G R A D U A T E F A C U L T Y

N E W S L E T T E R

C O L U M B U S S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

October 18, 2017 Issue #1

If what we are hearing from faculty is accurate, there may be no greater need on this campus than improved communication. This newsletter for Graduate Faculty is the attempt of the Graduate School to address that need. At least twice a semester we intend to provide you with updates on graduate education. Please feel free to contact us with your questions, needs, and ideas.

Dr. Ellen Roberts and Dr. Margie Yates

The Graduate School would like to thank all of the graduate faculty who encouraged students to submit proposals for the 2017 Graduate Conference. We have over 50 scheduled presentations this year! We are currently in need of faculty who are willing to serve as judges and panel moderators for the Oral Presentation panels and the Poster Presentation session on Thursday, November 2 at the Cunningham Center. If you are willing to help support the conference this way, please go to the link below and provide information on your availability.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1McFoMNyqD7_3BNcLNcSFMw2gVSjTumv_9cw28EpUz30/edit#gid=0

If you have any questions about the Graduate Conference, please contact Amber Dees, dees_amber@columbusstate.edu.

2017 GRADUATE CONFERENCE

DOES THIS NEED TO GO TO THE GRADUATE COUNCIL?The Graduate Council advises the Graduate School Director on matters pertaining to graduate study at Columbus State University. We are often asked, “Does this need to go to the Graduate Council?”

Among its other responsibilities, the Graduate Council:

approves new and revised graduate programs and certificates, 

recommends changes in, or additions to, graduate academic regulations

approves changes to admission requirements to graduate programs, and

reviews and approves faculty for teaching at the graduate level.

If you have a question relating to graduate education, please be sure to contact your 2017-2018 Graduate Council member from your college:

Nicholas Bolden, Chair (COLS) Kevin Burgess (COLS)Tammy Condrey, Secretary (COEHP) John Finley (TCOB)Scott Harris (COA)Shamim Khan (TCOB) Saoussan Maarouf (COEHP)Ilaria Scaglia (COLS)Margie Yates, Past-Chair (COEHP)

Also serving on the Council in ex-officio roles are: Tina Butcher, Interim Provost and SACSCOC Liaison, Ellen Roberts, Director of the Graduate School, and Kristin Williams, Graduate & International Recruiter.

As a quick check of your knowledge on what must go to the Graduate Council for review and approval, ask yourself about each of the following:

a. Revisions to admissions requirements to a graduate program

b. The proposal for a new graduate degree program

c. New graduate level certificate or endorsement programs

d. New graduate courses

e. Revisions to graduate degree, certificate, or endorsement programs

f. Applications for Graduate Faculty Membership

Answers: You should have responded “yes” to a, b, c, and f. New graduate courses would come only as a part of a new program proposal. Revisions come, but not if they are minor ones. When in doubt, always ask…or just send it, and we will let you know if we don’t need to review it in the revisions.

DID YOU KNOW?

The updated CSU Thesis Guide can be found at https://gradschool.columbusstate.edu/thesisguide.php. The Guide was developed and approved by the Graduate Council for use by all programs that either require a thesis or have a thesis option. Programs have the discretion, however, to adapt it to better suit their needs. All thesis programs as well as doctoral dissertations must nonetheless adhere to new policies and procedures for the submission of these documents.

As of summer 2017, theses and dissertations may be printed and bound only after the following requirements have been met:

The thesis or dissertation has been successfully defended; All revisions have been completed; All formatting corrections identified by the thesis or dissertation chair have been made; The Format Review Form (see appendix 7.5) has been signed and completed (for theses); and The Columbus State University Thesis and Dissertation Submission Approval Form (https://library.columbusstate.edu/docs/csu_e has been completed and sent to the library.

Theses and dissertations will be submitted electronically in PDF format to the CSU print shop. The library will need two bound copies. The student is responsible for letting the print shop know how many total copies are needed. Only the two library copies must be on 100% cotton bond paper. Library copies will be delivered to the library by the print shop; these will be made public. Students should arrange with the print shop to have other copies either picked up or delivered.

Restricting Access to the Digital ArchiveThe Columbus State University library’s ePress publishes theses and dissertations to the internet, making them publicly available and affording a better chance of citation and use by the scholarly community. If a student wishes to restrict access to the distribution of the document, he/she must complete the proper sections in the Columbus State University Thesis and Dissertation Submission Approval Form before submitting the thesis. All temporary embargos of no more than two years must be done at the time of submission; no restrictions will be placed on public access to the document after the thesis or dissertation has been submitted.

Please note: Students will not receive the degree until the library receives the bound copies of the thesis or dissertation and the CSU Thesis and Dissertation Submission Approval Form.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

1. How many hours does a graduate assistant need to be enrolled in the fall, spring and summer?Full time graduate assistants are required to be enrolled a minimum of 9 hours in the fall and spring and at least 6hours in the summer.

2. How many hours does a graduate assistant need to work each week?Work assignments for full time graduate assistants are equal to and cannot exceed 19 hours per week.

3. Are there part-time graduate assistantships?Partial assistantships of 10 hours per week may be available but must be approved. Students enrolled in studentteaching or full-time (30-40 hours/week) internships are eligible only for part-time assistantships. These are notautomatic and must be approved by the Director of the Graduate School.

4. How much are graduate assistants paid?For each term, Fall and Spring, full-time Graduate Assistants are to be paid a minimum of $2,000 per term. Becausethe summer term is shorter and GAs may work a variable number of weeks, the GA stipend should generally be at thesame rate of pay rather than the same total pay for the term. Pay Ranges may vary by student experience, fundingsource, discipline, and responsibilities specific of the appointment.

Departments and/or colleges should establish fair pay scales. Units should monitor their pay practices for consistencyacross the unit to ensure that individuals are paid in accordance with that pay scale and that there is no disparateimpact on individuals based on protected factors such as age, race, or gender. The Graduate School and HumanResources should monitor for consistency across the university.

5. With a tuition waiver, do graduate assistants pay any fees or other expenses?The graduate assistantship program allows full-time graduate assistants to pay a flat, per-semester tuition rate of$25.00. This is applicable to both in-state and out-of-state students! The student also pays the various fees aspresented in CSU’s fee schedule. Fees vary, based largely on whether the GA’s program is face-to-face or online.

6. What are the deadlines for tuition waivers to be applied to the student’s record?• Fall: September 25 (or last business day before September 25)• Spring: January 31 (or last business day before January 31)• Summer: June 30 (or last business day before June 30)

7. What are the responsibilities of the graduate assistant supervisor when a student decides to give up theassistantship?A termination Personnel Action Request form must be submitted to Human Resources by the supervisor to avoidoverpayment. The Director of the Graduate School should also be notified.

8. What is the last day of the semester that a graduate assistant is expected to work?A Graduate Assistant appointment begins on the first day of classes and ends on the last day of exams.

9. Are Graduate Assistants expected to make up work hours lost because of holidays?No

10. How does one post a Graduate Assistantship position?Department chairs and others may create an online posting of their position(s) by going to the following link:https://gradassistant.columbusstate.edu/submit . Students looking for GA positions will then be able to search thedatabase located at: https://gradschool.columbusstate.edu/gradassist-list.php . Departments offering positions thatare not yet posted are encouraged to submit them.

STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE MORE THAN ONE TRACK IN PROGRAMS

Until recently, graduate students were not allowed to complete an academic program, return to take another track in the same program, and have the second track added to the transcript. After taking a careful look at graduate programs with tracks, the Graduate Council approved a policy allowing students in some academic programs to do so if the following conditions are met:

The degree program and track have been approved for this purpose; The student meets admissions requirements for entering the new track; There is no duplication of hours between the two tracks except in the core; Practicum or internship experiences must either be repeated to obtain specific experience in the new field or, with approval of the program director, other course work may be substituted; Project or thesis hours may be repeated in the new field or, with the approval of the program director, other course work may be substituted; Regardless of the number of hours in the core, there shall be no fewer than 21 unduplicated hours in the added track (applies to 36 hr. master’s degree).

M.S. in Applied Computer Science (all tracks)Master of Science in Nursing (all tracks)Master of Public Administration (some tracks; careful advising needed to comply with conditions)Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (possible except with Leadership Developmentand Servant Leadership as the two tracks)

Programs approved thus far are as follows:

DATES TO REMEMBERCSU Graduate Research Conference - Nov. 1-2, 2017 Graduate School Open House, Tucker Hall - Nov. 16, 2017 Spring Discovery Day- Feb. 16, 2018

SPRING 2018 TERM DATES FOR GRADUATE ADVISORS AND STUDENTS:Registration for Graduate Students – Oct. 23, 2017- Jan. 1, 2018 Application Deadline for Spring Graduation – Dec. 11, 2017 January Mini-Term Begins - Jan. 2, 2018Regular Term Schedule Change for 100% Refund – Jan. 22-26, 2018 Deadline to Withdraw with a WP – Feb. 16, 2018Classes Begin – Jan. 22, 2018Classes End – May 4, 2018 Spring Graduation Ceremonies – May 18 and 19, 2018