Newsletters January 2024 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
Vice Provost for Education
Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
January 2024
Message from
Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.
Welcome back to a new semester at Penn. Fall 2023 saw lots of upheaval on our campus and in the world. I know that students are feeling a range of emotions, including uncertainty, anger, fear, and confusion. Interim President Jameson and Provost Jackson are collaborating broadly with colleagues across Penn so that we can move forward with thoughtfulness and concern for our campus community. The VPE Office is also partnering with Graduate and Professional Deans—as well as with Undergraduate Deans—to continue our collective efforts of enhancing student life on campus.
Resources, Support, and Wellness
About the Vice Provost for Education
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Announcements
The Penn Prize in Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students
Deadline for nominations: February 16, 2024
Nominations from undergraduate and graduate students for the Penn Prize in Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students are being accepted. This is your opportunity to acknowledge graduate students who, through their dedication to teaching, have had a profound impact on education at Penn. Submit nominations here.
Attention Spring 2024 PhD, MA, and MS graduates
Sign up for May 2024 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 May 2024 graduation calendar. Students in all other degree programs should contact their school or program for graduation requirements and information.
Introducing CETLI!
Penn’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Penn's Online Learning Initiative (OLI) have merged! The combined center is now the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation. CETLI offers even more great programs for grad students, including the Teaching Certificate, TA Training, job market consultations, and workshops throughout the year.
Resources, Support, and Wellness
Drop-in Graduate Advising & Consultations 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, starting Jan 30
- Dissertation Formatting & Deposit Consultations | Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30 PM
- Let's Talk | Thursdays, 2:00-5:00 PM | additional hours & locations here
Writing Accountability Groups: Resources and Introductory Workshops
Need motivation to write? Having trouble reaching your writing goals on time? Joining a writing accountability group may help! Check out resources for writing groups or attend a required introductory workshop to be connected with a writing group or partner for the spring semester. Workshops will be held January 23, 24,25 & 29.
Wellness and Resilience Summit & Wellbeing Resources
All Penn students are invited to take part in The Dowd/Sanders Wellness and Resilience Summit on February 4 or February 18. Register in advance for a free, fun-filled day of learning strategies and skills to help you reach your goals, manage stress, and strengthen your relationships. Lunch and giveaways will be provided! Students can also access a range of tools and resources related to mental health, maintaining meaningful connections, and coping with stress and distress on the Wellness Public Health and Wellbeing webpage.
Find out about all the University’s resources for graduate and professional students at www.gsc.upenn.edu/resources
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:
- Law students Care Shoaibi, Sheila Orfano, and Kirsten Hanlon were awarded “Best Brief” at the 74th Annual NYC Bar National Moot Court Competition.
- SEAS graduate student Justice Ohene-Akoto was honored at the Ghana Energy Awards.
- The 2023 cohort of Amy Gutmann Leadership Scholars in the School of Nursing includes 7 professional students.
- Dental student Yi Te (Edward) Lin received the first-place Scientific Poster Award for Student Excellence at the prestigious Global Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry.
- Alexandra Maye, a PhD student in Nursing, has been selected to participate in the Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) program, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s leadership program.
See more Penn Grad News.
Campus & Community Engagement
Dr. Martin Luther King Commemorative Symposium
Through February 2; times and locations vary
Each January, the University of Pennsylvania and our surrounding communities come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. See the list of 2024 events here.
Call for Volunteers: Organizing Committee for DEEPenn STEM
Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM (DEEPenn STEM) is looking for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to join its organizing committee to plan the DEEPenn STEM weekend event on October 11-13, 2024. Volunteers are needed for communications and outreach, logistics, program development, etc. If interested, fill out this form by February 15 https://bit.ly/DEEPennSTEM-volunteer.
See more ways to engage on campus and beyond
Student Events & Activities
Fourth Friday @ Five: Winter Wonderland
Friday, January 26; 5-6:30 PM
Escape the winter cold and warm up in the Grad Center as we gather for our first Fourth Friday Happy Hour of 2024! This month we will be embracing a winter wonderland theme and students will have the opportunity to decorate sugar cookies and make snowflakes! Penn Graduate ID required.
Penn 3-Mintute Thesis 2024 Competition
Information Sessions on January 22, 23, 24 & 25
Explaining your research quickly and clearly is a great skill to have during networking, interviews, and social situations. Penn's 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition will give you that experience and more! Win prizes of up to $1000 and an opportunity to represent Penn in regional and inter-Ivy 3MT competitions! Learn more by attending an information session or visiting the Penn 3MT webpage.
Strategies for Success in Graduate Studies
This series by the Weingarten Center and the Grad Center features a combination of discussion-based workshops and quick information sessions to support graduate and professional students in their coursework and scholarly projects. Learn more and register in advance here.
- Strengthening Your Academic Writing | January 24 (online) & 25 (in person)
- Lunch & Learn: Proactive Planning (hybrid) | January 26
- Lunch & Learn: Accessing Academic Support at Penn (hybrid) | February 16
CETLI Graduate Teaching Mini-Courses
Session dates vary, Starts January 24 | full details and registration here
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation (CETLI) is offering two mini-courses for graduate students this spring, both of which count towards the teaching certificate:
- Inclusive and Equitable Teaching
How can the identities salient to our students not only be valued in the classroom, but also leveraged as strengths for learning? In this mini course, participants will uncover a variety of approaches to help students learn and thrive to the best of their abilities. - Online Teaching
This four-meeting mini course is designed to introduce graduate students to online teaching, considering how to teach a fully online course that is both engaging for students and meets rigorous standards.
See more upcoming events and activities:
- Grad Center Events Calendar
- Graduate “Events Around Campus” Calendar
- University Life Calendar of Events
Grants & Paid Opportunities
Communications and Graphic Design Fellow
Rolling deadline – Apply now!
The Graduate Degrees team in the Office of the Provost is looking for a Communications and Graphic Design Fellow to provide design assistance on marketing materials and special projects, such as posters, creating and implementing consistent branding across existing resources, designing templates, and website work. The ideal candidate is a current graduate student at Penn with significant creative design experience, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills. The position is hybrid, with approximately 5-10 hours per week and pay rate of $21/hour. To apply, follow instructions here and then search in Workday for Job Req # - JR00084147 Communications and Graphic Design Fellow.
Boren Fellowship
Campus Endorsement (Required) Deadline: January 24
Provides grants of up to $25,000 for 3-12 months of research and language study abroad, plus up to $12,000 for domestic language study prior to departure. Awards granted with preference for countries, languages, duration, and fields of study critical to U.S. national security. U.S. citizens only.
Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation
Deadline: February 4
Penn has been invited to nominate two PhD students for the Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation in biomedicine, broadly defined. Winners receive $50,000 plus $5,000 donation to their home institution to help support their seminar series. Semi-finalists and finalists for each prize will be awarded $5,000. Learn more here.
Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
Deadline: February 9
This Fellowship supports academic year and summer training in modern foreign languages and related areas or international studies. Open to US citizens and permanent residents.
Apply to be a TA Trainer
Deadline: February 11
CETLI is looking for experienced Penn TAs interested in helping with its annual TA Training. Trainers work together with CETLI staff to design and develop a workshop and mentor new TAs during various scenarios and short teaching demonstrations. Potential trainers must be available 8:30am-5pm, August 19-22, 2024. Several preparation days will be scheduled in May or June. Compensation is $1700. Learn more and apply.
Other upcoming opportunities include:
- Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship | Deadline February 19
- Google PhD Fellowship | Deadline: March 10
- The Laura Bassi Scholarship | Deadline: March 24
Additional details and opportunities can be found in the Grad Center’s 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.
