GRADUATE STUDENT REGISTRATION

All Graduate Students must be registered by Monday, September 20. No changes to grade base will be accepted after September 20. Students registering and/or adding a class for fall semester after September 20 will need Graduate School approval. September 20 is also the last day to cancel a class without a “W” appearing on the transcript. Any course cancellations processed after September 20 will result in a “W” being entered on the transcript. Any questions concerning registration deadlines and/or changes should be directed to Jan Goodno.

 LIBRARY ORIENTATION SESSIONS

Two library orientation sessions with Scott Marsalis, McGrath Library associate librarian, will be held:
Thursday, September 16, 11:45am-1:15pm., Vo-Tech Education Bldg., room 230
Saturday, September 18, 11:30am-1:00pm., Vo-Tech Education Bldg., room 230
RSVP to Karen Borchardt.

DISSERTATION DEFENSE ANNOUNCEMENT

Doctoral candidate Katharine M. Hill will defend her dissertation, “The Transition of Youth with Disabilities from the Child Welfare System: An Analysis of State Administrative Data” on Friday, October 1, 9:00-9:45 a.m., in 280 Peters Hall. All faculty, students,staff and others are invited to attend.

SPENCER DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS FOR RESEARCH

Approximately twenty Spencer Dissertation Fellowships for Research Related to Education are awarded each year by the Spencer Foundation to support doctoral candidates in a variety of fields whose dissertations promise to contribute fresh perspectives to the history, theory, and practice of education. The fellowship provides $25,000 to candidates for the doctoral degree at a graduate school in the United States. Applicants need not be citizens of the United States. Although the dissertation topic must concern education, graduate study may be in any academic discipline. More information can be found on the
fellowships Web site.

SOROS FELLOWSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans support 30 individuals a year for up to two years of graduate study in any subject anywhere in the United States. The fellowship provides $25,000 maintenance and half tuition (up to a maximum of $20,000 per academic year) wherever the Fellow attends. Candidates must be either holders of Green Cards, naturalized citizens, or a child of at least one naturalized citizen parent (the other parent may not be a native-born U.S. citizen). The deadline is November 1, 2010, and the announcement of the recipients will be in March. More information, including the application form, is available here.

SCHOLARLY EXCELLENCE IN EQUITY AND DIVERSITY (SEED) AWARDS

The Office for Equity and Diversity’s Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) Awards program honors and acknowledges diverse students who are doing outstanding work at the University of Minnesota, both in and out of the classroom. The awards are for graduate, professional and undergraduate students. The application deadline for the undergraduate awards is September 27, 2010, and is October 1 for the graduate and professional SEED awards. Eligibility and application instructions can be reviewed at the SEED Web site.

STUDENT AWARDS FOR 2011

The Center for Clinical Social Work announced a new cash award program for master’s degree programs in social work. The Howard D. Snooks Prize of $2,000 will go to the master’s program whose students submit the largest number of eligible papers in the center’s annual Judith Holm Memorial Awards contest. The $2,000 cash prizes are awarded to student authors of papers that best demonstrate mastery of the essentials of clinical social work and readiness to enter professional practice. The Holm Awards go to second-year graduate students intending to become clinical social workers. Guidelines can be reviewed at the awards Web site.

MELLON FELLOWSHIP DISSERTATION RESEARCH

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is accepting applications for the 2011 Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources. The program will be offering about 15 fellowships for 2011. The maximum award for each will be $25,000. Applicants do not have to be U.S. citizens, but must be enrolled in a doctoral program in a graduate school in the United States. For further information on eligibility, requirements, and deadlines, please visit CLIR’s Web site.

ANNOUNCING THE IDRF 2011 COMPETITION

The IDRF Program is administered by the Social Science Research Council in consultation with the American Council of Learned Societies and funding provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The IDRF Program supports the next generation of scholars in the humanities and social sciences pursuing research that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies. The program is open to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences – regardless of citizenship – enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States. Seventy-five fellowships of varying amounts are awarded annually. The application deadline is November 3, 2010. For more detailed information and to apply, visit the IDRF Web site.

INAUGURAL GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ASSEMBLY

All University of Minnesota faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students who wish to be engaged in shaping the future of graduate and professional education at the University are cordially invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the newly created Graduate and Professional Education Assembly. The assembly will be Tuesday, November 2, 2010, from 1-5 p.m. Reception and networking will be from 12:30-1:00 p.m. and 5:00-5:30 p.m. The assembly will be held in the theater in Coffman Memorial Union. More information.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN INDIAN COUNTRY

Professor Mark Umbreit provided consultation and training to the Restorative Justice Center in Rapid City, S.D., and the Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Reservation, September 9-11. Umbreit and the Center for Restorative Justice in the SSW, which he founded and directs, has provided support and assistance to restorative justice efforts and inter-cultural dialogue among whites and members of the various Sioux Tribes in the Black Hills region since the mid-1990s.

What’s Goin’ On

(Details on events, conferences, seminars, workshops, retreats, and more . . . whatever’s happening in our social work community.)

SSW TEAM TO DO THE NAMI WALK

Hope you’ll walk the walk by joining fellow students, faculty and staff for a day of fun to support a great cause! For the third year in a row, the School of Social Work will have a team of walkers at NAMIwalk. The walk enables NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) to raise the public’s awareness of mental illness and to break down the stigma that surrounds it. This year’s walk will be Saturday, September 25 at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. SSW Director Jim Reinardy is our team captain. To sign up to walk or make donations to the team, please visit our team page.

MINNESOTA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK SOCIAL WORKERS

Mark your calendar for the 2010 MN NABSW Conference on Friday, October 29, 2010, featuring keynote speaker Judge Pamela Alexander, director of the non-profit Council on Crime & Justice. The conference will be held at Urban Ventures 3041 4th Avenue South in Minneapolis. More information and to register.

PROJECT FOOTSTEPS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS & INTERNS

The mission of Project Footsteps is to inspire, empower and prepare youth and community to be agents of change, social leaders and volunteers.For more information and to explore the more than 101 ways to get involved see the project’s Web site.

7th ANNUAL WOMEN’S HEALTH RESEARCH CONFERENCE

The 7th Annual Women’s Health Research Conference is designed to address areas of health disparities that impact women, in order to increase the knowledge of social determinants of health for healthcare providers.Keynote speaker Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Professor, Anna D. Wolf Chair, Department of Community-Public Health, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, will speak about her research on women and domestic violence. The conference is Monday, September 20, 2010, 9:00 a.m.-3:30.p.m., at McNamara Alumni Center. Special guest is Franni Franken, wife of Senator Al Franken. Registration fee is $25; $10 registration fee for students. More info and registration here.

FALL FORUM: MICROFINANCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The Fall International Leadership Forum will present “How Micro-finance Works In Developing Countries: Experiences of the Founding Father of Micro-lending.” Thornton Auditorium, Minneapolis Campus, University of St. Thomas on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. Pancho Otero is recognized as one of the foremost authorities in Micro Finance in the world. Otero, who today heads I.P.M. (Micro Enterprise Policy Institute), is the founder of BancoSol, the world’s first private and fully commercial Micro Finance Institution. This is an evening program followed by a reception. For more information, contact Brian Kao at brian.kao@stthomas.edu