December Newsletter
Dear Students and Faculty,
I hope that you have had a productive Fall semester and are planning some well-deserved time off during the upcoming holidays.
In anticipation of the approaching new year, this month’s newsletter includes reminders of fellowship deadlines, professional development opportunities, and announcement of an important new staff member joining the Graduate School in the Spring 2025 semester.
The Fulbright-Hays DDRA and Boren Awards Fellowships present invaluable opportunities for doctoral research and language study abroad. The internal deadline for these awards is January 15, 2025 and January 17, 2025, respectively. The 2025 INSPECT Fellowship offers graduate students the opportunity to engage in public policy through an internship in an Indiana State government agency. The deadline for applications is January 22, 2025 and further details are below. For any queries or assistance about any of these fellowships, please reach out to the University Graduate School at ugsawrd@iu.edu.
We also encourage you to make plans to participate in two exciting professional career development programs this spring. The annual Preparing Future Faculty conference, organized by the College ‘s Department of Sociology, provides advice, information and insights into academic careers. This year, the conference will also host a special guest, Dr. Leonard Cassuto, a well known columnist and expert on graduate education. This year’s Three Minute Thesis competition promises to be bigger than ever, including new collaborations, more preparatory practice sessions and a new location for the finals. Join in excitement of presenting your research in three minutes to a non-expert audience, the fun comraderie of your peers, and monetary prizes!
And finally, as called for in the IUB 2030 strategic plan, we have created the new position of Graduate Ombudsperson and are excited to welcome Clarissa Ciampaglia, an experienced conflict mediator and seasoned ombudsperson, into the role in early January. Look for more details about this new position in the January Graduate School newsletter and for a special feature about Clarissa in the January campus newsletter.
Wishing everyone a fulfilling end to 2024, and we look forward to seeing you in 2025. May the new year bring you success, growth, and new opportunities.
Warm regards,
David Daleke
Graduating this semester?
Be sure to check these sites for important information about Graduate Deadlines and Commencements :
Fellowships and Awards
Fulbright-Hays DDRA – internal deadline: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
The Fulbright-Hays grants provides funding for doctoral students to conduct dissertation research overseas for a period of 6 - 12 months. To be eligible, doctoral students must be enrolled in a modern foreign language training and area studies program and have G901 status by grant period.
Applications are due the spring prior to the grant year. Application deadline and award notification may vary, due to the nature of federal government. The U.S. Department of Education administers the grant and their site has information regarding the application. The timeframe between the release of the application and deadline is short. If the application is not yet updated, we highly recommend using the previous year’s application as a template to begin drafting your proposal. For complete information, access the Fulbright-Hayes DDRA Application, follow this link for Application Guidance oe contact ugsawrd@iu.edu with questions.
Boren Awards Fellowships – agency deadline: January 22, 2025 (Students may apply directly)
Boren Fellowships, provided by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office, fund research and language study by US graduate students in world regions critical to US interests. Awards are determined by the duration abroad. The maximum award is $25,000 for 25-52 weeks, or up to $12,500 for 12-24 weeks of overseas study. Fellowship recipients may also receive up to $12,000 for an optional domestic language study program.
The Graduate School is happy to review your essays and/or program plans, prior to the national submission deadline. If you would like us to review your application materials, please email them to ugsawrd@iu.edu by January 17, 2025.
INSPECT Fellowships in Indiana Science Policy – internal deadline: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Hosted by the Indiana Academy of Science and supported by Indiana State Agencies and the University Graduate School, INSPECT fellowships bring together the scientific community and state government, enabling emerging scientists to be effective participants in public policy. Fellows serve as nonpartisan, science-policy staff in select state agencies and receive a stipend for the 10-week summer program (June – August 2025). Fellows address conduct topical research, perform data analysis, develop policy, participate in scientific outreach, and collaborate with the Indiana Legislative Services Agency. INSPECT fellows applications are due Wednesday, January 22, 2025.
Professional Development Events
30th Annual Preparing Future Faculty Conference
The Preparing Future Faculty Conference is a one-day professional development event designed to provide graduate students from all disciplines and at all phases of their education with important information about preparing for future academic careers. The conference this year will consist of four sessions (two panels, a guest speaker, and one roundtable) addressing different issues of concern to graduate students. Topics will range from navigating the job market, to preparing the whole academic and exploring the variety of professional opportunities available both inside and outside of academia. Highlights of the 2025 conference will be the keynote address by Prof. Brian Powell of the Department of Sociology and a special guest speaker, Dr. Leonard Cassuto, a thought leader in PhD education, regular contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education and author of a new book “Academic Writing as if Readers Matter.” The conference will take place Friday, January 24th, 2025, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm in the IMU. Please see the Preparing Future Faculty website for program and registration information and to register.
9th Annual Three Minute Thesis Competition
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a research communication event that challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis or dissertation research and its significance to a general audience in just three minutes. Doctoral and master’s students from all thesis-bearing programs are encouraged to participate to develop important communication skills, practice presenting research to a general audience, and celebrate their research in the broader IU community. For this year’s first-round event, participants will complete an application form and upload a Kaltura recording of their 3MT presentation (deadline January 31st, 2025, at 5pm). Finalists will be selected from these recordings to present at the LIVE Final Event (February 28th, 2025). Please see the 3MT website for more details and information about upcoming preparation workshops.
3MT Primer: A practice opportunity
If 3MT sounds like a good idea, but you are not quite sure how to distill your research, then come to a 3MT Primer session, hosted by Brandi Smith, Director of Career Coaching in the University Graduate School. We will utilize the resources on the 3MT webpage to generate ideas, outline how you can distill your research, practice delivery, and receive feedback in an informal, small group, and low-pressure setting. Join one or all three practice sessions!
- Tuesday, January 21, 10am to noon, IMU Hoosier Room, Register in Handshake
- Monday, January 27, 10am to noon, IMU Hoosier Room, Register in Handshake
- Tuesday, January 28, 1pm to 3pm, IMU Hoosier Room, Register in Handshake
We look forward to engaging in this fun and exciting annual event with you, and to learning about your research!