SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Graduate Committee Policy Change

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that the Graduate Faculty Executive Committee has altered the rules for the composition of master's and doctoral committees, effective immediately. The change allows more flexibility in membership, leaving the responsibility for graduate student advisory committees in the hands of the graduate programs themselves, while at the same time serving students' interests by allowing the most qualified committee members to read their theses and dissertations. For specifics, see the Academic Guidelines under "Committees". For an explanation of the policy and history, see Dean Cadwallader's memo, sent to departments on May 16, 2008.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Students should know that FERPA governs and protects students' rights to their individual educational records. The primary rights protected under FERPA are:

Students' rights to review and inspect their educational records;
Students' rights to have their educational records amended or corrected;
Students' rights to control disclosure of certain portions of their educational records

Click here for more information about FERPA and your rights.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

RISE Scholarship Program

Information Session
Wednesday, October 1
Ingraham Hall, Room 336
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Ulrich Grothus, director of the DAAD, will be presenting information on the RISE scholarship program, a summer research scholarship program for graduate students in the sciences.

RISE professional - Research Internships in Science and Engineering - gives recent graduates, Master and PhD students in the fields of Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology and Physics a unique opportunity to gain practical, career-building experience working in a German company for the summer. All participants receive stipends from DAAD to help cover living expenses.

Full description is available here http://www.daad.de/rise-pro/en/index.html

Javits Foundation Fellowship

This program provides fellowships to students of superior academic ability—selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need, and exceptional promise—to undertake study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities, and social sciences. The fellowship consists of an institutional payment (accepted by the institution of higher education in lieu of all tuition and fees for the fellow) and a stipend (based on the fellow's financial need as determined by the measurements of the Federal Student Assistance Processing System. Subject to the availability of funds, a fellow receives the Javits fellowship annually for up to the lesser of 48 months or the completion of their degree. For fiscal year 2008, the maximum stipend will be $30,000, and the institutional payment will be $12,891. This fellowship is open to incoming and first year PhD or terminal MFA students in Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences. The deadline for applications is October 3rd, 2008. More information is available online at http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/index.html.

Vilas Travel Grants

Do you need money for travel to a conference or for research purposes? Apply for a Vilas Travel Grant. The Graduate Student Collaborative helps the Graduate School distribute 300 $600 travel grants and a small number of $1,500 grants for international research travel. Current UW-Madison dissertators and final year MFA students are eligible to apply. The Vilas Travel Grant Competition begins October 1, 2008.

Deadline: October 31, 2008
Information: http://www.grad.wisc.edu/gsc/vilas/vilasinfo.html

National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship

The National Science Foundation aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,000 graduate fellowships in this competition. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees and is intended for students who are at the early stages of their graduate study. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) invests in graduate education for a cadre of diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the National Science Foundation. The fellowship is renewable for three years over a five year period and provides an annual stipend of $30,000 with and extra education allowance of $10, 500 per year to cover tuition and fees. The application deadline is November 3 - November 12, 2008 (varies based on discipline). More information is available online at https://www.fastlane-beta.nsf.gov/grfp/Login.do.

Spencer Dissertation Fellowship

The Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program supports scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These fellowships provide $25,000 for a one-year tenure in order to support the final analysis of the research topic and the writing of the dissertation. For this reason, all applicants must document that they will have completed all pre-dissertation requirements by June 1, 2009 and must provide a clear and specific plan for completing the dissertation within a one or two-year time frame. Applicants need not be citizens of the United States. The deadline for applications is November 4th, 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.spencer.org/programs/fellows/dissertation.htm.

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The ACLS awards Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships for a one-year tenure beginning summer 2009. Aimed at encouraging graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences to complete the Ph.D. in a timely manner, these fellowships offer a stipend of $25, 000 with up to $8,000 more available to cover research costs and university fees. Applicants must be no more than six years into their degree program and should be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure or shortly thereafter. Completed applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (http://ofa.acls.org/) no later than 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, November 12, 2008. More information is available at http://www.acls.org/grants/Default.aspx?id=512.

Charlotte Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships are designed to encourage original and significant study of ethical or religious values in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and particularly to help Ph.D. candidates in these fields complete their dissertation work in a timely manner. In addition to topics in religious studies or in ethics (philosophical or religious), dissertations appropriate to the Newcombe Fellowship competition might explore the ethical implications of foreign policy, the values influencing political decisions, the moral codes of other cultures, and religious or ethical issues reflected in history or literature. Applicants must be able to fulfill all pre-dissertation requirements by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal, and must expect to submit completed dissertations by summer 2010. Successful candidates will be in the writing stage of the dissertation, having completed fieldwork or other research by the time of the award. Fellows will receive $24,000 for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing. The deadline for applications is November 14th, 2008. More information is available online at http://www.woodrow.org/fellowships/religion_ethics/index.php.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Dissertation Fellowship

The AAUW Dissertation Fellowship is open to women doctoral candidates in any field of study who will complete their dissertation writing between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. The fellowship provides a $20,000 stipend for one year, beginning July 1, 2009. To qualify, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have completed all course work, passed all required preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposal or plan by Nov. 15, 2008. Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of scholarly excellence, teaching experience, and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research. The deadline for applications is November 15th, 2008. For more details on eligibility requirements or to access an application, please visit http://www.aauw.org/education/fga/fellowships_grants/american.cfm.

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship

Through its program of Diversity Fellowships, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. The awards will be made to dissertators who, in the judgment of the review panels, have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. The fellowship provides a $21,000 stipend. For more information on eligibility and selection criteria, please visit http://www7.nationalacademies.org/fordfellowships/forddiss.html. The deadline for online applications is November 28, 2008.

Financial Assistance for Child Care Fees

Are you a UW-Madison student parent and have your child (children) enrolled in a licensed child care center, licensed in-home provider or a licensed after-school program?

You may be eligible for financial assistance toward those child care costs while you attend classes at the UW-Madison during the fall 2008 semester. You may apply for financial assistance through the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program(CCTAP). CCTAP provides financial assistance toward child care costs to eligible low-income student parents. Not all students are eligible. All student applicants must reside in Wisconsin and have licensed child care in Wisconsin.

For more information, eligibility, deadlines and an application, visit the CCTAP Web site and click on financial assistance. While on the CCTP site check out the the Kids-Kare Program, a program that provides financial assistance for sick, back-up and evening care to eligible CCTAP student parents. Please note deadlines.

Additional Funding Resources

Individuals looking for funding opportunities are usually best served by starting with the Funding Sources for Individuals category under the Grants Information Collection. Don't forget that the UW Job Center offers a great online resource for finding graduate student assistantships on campus. Register with the Job Center to receive weekly updates.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

GSC Graduate Student Professional Development Workshops

In cooperation with the Graduate School's Office of Outreach and Professional Development, the Graduate Student Collaborative (GSC) holds a number of workshops that help students acquire the skills, knowledge, and experiences that will help them get the most out of their graduate school experience and succeed later in their chosen field.

Listed below are upcoming workshops, about which details are available on the GSC Events Calendar. Participants must register for workshops.

Taking the Terror out of Public Speaking
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Preparing for your Prelims and Defense
Wednesday, September 24
Bascom Hall, Room 260
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Developing your Cover Letter and Resume
Monday, September 29, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Fostering a Productive Relationship with Your Advisor
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Microbial Sciences, Room 6201
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Completion of the Ph.D.:
Step-by-Step Guidance from the Graduate School
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Union South, TITU
12: 00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Vilas Travel Grant Workshop
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Creating Community Within Your Department
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Interviewing for Faculty Positions
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Creating Your Own Internship
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
12:00 p.m. -1:00 p.m.

Publishing Your Research Article: Arts & Humanities
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Memorial Library
4:30 p.m. -6:00 p.m.

Publishing Your Research Article: Sciences & Social Sciences
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Steenbock Library
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Securing Superior Letters of Recommendation
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Bascom Hall, Room 260
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Finding the Leader Within You
Friday, October 17, 2008
Memorial Union, TITU
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Library Workshops

Campus libraries workshops and tours help you learn how to find what you need quickly and efficiently. They will help you save time when deadlines for papers and projects approach. Most of these are hands-on. And best of all, they're free.

This fall, the workshops will cover topics such as: Finding Books and More for Your Research, Managing your Citations with Endnote & EndNote Web, Grants for Your Education, Introduction to Transana, Identifying Grants for Research & Project Funding, Managing Your Citations with RefWorks, Google for Academic Research, Introduction to Data Analysis with SPSS.

Visit the library Web site to find out more about upcoming library workshops.

Writing Center Workshops

The Writing Center offers non-credit classes throughout the semester, held in Helen C. White Hall. Writing Center classes are free and are open to currently registered UW-Madison students. Each class will give you the chance to pick up valuable writing skills in a supportive, small-group environment. For more information visit the Writing Center Web site or 608-263-1992. The following courses may be useful to graduate students and are offered in the coming month:

Free Instructional Workshops and Demos from DoIT

If you are faculty, an instructor or a teaching assistant who supports a UW-Madison timetable course, DoIT Academic Technology invites you to participate in one of several free trainings and demonstrations. Learn web development, Learn@UWtools and tricks, how to use clickers, and much more. See the DoIT Training Web site for details.

Additional Graduate Information Resources

Want more? See the Graduate Student Professional Development Web site, the GSC Web site, the University Events calendar, and Software Training for Students for general and specialized workshops.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Peace Day Rally

Sunday, September 21
UW Library Mall
5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Following a moment of silence in honor of all who have fallen to armed conflict, award-winning UW Professor Howard Schweber will address a crowd in UW's Library Mall as the centerpoint of Peace Day @ UW events. The rally will be followed by a screening of the documentary "The Day After Peace" in the Humanities Building, Rm. 1651 at 6:45 p.m.

Click here for more information.

9th Annual Diversity Forum - Beyond Plans and Promises: Active Leadership for the Future

Tuesday, September 23
TITU, Memorial Union
All day
Free, registration is required

This forum examines aspects of institutional racism and explores both institutional and individual actions that are critical for helping the University realize its long-term commitment. A cultural focus will be the 12,000-year history of indigenous peoples and nations in the Great Lakes, including our own campus. More information is available online.

Human Rights and Democracy Lecture: Mary Robinson

Friday, September 26
Microbial Sciences Building
Ebling Symposium Center
4:00 p.m.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, will deliver a talk on “Human Rights in the 21st Century”.

Robinson has been honorary president of Oxfam International since 2002. She is chair of the International Institute for Environment and Development and a founding member and chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. The future of human rights is a driving theme of her organization, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, committed to placing human rights at the forefront of all global policy-making decisions.

Distinguished Lecture Series: Rebecca Walker

Monday, September 29, 2008
Wisconsin Union Theater
7:30 p.m.
Free for UW students

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series presents Rebecca Walker, an expert on intergenerational feminism, multiculturalism, and transformational human awareness and author of Black, White and Jewish, a landmark book in the field of bi-racial studies. The daughter of Alice Walker, (renowned author of The Color Purple), Rebecca Walker is also the best-selling author of Baby Love, and the editor of the Third Wave primer To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism. With a foreword by Gloria Steinem, her godmother, the book is taught in Gender Studies programs around the world. Walker also edited What Makes a Man, about the new age of enlightened masculinity. Walker will be speaking on "Hyphen-Nation: The Role of Race in a Globalized Society."

Wisconsin Union Theater: Ani DiFranco

Sunday, October 5, 2008
Wisconsin Union Theater
8:00 p.m.
$35, $32.50 UW Madison Students w/ ID

Ani DiFranco is a Grammy Award winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Known as a prolific artist (she has 19 recorded albums), she is also considered to be somewhat of a feminist icon. Her music is classified as folk rock and alternative rock and her lyrics are recognized for their sophistication. To learn more about this artist, visit http://www.myspace.com/anidifranco

Open Art Studios

Saturday, October 4 - Sunday, October 5
Various locations around Madison
11: 00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (both days)
Free

For one weekend only, local art studios are open for the public to explore. Artists will be present and making art at all listed locations. Pick up a printed map of the studio locations at area libraries or the Overture Center, or make use of the interactive, online map. Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Whad'Ya Know with Michael Feldman

Saturdays September 27, October 4, & October 11
Monona Terrace Convention Center
9:30 a.m.
$5

Whad'Ya Know? is an American comedy, interview, and quiz radio show produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and and distributed weekly by Public Radio International that is broadcast live at Monona Terrace. Find show and ticket purchase information here.

Wisconsin Book Festival

Wednesday, October 15 - Sunday, October 19
Various locations around Madison
Free

The Wisconsin Book Festival is the state's largest literary festival, with approximately 15,000 annual attendees, and one of the largest in the nation. This unique event inspires book lovers from across the region to spend a weekend in downtown Madison and transforms State Street into a vast, public literary salon. More information will be available over the coming weeks on the Wisconsin Book Festival Web site.

SOCIAL EVENTS

Graduate Student Collaborative (GSC) Socials

GSC Socials are held every Friday during the semester to give grad students from all across campus a weekly chance to mingle, get to know people outside their department, and unwind from the hectic week.

Friday, September 19 & Friday, September 26
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Memorial Union Terrace (near the Stiftskeller)

Graduate Student Collaborative (GSC) Monthly Midweek Mingle

Join grad students from a wide variety of disciplines for the GSC's Monthly Midweek Mingle. The first Wednesday of every month, GSC gathers at Genna's Lounge for some much needed social time. Meet new and continuing grad students and get rejuvenated for the rest of the week!

Wednesday, October 1
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Genna's Lounge (Main & Carroll Sts.)

Graduate Student Collaborative (GSC) Gastronomic Gadabouts

All graduate students are invited to attend any and all Gastronomic Gadabouts events. Every month, the GSC heads out to a local restaurant for an opportunity to try out local fare and connect with students.

Monday, September 22
7:00 p.m.
The Old Fashioned (23 N. Pinckney St.)

Come out to The Old Fashioned, a fixture on the Madison restaurant scene, and take advantage of their Monday night 2-for-1 burger special. If inexpensive burgers don't entice you, enjoy one of their delicious sandwiches, salads, or deep-fried cheese curds!

Please RSVP to GSC (262-0201 or gsc@bascom.wisc.edu) by September 22 at noon so that we can reserve the right number of seats.

Check the GSC Events Calendar often to see where future social events will be held.

ACADEMIC DEADLINES

Fall 2008 Deadlines

Last Day to pay tuition and fees without $100 Late Payment Fee (Unless you have an R.A., T.A., or P.A. position)	Friday, September 19 TODAY!
Last Day for 50% tuition adjustment on dropped classes	Friday, September 26
Last day for RAs, TAs, and PAs to pay fees without $100 late fee	Friday, October 3rd
Last day to add a course. Last day to drop a course. Last day to convert from Credit to Audit Last day to apply for PASS/FAIL.	Friday, October 31st
Last day to withdraw from the semester (Last day of class)	Friday, December 12th

For a list of all fall semester deadlines check http://www.registrar.wisc.edu/deadlines.php?term=1092

For questions about Graduate School policies and procedures, see the Academic Guidelines at http://www.wisc.edu/grad/education/acadpolicy/introduction.html