. The final session will be held in the Graduate Student Center. See details and register in advance here.

  • Professional students: Monday, November 13 from 5-6:30PM

Let’s Talk 
Monday-Friday in various campus locations—including Thursdays, 2-5pm at the Grad Center—Let’s Talk provides access to free and confidential drop-in conversations with a trained professional at various locations across campus. Students can talk about any stress and anxiety they are feeling, bounce around ideas, and work through their emotions. See all Let’s Talk hours and locations here.

Graduate Students in the News

Check out the latest headlines from the Grad Center’s collection of news about – and for – Penn graduate and professional students:

See more Penn Grad News.

Student Activities and Engagement Opportunities

Weekly Language Chats at the Grad Center
Join other graduate and professional students to practice a foreign language in an informal social setting. Language chats are not a class but are instead, a fun way for students to strengthen their language skills and meet other practiced speakers in a target language. Current chats include Mandarin, Hindi, and French. Interested in participating in a language chat, but don't see it listed? E-mail gradcenter@upenn.edu to get a new language chat started! See upcoming chats and register at gsc.upenn.edu/events

Spooktaaacular Playdate
Saturday, October 28, from 10:30-12 in the Family Center, 3615 Locust Walk
The annual Spooktaaacular Playdate features Halloween traditions like costumes and candy for students and postdocs with children to gather and celebrate together. There will also be spooky-themed snacks and activities. Family Center members are welcome to dress-up, dance, trade stories, and participate in hands-on (and a little messy) fun!! Registration is required.

Imagine More's Story Adventure Series
Fridays 4:30-5:30pm starting October 27; Family Resource Center
Join the Family Resource Center for "Story Adventures" from Imagine More on Friday evenings from 4:30 - 5:30pm on October 27, November 3, and November 10, with a closing session and celebration on Wednesday, November 15 from 4:30 - 5:30pm. Each class is an imagination-filled experience! A story is brought to life through visual exploration, expressive movements, sound discovery, and drama using costumes. Instruments, props, songs, puppets, and interactive activities immerse our children in a multi-sensory adventure. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to join in the creative expression! Learn more and register here.

See more upcoming events and activities:

Academic Resources and Support

Graduate Career Skills Series
October 23-27; online – register for participation links
Join Career Services and the Grad Center for a series of virtual workshops and panels centered around helping graduate students navigate their careers. All virtual sessions except panels will be recorded and uploaded to Penn Career Services' YouTube channel afterward.

Grad Center Lunch & Learn Series
Fridays 12:15-12:45pm; Grad Center #304 and online
The Lunch & Learn series features resources and tips that will help you successfully navigate your academic experiences at Penn. Campus partners share best practices to benefit all graduate and professional students in focused, 30-minute sessions each Friday. Light lunch will be provided for in-person attendees who register in advance.

Dissertation Dog Days
Wednesday, November 1 from 10AM-1PM & Wednesday, November 15 from 1PM-4PMBen Franklin Room, Houston Hall 2nd floor, 3417 Spruce Street
PhD and Research Masters students are invited to Dissertation Dog Days this November! Students can pet therapy dogs, have a donut, and get some coffee while getting help with their dissertation formatting and questions answered about graduation. Experts from the Penn Libraries will be on hand to answer copyright questions and troubleshoot LaTeX code. No registration is required.

PhD, MA, and MS Fall 2023 Graduation
Sign up for December 2023 graduation for PhD, MA, and MS students is open!  Visit the Graduate Degrees website for more information, PhD graduation checklist, MA/MS graduation checklist, and to review the dates and deadlines on the December 2023 and May 2024 graduation calendar. Students in all other degree programs should contact their school or program for graduation requirements and information.

Graduate Student Services Pop-Up Hours at the Grad Center
Grad Center | Room 301
Stop by the Grad Center to meet with campus partners offering regular graduate-specific drop-in advising and appointments:

  • Financial Wellness Peer Counseling | Mondays, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
  • Weingarten Writing Consultations | Tuesdays, 1:00-4:00 PM
  • Dissertation Formatting & Deposit Consultations | Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30 PM
  • Let's Talk | Thursdays, 2:00-5:00 PM

Find out about all the University’s resources for graduate and professional students at www.gsc.upenn.edu/resources

Grant and Other Funding Opportunities

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
Application deadline: November 14
Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for 7-10 weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate, Master ’s and Ph.D. students. Countries may include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, or others where the target languages are spoken. Apply in November for a fellowship the following summer. For information and support in applying for the CLS program at Penn, visit curf.upenn.edu/content/cls.

Liebmann Fellowship
Application deadline: November 27, 2023
The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund fellowship, which pays full tuition plus a stipend of $18,000 for up to three years, is open to U.S. citizens who are currently enrolled in a graduate program in 2023-24 and will pursue a graduate degree in 2024-25 in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture or other formal professional training). See https://curf.upenn.edu/content/liebmann-fellowship for more information.

Penn Global Dissertation Grants for PhD students
Application deadline: December 1, 2023
Penn Global has launched the Penn Global Dissertation Grants program. The program will offer funding of up to $8,000 to selected Ph.D. students applicants who will either: A) use this program’s resources to explore and engage global components for their early-stage dissertation research, or B) use this program’s resources to broaden and deepen their late-stage dissertation research, ideally leveraging their dissertation towards future career opportunities in global leadership. Currently-enrolled Penn Ph.D. students from all Penn Schools and disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields, are welcome to apply. If selected, awardees will be able to begin their funded international research as early as Summer 2024.

Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center
Application deadline: February 19, 2024
The Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center (PGAEF@NC) is a fellowship opportunity for PhD students across the University of Pennsylvania. Fellows are outstanding students who are involved in community-engaged scholarship and related activities, including Academically Based Community Service (ABCS), participatory action research, service-learning, and learning by teaching in public schools. The fellowship includes full funding for one academic year (inclusive of stipend, tuition, general fee, clinical fee, and health insurance) and one summer stipend. The fellowship also includes $5,000 of research funding and additional support to attend and present at conferences. Sign up here to receive information about upcoming information sessions held throughout the fall. We encourage application drafts in advance.

Other upcoming opportunities include:

See additional opportunities at the Grad Center’s regular digest of funding and professional opportunities for graduate and professional students, in addition to the information on their Funding & Finances and Grants & Fellowships pages.

About the Vice Provost for Education

The Vice Provost for Education oversees undergraduate and graduate education at Penn, developing and implementing policies that promote academic excellence, innovative teaching and learning, and interdisciplinary knowledge across the University. The Vice Provost chairs the Council of Graduate Deans, the Council of Professional Master’s Degree Deans, the Graduate Council of the Faculties, the Council of Undergraduate Deans, and the Faculty Advisory Council for Access and Academic Support Initiatives.

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