Newsletters September/October 2024 Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students

Office of the Vice Provost for EducationPhoto of sky with roofline of Fisher Fine Arts Library and trees visible

Newsletter for Graduate & Professional Students
September / October 2024

 

Welcome to our new students, and welcome back to those continuing. The Penn campus is full of places to find community and belonging. Below are some resources that will help you make connections and find opportunities.

In this newsletter learn more about:

Graduate Students in the News Resources and Support for Students
Student Health and Wellbeing Recent Penn News
Community Engagement and Activities Grant and Other Funding Opportunities

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 Health and Wellbeing

Weekly Free Organic Produce Distribution
Thursdays at 12:30pm in Grad Center first floor
Current graduate and professional students and Family Center members who identify as food insecure are welcome to stop by the Grad Center first floor each Thursday for free, fresh produce straight from Penn Farm to help combat food insecurity! All produce is provided first-come, first-served and available until supplies run out! We encourage you to bring your own produce bags or a container.

Engage with the Division of Recreation and Athletics!
Prioritize your physical and social wellbeing by participating in programming with Penn Campus Recreation & Penn Athletics:

  • Athletic games & competitions: Games are free to students; tickets can be reserved for Football, Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Wrestling, and Men’s Lacrosse.
  • Historic Franklin Field Track is free & open to PennCard holders for use Monday-Friday, 11AM-2PM. Enter at the Fox Fitness Center and walking through the Franklin Field concourse.
  • Workout: Full-time graduate students who pay full general fee have access to Pottruck and Fox Fitness Centers, free weekly group exercise classes, rock climbing, intramural sport leagues, and more. Part-time students can join with a membership fee.
  • Penn Tennis Center and Penn Squash Center: Show your Penn ID to enjoy these facilities.
     

Save the Date(s)! Penn Flu Clinic
October 16-18 in Pottruck Fitness Center, 3701 Walnut Street
All members of the Penn community are invited to get their annual flu vaccine at Penn Wellness’ Flu Clinic.  Full details and requirements here

 

Community Engagement & Activities

Graduate Student Engagement
Explore our lists of graduate student organizations and engagement opportunities to find out how you can participate in the broader Penn community. Your Graduate School Government is an additional place to find advocacy and community, as well as with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), the University-wide graduate student government.

Voter Registration & Engagement Opportunities
Connect with Penn Leads the Vote to learn about upcoming elections, register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, and much more. Learn more and volunteer to help with voter registration and outreach efforts at www.pennvotes.org. See additional campus and community engagement opportunities at www.gsc.upenn.edu/resources/get-involved.

See more upcoming events and activities:

Resources and Support for Students

PhD, MA, and MS Fall 2024 Graduation
Sign up for December 2024 graduation for PhD, MA, and MS students is open! Visit the Graduate Degrees website for more information, PhD and MA/MS graduation checklists, , and to review the dates and deadlines on the December 2024 and May 2025 graduation calendars. Students in all other degree programs should contact their school or program for graduation requirements and information. The Graduate Degrees office is also hosting informational Zoom sessions for PhD students planning to graduate this semester on September 24 & October 30.  

Grad Center Lunch & Learn Series
Fridays 12:15-12:45pm; hybrid
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 is provided for in-person attendees who register in advance.

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. Visit our calendar for specific dates:

  • Financial Wellness Peer Counseling | Tuesdays (except 10/1), 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
  • NSF GRFP Application Feedback | selected Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
  • Weingarten Writing/Learning Consultations | Tuesdays, 1:00-4:00 P
  • Let's Talk | Wednesdays, 2:00-5:00 PM
  • Dissertation Formatting & Deposit Consultations | Thursdays, 3:00-4:30 PM

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

Recent Penn News

The University’s Interim President Larry Jameson announced the creation of an Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion (Title VI), which is being formed in response to recommendations from the Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism, and the reports of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community.

Penn has introduced two new institutional positions: a statement of University Values and a statement Upholding Academic Independence. University values are a product of our long history, and re-presenting them in new words today carries added importance. Additionally, going forward, the University and its leaders will refrain from institutional statements made in response to local and world events, which should better amplify the expertise and voices within.

Draw Down the Lightning grants are a new series of grants in support of the aspirations and pressing imperatives named in In Principle and Practice, Penn’s strategic framework. The grants are open to current students, post-doctoral scholars, staff, and faculty. Proposals should speak to any combination of In Principle and Practice’s four principles and five practices; applicants are encouraged to be inventive in developing activities, programs, scholarship, and engagement opportunities.

Deputy Provost Beth Winkelstein is leading the implementation effort for the Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. Dr. Winkelstein recently sat down for a Q&A about her plans.

 

Grants & Professional Opportunities

Student Government-Sponsored Individual Travel & Research Grants
Deadline: October 10
Grants of up to $2000 for eligible conference travel and selected research activities offered by several Penn graduate school governments. Grants are sponsored and reviewed by graduate and professional student governments; program details vary. All grants are administered through the Graduate Grants Office.  Learn more and apply.

Graduate Emergency Fund
The Graduate Emergency Fund provides grants to assist graduate and professional students with urgent financial needs and unanticipated, one-time expenses. The fund is intended to support the continued academic progress and well-being of students experiencing short term financial hardship who cannot otherwise reasonably resolve their immediate financial needs through loans, aid programs, or personal resources. See the Fund’s website for more information.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Deadline: October 11 (references); October 15 - 18 (all other materials, varies by field)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports promising students in NSF-supported STEM and social science disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees. For information about applying for the NSF GRFP at Penn, visit: www.curf.upenn.edu/content/nsf.

Penn Provost Postdoctoral Fellowship
Deadline: October 18
Competitively awarded program provides support for up to three years to promising candidates from a diverse array of backgrounds and populations whose life experience, research experience, and employment background will contribute significantly to Penn’s academic and research missions. Fellowships are available for postdoctoral training in all areas of study at Penn. Successful candidates will receive a competitive stipend, annual research and travel allowances, benefits package, and highly mentored scholarly and research training, as well as access to many university resources to enhance their research and professional success skills.

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans (for immigrants and the children of immigrants)
Deadline: October 31
Prestigious national fellowship provides up to two years of support for graduate study for new Americans - permanent residents or naturalized citizens if born abroad; otherwise children of naturalized citizen parents - in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program in the US. Learn more about the application process and view upcoming or recorded applicant information sessions at www.pdsoros.org/apply/information-sessions. For information and support in applying for the Soros Fellowship at Penn, visit https://curf.upenn.edu/content/soros.

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 Office of the Vice Provost for Education

The Office of 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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