March 2024 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
Vice Provost for Education
Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
March 2024
Message from Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen, Ph.D.
I hope everyone had a restful spring break, and found time to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather if you stayed in Philadelphia. As we enter the second half of the spring semester, I want to remind you about important deadlines, as well as resources and opportunities for graduate and professional students.
Middle States Accreditation Site Visit
Resources, Support, and Wellness
About the Vice Provost for Education
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Middle States Accreditation Site Visit
Open Sessions with the Evaluation Team
Penn is in the process of reaccreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The evaluation process consists of two interrelated phases: a self-study, conducted by the institution and a peer review, conducted by an Evaluation Team. The Evaluation Team will visit Penn on March 24-27, 2024, and conduct a series of open sessions for the Penn community. We encourage graduate and professional students to attend the student session on March 25.
- Monday, March 25: 5:00pm -6:00pm: Open forum for Penn students with the Evaluation Team at Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall.
- Tuesday, March 26: 3:00pm-4:00pm: Open forum for Penn faculty with the Evaluation Team at Hall of Flags, Houston Hall.
- Tuesday, March 26: 4:00pm -5:00pm: Open forum for Penn staff with the Evaluation Team at Hall of Flags, Houston Hall.
Please email pennmsche2024@pobox.upenn.edu if you have any questions.
Announcements
GAPSA Elections
March 13 and March 27
Consider running for a position on the GAPSA Executive Board to make a difference in the graduate student experience at Penn! The term of service is May 1, 2024-April 30, 2025. See https://www.gapsa.upenn.edu/get-involved for more information.
Graduation Regalia Ordering and Pick-up
Masters and PhD candidates who plan to participate in 2024 graduation and Commencement ceremonies can find information about purchasing regalia and related tasks on the Grad Express website. All graduates are strongly encouraged to purchase regalia during the Graduation Fest, held March 20-22 at the Penn Bookstore. Visit Grad Express for more details.
Other deadlines for graduating PhD students
- Friday, March 15 is the last day to submit a degree application in time for your name to be printed in the Commencement Program. Applications received after this date won’t appear in the official Commencement program but can still participate and graduate.
- Friday, March 29 is the last day to deposit a PhD dissertation for the spring tuition waiver in participating schools. For more important dates, please see the Graduate Degrees Calendar.
Resources, Support, and Wellness
Safety from Online Harassment
There has been increasing concern from grad students about doxing and other forms of online harassment. Any effort to target or intimidate members of the Penn community is unacceptable. The University remains steadfast in our resolve to hold accountable, through our policies and processes, any person or group affiliated with Penn found to be harassing any other member of our community. If you are experiencing online harassment or threatening behavior of any kind, please report it to the Division of Public Safety by calling 215-573-3333 for an immediate response or filling out the Online Harassment Report Form for a response within 48 hours. You may also reach out to Special Services at 215-898-4481 or specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu. Additional information can be found on this resource page.
Family Resource Center
Students with children and their families are encouraged to utilize the Family Resource Center, where a family-friendly atmosphere welcomes all. In the Family Center (situated on the Lower Level of 3615 Locust Walk), enjoy the comfortable lounge area, multilingual reading room, and amenities for families with young children, like the toy/crawl zone, lactation room, kitchenette, and nap nook. Upcoming events, like the “Flower Power Party,” as well as weekly activity series, like “I Can Move!” or “Sensory Play,” are open to registered members of the Family Center. Visit the events calendar to learn more and register.
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 Lex Brugger and Wendy Li advanced to the championship round of the first annual ABA M&A Committee National Invitational, a bracket-style mock-negotiation contest, where they placed second.
- Weitzman School City Planning students make planning recommendations for Ukrainian recovery.
- Venkata (Sai) Chaluvadi, a PhD student in Biomedical Graduate Studies, has been awarded $120,000 by the Rosenau Family Research Foundation (RFRF) to study lipid accumulation and macrophage responses in Krabbe Disease.
- Nursing students Hannah Cho and Ellen Munsterman have been named the first Carol E. Ware PhD Fellows.
- Miles Gray and Ethan Swift are this year’s Edwin R. Keedy Cup winners of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s annual internal moot court competition.
See more Penn Grad News.
Campus & Community Engagement
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 https://bit.ly/DEEPennSTEM-volunteer.
See more ways to engage on campus and beyond
Student Events & Activities
Graduate Community Study Hall
Tuesdays, 2-4:30 PM
Looking for a co-working space with other graduate and professional students? Join the Weingarten Center and the Grad Center for our regular Graduate Community Study Halls. Based in emerging research on body-doubling and productivity, the goal of this program is to create a dedicated and consistent time that helps with accountability. An encouraging, safe, and quiet study space will be provided for graduate students. Snacks will also be provided to participants.
Weekly Language Chats
Days and times vary | Current languages: French, Hindi, Mandarin, Russian, & Spanish
The Language Chats Program at the Grad Center provides an opportunity for current Penn 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. Learn more and see other language programs at https://gsc.upenn.edu/graduate-life/chats.
Self-Defense and Empowerment Workshop
Wednesday, March 20, 7-9pm
Join the Grad Center and Tracey Cardella, Victim Advocate with Special Services, for a special self-defense and empowerment workshop for current Penn graduate and professional students. Build your confidence and situational awareness while you learn a few basic self-defense skills and moves. The goal is to raise awareness in vulnerable situations, utilizing realistic scenarios. No weapon defense is taught in this class. No experience is necessary to join this class. Learn more and register here.
Penn 3-Mintute Thesis 2024 Live Competition
Friday, March 22 from 2-4PM
Cheer on your peers from across the University as they present their research in 3 minutes with only their words and a single presentation slide! Judges will choose the first- and second-place winners but we need YOU to help choose the Audience Choice winner! A reception will be held after the competition for students, staff, and faculty to mingle with the presenters. Please RSVP so we have an accurate headcount for catering or to receive the livestream link.
See more upcoming events and activities:
- Grad Center Events Calendar
- Graduate “Events Around Campus” Calendar
- University Life Calendar of Events
Grants & Paid Opportunities
Upcoming opportunities include:
- Individual Travel & Research Grants | Deadlines: March 15-22
- YH Park Fellowship in Korean Studies | Deadline: March 24
- The Laura Bassi Scholarship | Deadline: March 24
- Schmidt Science Fellows | Deadline: April 12
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.
