Young Investigator Award Recipient and COBI Recognition

UT Alumni receives Young Investigator Award

Dr. Mithun Khattar, a 2012 alumnus of UT’s doctoral program in Infection, Immunity and Transplantation, recently received The Journal of Immunology Young Investigator Award from the American Association of Immunology. Dr. Khattar was one of only four people selected from over 4,000 abstracts, and was chosen for his work identifying a molecule that could improve the lives of patients with Type I diabetes and organ transplants.

Dr. Khattar is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Stanislaw Stepkowski, professor of medical microbiology and immunology in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. Dr. Khattar hopes his work will help create new therapies to replace insulin injections in patients with Type I diabetes. He also hopes to create therapies for transplant patients that will reduce the failure of transplanted organs.

In August 2013, Dr. Khattar traveled to the 15^th International Congress of Immunology in Milan, Italy where he presented his work and received his award.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate Dr. Khattar on his accomplishment!

College of Business & Innovation Receives Princeton Review Recognition

UT’s College of Business & Innovation (COBI) was recently listed on the 2014 Princeton Review’s list of “The Best 295 Business Schools”. The publisher of the Princeton Review recommended COBI  “as one of the best institutions a student could attend to earn a business school degree”. Dr. Thomas Sharkey, Interim COBI Dean, stated that the Princeton Review recognition “further validates the quality of our faculty, the significance of our curriculum, and the excellence of our students.”  Graduate programs in COBI include a wide range of MBA concentrations as well as an MS in Accounting and a Ph.D. in Manufacturing & Technology Management. COBI is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business- a distinction given to only 5% of the all business schools worldwide.

Go Rockets!

Ph.D. Student Receives Fellowship and COGS Participates in On-Campus Workshop

UT Doctoral Student is awarded an IPAC Visiting Graduate Fellowship at Caltech

Mr. Aditya Togi, an astrophysics doctoral student in UT’s  Physics doctoral program in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, was recently awarded a highly competitive IPAC Caltech Fellowship. This award provides funding for a visiting graduate student to travel to IPAC- (Infrared Processing and Analysis Center) and spend a 6-month period working with an IPAC scientist.  Aditya will spend spring semester 2014 at IPAC-Caltech working with Dr. Lee Armus on “Understanding Luminous Infrared Galaxies with Herschel and Spitzer.” He will be working to analyze the Spitzer and Herschel spectra in order to constrain the energy sources and physical conditions in rapidly evolving galaxies, and place them in context with high-redshift galaxies. Mr. Togi is currently advised by Dr. Song Cheng.

We congratulate Mr. Togi on this achievement!

COGS participates in an on-campus Phi Kappa Phi Workshop

On Tuesday November 12^th, representatives from the College of Graduate Studies will be participating in “Crafting Your Personal Statement for Graduate School Applications and Scholarships”. This program is being hosted by the UT Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) and is designed to provide current undergraduate students with more information about what is involved in writing a personal statement for graduate admissions.

During the program, Teresa Green, Thesis & Dissertation Specialist, will give tips on how to write and revise a personal statement and Corey Sampsel, Graduate Orientation & Enrollment Specialist, will provide information on the graduate admissions process at UT. Professor Barbara Floyd, University Archivist and Director of the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections, will participate and share the perspective of a scholarship reviewer.

The PKP program will be held on Tuesday, November 12^th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm in Carlson Library, Room 2010. No registration is necessary for the program.

Go Rockets!

UT Graduate Researchers Receive Recognition

SISS Doctoral Student Selected For Graduate Research Award

UT Spatially-Integrated Social Science doctoral student, Jeffrey Eloff, was recently selected as a participant in the Graduate Research Award Program on Public-Sector Aviation Issues for the 2013-14 academic year. Jeff will receive a research stipend of $10,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  He previously earned his MA in Economics here at UT and is now a research assistant in the SISS program.

The College of Graduate Studies congratulates Jeff on his award!

UT Graduate Alumna Wins “Best Postgraduate Paper” at APhA

Monita Karmakar, a recent graduate of the Master’s program in Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Sciences in the Colelge of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, recently won the award for “Best Postgraduate Paper” at the American Pharmacists Association annual meeting. Her paper on “Predicting Adherence to Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy in Patients with Breast Cancer Using Protection Motivation Theory” was one of 69 papers accepted for presentation in her category. The paper was a result of Monita’s thesis research and was completed under the advising of Dr. Sharrel Pinto. Monita is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Health and Recreation Professions department in the College of Health Sciences at UT.

Congratulations to Monita on her accomplishment!

Woodrow Wilson Fellows at UT

The College of Graduate Studies is delighted to recognize the accomplishments of the first cohort of Woodrow Wilson Fellows who graduated from UT in summer 2013 and to welcome the second cohort of WW Fellows that began their intensive one-year science and math education Master’s and licensure program here at UT in the Judith Herb College of Education this summer.  The WWF program recruits accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields who will prepare for math and science teaching positions in Ohio’s urban and rural schools. The Fellows are selected from a highly competitive pool and receive a $30,000 stipend and a tuition scholarship for their one year program.  In summer 2013, 12 WW Fellows graduated and 10 new WW Fellows began their program

Woodrow Wilson Fellows and LAMP Students Get Published

Several of The University of Toledo’s recent Woodrow Wilson Fellows and LAMP students the published their work in the journal Learning to Teach, Vol. 2. Articles were written in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies education and covered topics such as “Illuminating Mathematics: Using Math to Develop Well-Rounded and Productive Members of Society” and “Scientific Literacy in the High-needs Secondary Classroom: A Guide for New Teachers”. For more information, please see the full journal.

Graduate Council Welcomes new Woodrow Wilson Fellows

On September 17, the new cohort of 10 WW Fellows was introduced to the Graduate Council by Dr. Rebecca Schneider, an Associate Professor in Science Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and one of the co-PI’s on Woodrow Wilson Teaching Award.  The WWF group included students with degrees from UT, The Ohio State University, Bowling Green University, Ohio Wesleyan, Miami University, The University of Michigan, and Rose-Huhlman Institute of Technology in subjects ranging from chemistry, environmental sciences, biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, and mathematics to history. Many had already taught, tutored or volunteered with special groups such as the Toledo Public Schools, Boy Scouts, 4-H, and underprivileged youth groups.

The College of Graduate Studies extends a warm welcome to these new Fellows!

Go Rockets!

UT Counseling Education Students Receive Awards and Recognition

Counseling Education Students Win Ethics Competition

Recently, four of UT’s Counseling Education Master’s Students teamed together to compete in (and win) the American Counseling Association Ethics Committee. Although UT has had success in the past from doctoral students entering this competition (1^st place in 2008), this marked the first year that a group of master’s students participated. The team consisted of Robin DuFresne, Jill Haar, Andy Intagliata, and Nicole Rybarczyk. Their winning essay will be published in an upcoming issue of the American Counseling Association’s VISTA 2013. Two of these students have since begun studying in the doctoral program here at UT, while the other two have joined the workforce in their field.

Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work!

UT Doctoral Student Wins Selective Fellowship

UT Counselor Education doctoral student, Tiffany Hairston, recently received a prestigious fellowship from the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program. Ms. Hairston is one of only 24 fellows in the inaugural class. She will receive $20,000 to support her education and to facilitate her service to underserved minority populations.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate Tiffany on this honor!

The graduate Counselor Education programs are accredited by Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and are located in the Department of School Psychology, Higher Education and Counselor Education  in the College of Social Justice and Human Service (https://www.utoledo.edu/csjhs/depts/sphece/coun/index.html).

Go Rockets!

COGS Starts the Year Off Right!

The start of Fall term seems to breathe new life into campus as we welcome back our returning students, and the College of Graduate Studies (COGS) recently welcomed about 800 new graduate students to The University of Toledo.  Over the past two weeks, COGS had the opportunity to assist hundreds of new students in their transition to graduate programs. Below are just a few of the events designed to help our students start the year off right.

Graduate Student Orientation

COGS held two orientation programs last week: one program for Main Campus (MC) students, and one for Health Science Campus (HSC) students. During these face-to-face orientation programs, over 600 of our new students received information on campus resources, heard tips on how to be successful in graduate school, and learned skills that will help them develop both personally and professionally.  Since many graduate students are also working professionals, COGS captured the orientation programs so another 250 students will ‘attend’ orientation online.

Teaching Assistant Training

The Teaching Assistant (TA) Training program was held on Thursday, August 15^th and provided additional training to over 150 students who have received teaching assistantships through their department. Information was provided to new TAs on topics such as getting started in the classroom, creating an inclusive classroom, dealing with academic dishonesty and accessibility resources.

Graduate Student Association Picnic

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is hosting a picnic this Friday, August 23^rd from 5-7pm in Swan Creek Metropark. The picnic will help to kick off the new academic year and to provide information about the important  role that the GSA plays here at UT.  More information may be found on the GSA website: http://utoledogsa.com/.

Go Rockets!

Welcome (Or Welcome Back) to UT!

It’s August and once again time to begin a new academic year here at The University of Toledo. The College of Graduate Studies (COGS) is excited to welcome hundreds of new graduate students to campus for fall term. The number of applications to UT’s graduate programs increased again this year and COGS is happy to welcome so many new Rockets to campus!

Before classes begin on August 19^th, COGS will formally welcome over 600 of our new graduate students at the New Graduate Student Orientation on the Main Campus and Health Science Campus and about 200 other students will participate in orientation online. New Teaching Assistants will also benefit from our TA Training Program. Below are a few important events and dates coming up in the next two weeks:

• Graduate Orientation
• Main Campus- Tuesday, August 13^th, 8:15am-1:00pm
• Health Science Campus- Wednesday, August 14^th, 8:00am-11:30am
• Teaching Assistant Training Program
• Thursday, August 15^th, 8:30am-12:00pm, Wolfe Hall 1201
• Last day to register without late fees
• Sunday, August 18^th
• Fall 2013 Classes Begin
• Monday, August 19^th

As always, be sure to check out the COGS website www.toledo.edu/graduate/ for important information and announcements. The COGS staff is ready to assist all graduate students during their time at UT. Please feel free to contact us at grdsch@utoledo.edu or at 419.530.4723 with questions.

Go Rockets!

Fall 2013 Registration and the Clinical Nurse Leader Summit

Fall 2013 Registration

Fall 2013 registration is open for all admitted domestic students. Below are some important deadlines for fall registration.

• Wednesday, July 3
• By this date, please pay all outstanding balances of $500 or more from summer and previous semesters in full to avoid registration cancellation.
• Friday, August 9
• This is the due date to pay fall 2013 and prior fees and to make first payments under the Installment Payment Plan (IPP).
• Wednesday, August 14
• You may be subject to fall 2013 registration cancellation if you have not paid the balance of your student account or made your first IPP payment by this date.
• Sunday, August 18
• Fall open registration ends on this date. Students may be charged late registration fees to register after this date.

Clinical Nurse Leader Students Present at National Conference

Five of The University of Toledo’s Clinical Nurse Leader Students (Chelsea Condon, Sarah Dillon, Lauren Snyder, Tandy Szabo and Kimberly Vriezelaar) took part in the 2013 Clinical Nurse Leader Summit of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in New Orleans earlier this year.

The students presented on a project involving the “Let’s Move” initiative begun by First Lady Michelle Obama. Their project was titled “Clinical Nurse Leaders at the Forefront Guiding Health Behaviors in Prenatal Care and Pediatrics with a Focus on Childhood Obesity Utilizing the National Initiative ‘Let’s Move’ With Foundation in Pender’s Health Promotion Model.”

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate all of the students who took part in the Clinical Nurse Leader Summit.

Go Rockets!

Updates from the College of Graduate Studies

Spring 2014 Applications

Interested in applying for a graduate program in Spring 2014? The online graduate application to start in January 2014 is available at http://apply.utoledo.edu. Please consult our application deadlines page or the department website for more information. For a list of additional required materials, please see our admission guidelines page. Application questions may be directed to graduateonlineapplication@utoledo.edu.

Changes to International Admission Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements

Starting with Spring 2014 applications, Graduate Admissions will no longer be accepting IELTS scores to fulfill the English Proficiency Requirement. International applicants will now need to provide a TOEFL score of 80 IBT, 550 PBT, or 213 CBT to fulfill this requirement. Scores must be reported to The College of Graduate Studies by the ETS testing service.

Bank Statements

Graduate Admissions will no longer be accepting letters from an applicant’s bank to fulfill the bank statement requirement. Bank statements must show a statement of accounts (sometimes referred to as a passbook), be dated within six weeks and must have a current balance showing sufficient funds. Statements received at the time of application will not be accepted.

More information on both of these requirements can be found on the admission guidelines page of our website.

Campus Visits

Interested in visiting The University of Toledo? We’d love to show you around! If you would like a campus tour or to speak with someone regarding the admissions process, please contact Corey Sampsel, Graduate Orientation & Enrollment Specialist, at Corey.Sampsel@utoledo.edu.

In the email, please include the following information:

• Full Name
• Area (Program) of Interest
• Previous Education
• What day or days would you be available to visit?

Corey will be happy to arrange a visit for you.

Go Rockets!

Health Science Programs Provide Professional Development Opportunities

The College of Graduate Studies is proud to highlight recent professional development opportunities of some health science graduate students at UT.

Nursing Students Participate in a Medical Mission Trip to Nicaragua

Several Master’s students in the College of Nursing took a medical mission trip in March to set up mobile clinics to provide medicine, vaccines and screenings to the inhabitants of Leon, Nicaragua.

Britteney Stanton, Kelly Jackson, Stephanie Blanchard, and Stacy Swanson also conducted research on the roles women now play in family life and health care in Nicaragua. Rica Davis, Lina Barakat-Boraby, and Davis Bothe studied the impact of education on cervical cancer screening. This group provided educational sessions on general health and cervical cancer and analyzed the resulting number of women seeking cervical cancer screenings.

For the full story on this experience, please see the UT News article.

Doctoral Student Helps Burn Victim as Part of Capstone Project

Emily Fahrer, an Occupational Therapy doctoral student, recently spent a month in Bucharest, Romania working to help rehabilitate a 16-year-old burn survivor. She worked with an organization called “The Door” as part of her capstone project. For this project, students may do a case study, develop or modify a program/course relating to occupational therapy.  Although Emily had only two weeks instead of the usual two months for her project, she found it to be a holistic learning experience.  The trip not only increased her knowledge of occupational therapy, but also her exposure to the gypsy culture and Romanian alphabet. Ms. Fahrer’s case study is the first from the OT program to be completed internationally.

For more information on Ms. Fahrer’s experience, please see this article in the UT News.

Medical Physics Students Present for American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Nine graduate students in the Medical Physics program recently presented papers at the Great Lakes Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine during their spring meeting in Ann Arbor.

Doctoral student, Gregory Warrell, was awarded third place for his oral presentation on “Experimental Evaluations of the Thermal Properties of a Novel Thermo-Brachytherapy Seed for Treatment of Solid Tumors”. Presentations were assessed based on the categories of scientific content, innovative research idea, candidate’s knowledge of the subject and effective delivery, among others. Mr. Warrell was awarded a certificate and $150 award

The College of Graduate Studies encourages and supports students in experiential learning opportunities.  Congratulations to all the above participants for their research and international outreach experiences.

Go Rockets!

U.S. News Ranks Online Graduate Engineering Program One of the Best for Veterans

With Memorial Day fast approaching, the College of Graduate Studies is happy to announce that The University of Toledo’s online M.S. in Engineering program was ranked one of the best online graduate engineering programs for veterans by U.S. New & World Report. The program came in second nationally.

To qualify for the ranking, schools and their programs needed to meet several criteria:

• Institution must:
• Be certified for the G.I. Bill
• Participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program
• Pledge to consider granting academic credit for military training
• Offer flexibility for distance learners taking courses at several schools
• Programs must:
• Be 100% online
• Be ranked in the broader U.S. News 2013 Best Online Education Programs rankings

The unique challenges that military service brings (moving from base to base, easing back into civilian life, etc.) make finishing a degree a difficult endeavor for some veterans and service members. The MS in Engineering program’s ranking shows the commitment UT has made to assisting veterans with that transition.

For more information on resources available to military veterans and service members, please visit the Military Service Center website.

Go Rockets!

Spring 2013 Award Recipients Announced

The College of Graduate Studies is delighted to announce the three 2013 graduate student award recipients who were recently recognized at the last Graduate Council meeting for AY 2012-13.

Robert R. Buell Memorial Achievement Award: Nneka Mbah

The Robert R. Buell Memorial Achievement Award is presented to a graduate student in any college who best exemplifies scholarly excellence in the physical and biological sciences, has maintained a genuine interest in the social sciences and humanities, and plans a career in education. This year’s recipient of the $1,000 award, Ms. Nneka Mbah, is a 2^nd year doctoral student in the Department of Biochemistry & Cancer Biology in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. Her research with Dr. Bill Maltese seeks to gain a better understanding of the molecular basis by which a new class of drugs kills cancerous brain cells by “methuosis”, a non-conventional mechanism. Her long range plans center on returning to Nigeria to bring knowledge of biomedical research to her home country.

Helen M. Fields Memorial Achievement Award: Hasmik Chakaryan

The Helen M. Fields Memorial Achievement Award is presented to a graduate student with an excellent academic record in the field of English or Education. This year’s recipient of the $1,000 award, Ms. Hasmik Chakaryan, is a 3^rd year doctoral student in the Counselor Education & Supervision program.  She is advised by Dr. Nick Piazza and is an active social justice and human rights advocate. She has spent time in Mexico training the staff of eight orphanages in basic counseling skills, and has presented her research on aspects of mental health in Egypt, Armenia and the Ukraine.

Robert N. Whiteford Memorial Scholarship: Ateka Akbar Contractor

The Robert N. Whiteford Memorial Scholarship is presented to a graduate student to assist in research for their thesis, project, or dissertation and further the student’s professional development. This year’s recipient of the $400 scholarship, Ms. Ateka Akbar Contractor, is a 3^rd year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. Her research with Dr. Jon Elhai focuses on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with a particular focus on the link between PTSD and depression. She has studied patient populations that include the Ohio National Guard and trauma victims from India. She also has served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology.

These students, and the other many nominees, are to be congratulated for their pursuit of excellence in their research endeavors.

Go Rockets!

UT Graduate Students –International Recognition

Graduate students from UT doctoral and master’s programs regularly present their research at national and international conferences and garner awards. Two recent examples are highlighted this week. 

English Master’s Students Present at International Conference

Six M.A. students from the UT English graduate program recently traveled to San Jose State University (California) to present their research at a conference entitled “Steinbeck and the Politics of Crisis: Ethics, Society and Ecology” that focused on John Steinbeck -the American writer and Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner- for his body of work that included Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.

Steinbeck Center director Nick Taylor told UT News, “We had paper proposals from all over the world, so the students were competing with scholars from India, Japan, Europe. One of our goals with this conference was to regenerate the ranks of Steinbeck scholarship, and thanks to [Dr.] Tom Barden, [UT Professor of English,] we are well on our way.”

Congratulations to the students presenting at the conference: Laura Delucia, Zachary Fishel, David Hartwig, Felicia Preece, Jamie Renda and Juliana Restivo.  

Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Candidate Awarded Great Lakes Scholarship

The International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) recently awarded an IAGLR Scholarship to Carson Prichard, a UT Environmental Sciences doctoral student. This award is one of two IAGLR scholarships given to two promising Ph.D. students whose dissertation research is likely to make a significant contribution to the understanding of the Great Lakes. Mr. Prichard’s project on Environmental DNA detection and quantification: a new test for Great Lakes native and high-risk invasive fish species has earned him a $2,000 scholarship and a one-year membership in IAGLR. He will be recognized in June at the 56^th annual Conference on Great Lakes Research in West Lafayette, Indiana. Congratulations to Carson on this recognition!

The College of Graduate Studies is proud of the achievements of these and other graduate students who actively engage in the scholarship of their discipline by participating at national and international meetings.

Go Rockets!

Department of Kinesiology Graduate Student Symposium

The Department of Kinesiology at The University of Toledo will be holding a Graduate Student Symposium on Friday, April 26, 2013 in the Health Science & Human Services Building (Multipurpose Room 1711) on UT’s Main Campus. The symposium is an annual event designed to facilitate the dissemination of current research activities within the discipline of Kinesiology, while acknowledging the efforts of our students, and future professionals within the field.

The symposium will feature seven different oral presentations and nine different poster presentations on a variety of topics. The symposium presentations will be followed by lunch and awards, and will conclude with a keynote address by Dr. Tim Butterfield, ATC. Dr. Butterfield is an Assistant Professor at The University of Kentucky whose research area is muscle mechanics (specifically strain-induced muscle injury and the plasticity of skeletal muscle). Dr. Butterfield’s keynote address is titled: “From hare to allometry: can massage accelerate recovery of function in strain-damaged muscle?”

A full list of oral and poster presentation topics, along with abstracts for each presentation, may be found in the “News and Happenings” section of the College of Graduate Studies website.

Go Rockets!

Interested in More Information About Graduate Education?

The College of Graduate Studies will have an information table at the College of Business & Innovation’s Spring Picnic this Monday, April 22^nd from 11:00am-1:30pm. Graduate admissions representatives will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about graduate education, the application process, and what you will need to apply. We will also have contact information for the various graduate programs UT has to offer. Food is provided by the College of Business & Innovation.

Did you know that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs requiring master’s degrees will grow by 18% from 2008 to 2018, or that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a doctorate can represent an increase in lifetime earnings of up to 45%? It is never too early to start considering graduate school, and we are happy to provide you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.

If you are unable to make it to the picnic, but would like more information on graduate studies, please contact Corey Sampsel, Graduate Orientation & Enrollment Specialist with questions. He may be reached via email at Corey.Sampsel@utoledo.edu.

Go Rockets!

UT Graduate Student Accomplishments Showcased

Master of Music Performance

On the weekend of March 15-17, University of Toledo MMP (Masters in Music Performance) students Sasha Noori and Molly Bock delighted audiences with the principal roles in the UT Opera Ensemble production of L’Orfeo by Monteverdi. The production also included UT master’s student Brad Lieto in a featured role. The sold-out performances took place at the Toledo Museum of Art.

March 24^th brought another star performance by UT MMP students, Nathaneal Leonard and Christina Montri. Leonard and Montri were featured in the Great Gallery Concert at the Toledo Museum of Art. The concert showcased the students of Professor Michael Boyd in performances of music for two pianos.

Ph.D. in Counselor Education

Chi Sigma Iota, the national honor society for counselor education, recently recognized UT doctoral student Jared Rose as one of ten Leadership Fellows in the nation. Mr. Rose was selected for his community service and leadership potential.

Master’s students in the Counselor Education program also recently won the American Counseling Association’s 2012 Graduate Students Ethics Competition. This marks the third time in the past four years that a UT team has placed first or second in the competition. This year’s team included Robin Dufresne, Jill Haar, Andy Intagliata, and Nicole Rybarczyk and was advised by Dr. Nick Piazza.

Master of Arts in English

Lindsay Vreeland, graduate student and teaching assistant in the Department of English Languages and Literature currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Mill, UT’s literary journal. The Mill publishes poetry, short fiction, and art by UT students each academic semester.  In addition to Ms. Vreeland, the editorial board includes poetry editors Felicia Preece and Mary Persichilli, both graduate students in the English M. A. program.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate these students on their accomplishments.

Go Rockets!

UT Graduate Students Present at Campus Forums

LAMP Poster Presentations

Last week, University of Toledo graduate students in the Licensure Alternative Master’s Program (LAMP) in the Judith Herb College of Education presented their work to the UT community, Woodrow Wilson Foundation officers, and Ohio Board of Regents representatives at a poster session in Gillham Hall. Twenty-six master’s students, including the current Woodrow Wilson Fellows, presented their posters on STEM education highlighting their best practices about how they communicate math and science lessons to secondary school students in the classroom.

The LAMP program is designed specifically for students holding a bachelor’s degree in an area other than education. Students in this program bring content knowledge and the LAMP program helps them learn the skills they need to be effective teachers.

CBGS 2013 Graduate Research Forum

The Council of Biomedical Graduate Students (CBGS) recently held their annual research forum for graduate students in the College of Medicine & Life Sciences and the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. This year, 52 students participated in the forum, sponsored by the UT College of Graduate Studies, Graduate Student Association, and the College of Pharmacy. The oral and poster presentations were reviewed by faculty judges over the two days of the forum.  There were 16 oral and 36 poster presenters and the winners went through 2-3 rounds of judging. Each winner below received a cash prize and certificate.

Oral Presentations

• 1st Place- Laura Halpin- Neurosciences, Fifth year MD/PhD Candidate (3rd year Graduate student)
• 2nd Place- Meghan Wyse, Biochemistry & Cancer Biology, Fourth Year Ph.D. student

            Posters

• 1st Place- Minal Mulye, IIT Fifth Year Ph.D. Student
• 2nd Place- David Leggat, IIT Fourth Year Ph.D. Student
• 3rd Place- Namrata Madan, CVMD Fourth Year Ph.D. Student

Congratulations to all the participating students!

UT Graduate Alumni Excel!

Elin Suleymanov, Master of Public Administration

 

Mr. Suleymanov recently returned to The University of Toledo to discuss relations between the country of Azerbaijan (west of the Caspian Sea, bordered by Iran, Russia and Armenia) and The United States of America. Suleymanov was speaking in his current capacity as Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United States. Having graduated in 1994, Suleymanov said that the campus has greatly improved since his time here. His visit was sponsored by UT’s Center for International Studies and Programs.

 

Eric Fulcomer, Ph.D. in Higher Education

 

Dr. Eric Fulcomer began his role as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Rockford College (Rockford, Il.) this March. In this new role, Dr. Fulcomer will oversee the management of undergraduate admissions, global affairs, athletics, retention, financial aid, registration and student billing. Since his time at UT, Dr. Fulcomer has served in various roles at Bluffton University (Bluffton, Ohio) and was recently the Mayor of the Village of Bluffton, Ohio. As a faculty member at Bluffton University, he had the opportunity to teach and hopes to continue teaching once he is settled at Rockford College.

 

Alan Shaw, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry

 

Dr. Shaw is currently the President and CEO of Vedantra Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Shaw’s previous roles include Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer at VaxInnate and Director of Public Policy, Public Health and Medical Affairs group at the Merck Vaccine Division. His research includes a broad range of vaccine development programs. Dr. Shaw will be returning to The University of Toledo on April 20, 2013 as the keynote speaker for the 4^th Annual Midwest Graduate Research Symposium.

 

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate the alumni mentioned above and all of our alumni making a difference across the globe.

 

Go Rockets!

Learn More About Graduate Studies at The University of Toledo!

The University of Toledo was founded in 1872 as The Toledo University of Arts and Trades. Over the years, UT has grown in size and scope and is now considered the third largest public university in the University System of Ohio. UT now offers hundreds of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees as well as certificates. In 2006, the Medical University of Ohio merged with UT, and UT added not only the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, but also the College of Nursing and Pharmacy on the Health Science Campus.  These colleges offer a broad range of health science programs designed to prepare students for the important and emerging healthcare 21^st century workforce.

The College of Graduate Studies (COGS) places a great importance on offering a quality graduate experience for our students by providing excellent student service. With offices and programs on both UT’s Main Campus and Health Science Campus, COGS is committed to the success of our graduate students.

UT has 130 master’s programs and 40 doctoral programs. . In addition to research Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, UT offers seven professional doctorates (JD, MD, PharmD, DPT, OTD, DNP and DE) and 11 professional master’s (MBA, EMBA, MME, MMP, MPA, MPH, MSA, MSN, MSW, PSM and Education Specialist). UT also offers a variety of certificates in the healthcare, business and personal enrichment areas.

For more information on The College of Graduate Studies, please visit the COGS website: http://www.utoledo.edu/graduate.

To apply, complete an online application at http://apply.utoledo.edu. Additional admission guidelines can be found on the COGS website.

For questions regarding graduate admission, please contact Corey Sampsel, Graduate Orientation & Enrollment Specialist.

Go Rockets!

University of Toledo Graduate Students Find Success in Research and Internships

Two doctoral students from the Department of Psychology in the College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences (LLSS) have recent success in research publication and internship placement.

• Heather Rasinski recently published a research article on confronting prejudice in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Her article discussed the gap between how individuals believe they would react to prejudice and how they actually react in the situation. Ms. Rasinski now has seven publications to date during her graduate study at UT.

• Erin Swedish has been selected for an American Psychological Association (APA) summer internship in Washington, DC. This prestigious internship will allow Ms. Swedish to work in the Practice Directorate to help promote the availability and accessibility of psychological services.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate these graduate students on their accomplishments.

Go Rockets!

More New Graduate Programs Available!

The University of Toledo continues to expand its program offerings to keep pace with the ever changing needs of our students. Several of our newest programs are highlighted below.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has added a new concentration in Health Systems Management. This specialization will prepare students for the growing field of healthcare administration through instruction in healthcare delivery and business courses.

The new Educational Technology-Virtual Educator Graduate Certificate is a four-course certificate. The courses offerings are designed to train educators for the new and exciting world of online, virtual instruction. For more information, please contact the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.

UT has an exciting Professional Science Master’s (PSM) in Photovoltaics (PV) that has accepted its third cohort of students.  This program has received national designation as a PSM by the National Professional Science Master’s Association. Students are exposed to a wide range of cutting edge research activities in laboratories of world-class faculty, and participate in a 24 week corporate sponsored internship that

provides real world experience.  For more information, please visit the program website: http://www.utoledo.edu/nsm/physast/programs/grad/psm_pv_welcome.html

UT is dedicated to providing relevant graduate programs that prepare our graduates for the 21^st century workforce.

For a full list of graduate programs available at UT, please visit the College of Graduate Studies website.

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Opportunities for Research at UT

Research is an integral aspect of most graduate programs. The ability to conduct research and gain hands-on experience in the field is one of the many methods which graduate programs at The University of Toledo use to ensure our students are well-prepared for their future careers.

Not only does research occur in the labs of our natural sciences, health sciences and engineering programs, but in diverse ways in programs across our campus. Students also participate in research through experiential learning in many disciplines in business, education and the health and social sciences. These include internships, clinical practica and student teaching. Students at UT also gain exposure to research through other on campus events. For example, the College of Nursing will host their 7^th Annual Research Conference, titled “Changing Practice through Nursing Research” on Monday, April 22th. The event will be held from 8:30am to 4:00pm in the UT Main Campus Student Union Auditorium. A continental breakfast will be served. Online registration begins March 11 and ends April 21, 2013.

UT’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) sponsors, with support of the College of Graduate Studies, the Annual Midwest Graduate Research Symposium. This year, the 4^th Annual day-long symposium will be held on Saturday, April 20th on the UT Main Campus. The GSA has invited more than 65 universities from across the United States to participate in this year’s symposium. More information about the poster and oral presentation sessions and banquet can be found at www.utoledogsa.com. Individuals wishing to present their research are encouraged to submit an abstract online at that site by March 29, 2013. The GSA is hoping for a great turnout of graduate student researchers.

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Speech-Language Pathology Master’s Program Receives U.S. Department of Education Grant

The University of Toledo Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Program recently received a grant from the United States Department of Education to help fund the course work development and practicum experiences for graduate students. The joint grant with The University of Akron was awarded to UT’s program for their efforts to improve the speech and listening skills of children with hearing disabilities through the use of technology.

The grant will also be used in collaboration with the program’s Auditory and Language Enriched Program, which targets listening and spoken language skills in young children through the use of a play group. Additionally, the program provides further education for the parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.  The graduate program in speech-language pathology is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). For the past four years, 100% of the SLP graduates are employed in the field.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate the program on this prestigious grant. Individuals interested in the Speech-Language Pathology program may receive more information by contacting the program office at 419.530.2495.

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Recognitions Abound!

Great things are happening at The University of Toledo, and many of our colleges, programs, organizations and individuals have recently been recognized for their achievements. The College of Graduate Studies would like to highlight some of these distinguished achievements.

• The College of Business and Innovation (COBI) was recently recognized by Eduniversal in their international business school ranking in The Best 1,000 Business Schools in 154 Countries, 2012. Ranked as “excellent”, UT’s COBI was one of only four business schools ranked in Ohio.
• The College of Engineering has been ranked 18^th in the nation by the 2013 U.S. News & World Report for excellence in its online master’s program.
• Two clinical psychology doctoral students were recently recognized for their academic strengths.
• The National Cancer Institute recently awarded Stephanie Fowler a postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control. Stephanie will spend her first year in the program at either Johns Hopkins University or Harvard University, and will spend her remaining three years in Washington, D.C. at the NCI.
• Jill Brown has received two national awards for her research on sleeping disorder treatments. Jill won both a Citation Award and a Meritorious Student Poster Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine. The paper examined the effect of choice in sleep treatments on the success of those treatments.

Congratulations to all on these outstanding achievements. UT continues to strive for excellence, so there are sure to be many more recognitions and achievements to come!

More information on the recognitions may be found in the UT News Archive.

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Professional Development: Programs to Help You Succeed

While obtaining a graduate degree, students are taught to be forward thinkers and prime contributors in their chosen field. The University of Toledo is also forward thinking, and we have been looking toward the future careers of our students. For this reason, the College of Graduate Studies holds several programs each semester designed to develop our students professionally and ensure that students are given the support they need while completing their degrees.

The Council of Graduate Schools recently released a major report entitled “Pathways through Graduate School and into Careers”, and the COGS professional development programs are designed to advance student knowledge in the areas of academic planning, career development, graduate writing and thesis/dissertation preparation. Through the programs, students may obtain guidance on both their academic and professional careers. Programs range from topics about how to format a thesis paper to how to conduct a job search, and from preparing for graduation to mapping out one’s career.

For student convenience, some programs are available multiple times throughout the year. Programs are also available on both the Main Campus and the Health Science Campus. Students may attend programs on either campus. Information from past presentations is made available online for any student who was not able to attend the program. A list of upcoming programs is available below.

MainCampus

• ETD Preparation and Submission Workshops for Main Campus Programs
• January 22 from 4-5 pm in Carlson Library Room 1025
• February 7 from 12-1 pm in Carlson Library Room 1025
• Graduation- Your Questions Answered!
• Monday, February 4 from 4-5 pm in Student Union Room 2591
• The Job Search
• Tuesday, February 19, from 3-5 pm in Student Union 2591

HealthScience Campus

• Conference Proposals, Presentations, and Papers
• Wednesday, January 16 from noon-1 pm in Block Health Science Building 480
• Hints on Preparing Graduate-Level Capstone, Project, or Thesis
• Wednesday, February 6 from noon-1 pm in Block Health Science Building 480
• The Graduation Clearance Process: From Graduation Application to Diploma!
• Thursday, February 7 from 4-5 pm in Collier Building 1210

For more information on the professional development programs available or to suggest a topic for a future program, please visit our website.

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Unity Week: Make A Way

It’s Unity Week here at The University of Toledo, and there is a lot going on! Organized by the Office of Student Involvement, Unity Week is designed to engage students in conversations about unity and acceptance. In sticking with this goal, below is some information on graduate diversity at The University of Toledo.

The importance of diversity to the graduate community is evident when looking at the variety of backgrounds our graduate students represent. In fall of 2012 over 20% of applicants admitted to The University of Toledo at the graduate level were international students or reported being from an ethnic minority. International applicants for that term came from China, India, France and Saudi Arabia in addition to many others.

The College of Graduate Studies has been proactive in efforts to attract a diverse pool of qualified applicants to the University of Toledo. In the past several years, the graduate college has increased support for underrepresented minorities through the promotion of the Graduate Opportunity Assistantship Program and the McNair Scholars Program. The College of Graduate Studies has also supported initiatives to promote women in the STEMM fields and has raised awareness of federal funding resources for our students.

For a schedule of Unity Week events or to volunteer, please visit the Unity Week webpage or call 419-530-2992.

For more information on how the diversity policies of the College of Graduate Studies, please see the diversity plan on our website.

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Toledo Provides Added Resources for Adult and Military Students

The University of Toledo has recently received a lot of attention for a strong commitment to serving adult and military students make the transition to (or back to) higher education. These non-traditional students are often juggling outside responsibilities that a traditional college student does not have to worry about. UT recognizes the added responsibility and has made several resources available to these students to help them be successful in their studies.

One such resource for adult students is the new Office of Adult Student Extended Service. Housed in the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning (C.A.L.L.), this office aims to assist adult students in the transition into their current degree program or non-degree classes.

The UT Military Service Center has also received media attention for providing similar support to military veterans. The University also hosted a week of events in November as part of the national Joining Forces Week.

U.S. Army Captain Trent Miller was able to utilize these services during his time as an MBA student before graduating this past fall. As an army officer, a concentration in leadership seemed to be a natural fit for Capt. Miller’s MBA. In a December 2012 UT News article, Miller stated “All of the leadership-specific classes have been very applicable to what I have been doing the last nine years. All of the faculty members, in my experiences, have been very receptive to my comments and input into the class”.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to thank Captain Miller and all our military veterans for their dedicated service. More information on resources for adult students and military veterans can be found on the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning webpage.

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A Mother of Four Earns Her Doctorate

With programs ranging from accounting to music education, from certificates to doctorates and from completely online to completely on-campus; The University of Toledo has graduate programs fitting a wide variety of interests and lifestyles. It is this variety that makes stories like Dr. Kristy Taylor’s possible.

Dr. Taylor recently graduated from The University of Toledo with a Ph.D. in Higher Education. After earning an MBA and teaching part-time at a community college, Dr. Taylor knew she wanted to earn her Ph.D. When starting the program four years ago, Kristy had two young sons. By the time she accepted her diploma this December, she was a mother of four boys ranging from ages 2-7.

Through the support of family, friends and colleagues, Kristy was able to persevere and achieve her professional goals while still starting her young family. Not only did she earn her Ph.D., but Dr. Taylor is now a visiting instructor in the UT College of Business and Innovation.

The College of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate Dr. Taylor on her tremendous accomplishment. For more information on Dr. Taylor’s story, check out this UT News article.

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