Newsletters June 2024 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
Vice Provost for Education
Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
June 2024
Message from
Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.
By all accounts, 2023-24 was a challenging year for our students, faculty, and staff. It is my hope that we can all rest and re-set this summer and start the next academic year reinvigorated and ready to face whatever new challenges come our way. Before then, I want to let you know about opportunities for self-care and to congratulate the many students who earned accolades these past few weeks.
Resources, Support, and Wellness
Academic & Professional Development Activities
Campus Events & Student Activities
Grants & Professional Opportunities
About the Vice Provost for Education
Announcements
Dissertation and Thesis Graduate Fellow Job Opening
The Graduate Degrees team in the Office of the Provost is looking for a Dissertation and Thesis Graduate Fellow to assist with reviewing dissertations for graduating PhD students. The Fellow will meet with individual students to provide guidance on the format of their dissertations, as well as reviewing deposited dissertations and theses for formatting issues. The ideal candidate is a current doctoral student at Penn with experience writing and editing manuscripts, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills. Pay is $21/hour. Interested students can apply in Workday, under Job Requisition ID # JR00091210.
Updates from the Graduate Degrees Office
The graduation application for Summer 2024 is now open for PhD and Research Master's students: apply here (NOTE: on the first screen, please select any available term; it will ask for your graduation term on a later screen). PhD students who are earning their MA or MS degree along the way must also submit an Add Masters for PhD application here. Deposit appointments can be scheduled here.
Consult the PhD Graduation Checklist and Graduate Degrees webpage for more information. Important graduation dates and deadlines for the Summer 2024 term are available on the Graduation Calendar. Students in other programs should check with their schools for graduation information.
Resources, Support, and Wellness
International Travel Registry
Students traveling abroad over the coming months for academic research or conference attendance should Register Your Trip with PennGlobal. Registration provides immediate access to Penn’s comprehensive travel assistance program, including 24/7 medical and security advice, travel medical insurance, evacuation and repatriation insurance, and more. Learn more and get instructions at the PennGlobal website.
Weekly Organic Produce Giveaway
Thursdays at 12:30pm | Grad Center Welfer Common Room, 3615 Locust Walk
Current graduate and professional students who identify as food insecure are welcome to stop by the Grad Center each Thursday for free, fresh produce straight from Penn Farm! All produce is provided first-come, first-served. We encourage you to bring your own produce bags or a container. A valid PennCard and email are required for pickup.
Resources for Graduate Alumni
New graduates are encouraged to find your Penn Alumni Regional Club, no matter where in the world you go. Regional alumni clubs connect thousands of alumni with one another through hundreds of events each year. This global network of alumni communities organizes a variety of opportunities for alumni to engage with each other and the University; including social, educational, community service, and cultural events. See more resources and information for graduate alumni here.
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:
- Twelve graduating graduate and professional students won University Leadership Awards.
- Min Jae Kim, an MD/PhD student in Neuroscience, received a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
- Yecheng (Jason) Ma, a PhD student in Computer and Information Science, has been awarded an Apple Scholars in AIML Ph.D. fellowship.
- History PhD candidate Arielle Xena Alterwaite and Music PhD candidate Katherine Scahill received the 2024 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.
- Emma Dyson, a PhD student in Classical Studies, received the 2024-25 Liebmann Fellowship.
- The American Academy in Rome has named Brigitte Keslinke, a PhD candidate in Art & Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, among 31 winners of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation/Donald and Maria Cox Rome Prize in the category of ancient studies.
- Penelope Lusk, a Ph.D. candidate in Education, has been awarded a 2024 Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for a year of study at the University of Oxford in England.
See more Penn Grad News.
Academic & Professional Development Activities
Juneteenth Lecture with Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, III
Tuesday, June 18 at 11AM in Irvine Auditorium
Dr. Hrabowski’s work is a testament to what is made possible by embracing the ideals of diversity in science in a pragmatic manner. President Emeritus of The University of Maryland, Dr. Hrabowski’s scholarship and research focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on the participation and performance of historically excluded individuals. A book signing will follow with Dr. Hrabowski’s new book The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success. Free copies of the book will be available at the signing on a first come, first served basis.
PhD Dissertation Deposit and Graduation Webinars
Thursday, June 27 at 2PM and Tuesday, July 9 at 10AM
Are you a PHD student graduating in August? Please join the Graduate Degrees office for one of two informational PHD dissertation deposit and graduation webinars offered this summer to learn more about the graduation timeline, dissertation formatting requirements, deposits and publication, embargoes and copyright, and academic resources for writers. No registration required; all questions welcome.
CETLI Mini Course in Inclusive & Equitable Teaching
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12pm-1:30pm; July 11-25; Sessions held in-person, at CETLI
How can identities salient to our students (race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, and other backgrounds) not only be valued in the classroom, but leveraged as strengths for learning? In this mini course, participants will uncover a variety of approaches to help all students thrive to the best of their abilities. For more information, visit cetli.upenn.edu/minicourses or contact Michelle Johnson (mkjohns@upenn.edu).
Campus Events & Student Activities
Campus Tour for Graduate and Professional Students
Tuesday, June 18, 2pm; Meet at Graduate Student Center
Are you a new graduate or professional student and want to learn more about Penn's campus? A current student looking for a refresher on where campus services are located? Join us for a guided tour of Penn's campus and learn more about the many resources and spaces Penn has to offer. The tour will provide an overview of important spaces on campus and will provide participants with a glimpse of Penn's history in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia.
Crafternoons @ the Grad Center: Origami
Wednesday, June 26, 11:30am-12:30pm; Grad Center #304
Join other graduate & professional students from across Penn and invite a moment of relaxation into your day through the art of making origami! Origami papers will be provided, and a reference book of patterns will also be available for attendees. Advance registration is not required but is helpful to anticipate the number of supplies needed.
Off-Campus Weekly Housing Information Sessions
Penn Off-Campus Services provides resources and support for students, including information about when to look for off-campus housing, searchable rental listings, rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants, and how to address issues related to off-campus living. See all upcoming information session dates on the Off-Campus Services website and email ocliving@upenn.edu for a participation link.
See more upcoming events and activities:
- Grad Center Events Calendar
- Graduate “Events Around Campus” Calendar
- University Life Calendar of Events
Grants & Professional Opportunities
Upcoming opportunities include:
- Huntington Library Martin Ridge Fellowship | June 15
- Toyota Foundation Research Grants | June 17
- CPRIT TRIUMPH Fellowship | June 30
- GAPSA Travel Grants | Deadline: June 30
- Fulbright U.S. Student Program | Priority Deadline: July 8
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.
