http://www.rackham.umich.edu/ en mlbenson@umich.edu Copyright 2012 2012-05-18T12:30:12+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/your_student_government_at_work_washington_dc_edition/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/your_student_government_at_work_washington_dc_edition/#When:12:30:12Z Fellow graduate students, On a warm October weekend some four years ago, the leadership of your graduate student government joined their peers from many of the top-tier public research universities in the country and founded the Student Advocates for Graduate Education (SAGE), a coalition that has worked tirelessly to promote policies in the federal government of the United States that would benefit all graduate academic and professional students. This past March, I lead a delegation of five U-M graduate students to Washington, D.C. for the SAGE coalition's fourth annual spring advocacy conference and days on the Hill. Over the course… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-18T12:30:12+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/summertime_summertime_summer_summer_summertimein_ann_arbor/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/summertime_summertime_summer_summer_summertimein_ann_arbor/#When:12:30:47Z Ah, summer in Ann Arbor. I must say, it’s my favorite time of year here. When I was in undergrad, I went home for the summer or away for an internship. I didn’t consider Ann Arbor home then, and so I didn’t really know what I was missing. But when I started grad school, which is basically a year on continuous loop, I’ve spent every summer here, usually teaching, studying for prelims, working on and defending my prospectus, working on my dissertation, and ultimately, finishing and defending my dissertation next spring/summer. In Ann Arbor during the summer, campus empties out.… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-17T12:30:47+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/two_rackham_students_named_newcombe_fellows_for_2012/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/two_rackham_students_named_newcombe_fellows_for_2012/#When:12:29:10Z I’m very excited to report that two University of Michigan students in Rackham programs have received the nation’s largest and most prestigious award for Ph.D. candidates in the humanities and social sciences. On April 24 the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation announced the selection of 21 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellows for 2012. These Fellows are doctoral candidates writing dissertations on topics involving religious and ethical values. Each Newcombe Fellow receives a 12-month award of $25,000. Among them are our very own Maxim Romanov and Ronit Stahl. Mr. Romanov, who also completed his master’s at U-M, is a doctoral… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Graduate School News 2012-05-16T12:29:10+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/spring_2012_statistical_consultation_and_workshops/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/spring_2012_statistical_consultation_and_workshops/#When:12:30:34Z The Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (CSCAR) provides free statistical consulting to all U-M faculty, staff, and graduate students with the design, planning, analysis, and presentation of research studies. Graduate student researchers are welcome to take advantage of our walk-in service. Come to our offices in 3550 Rackham during business hours to discuss your statistical software and data analysis questions with our consultants. No appointment is needed for walk-in consultations. Upcoming Workshops CSCAR will be offering the following workshops in the coming weeks, registration is limited: Introduction to SPSS May 16, 17, 18 and 21, 2012; 9:00 am to… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. PLAN, Events, Resources 2012-05-15T12:30:34+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/whats_next_for_our_student_bloggers_and_a_fond_farewell/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/whats_next_for_our_student_bloggers_and_a_fond_farewell/#When:12:30:50Z Over the past month, our student bloggers wrote about what they will be doing over the summer, and for those who have graduated or will be graduating, what their next steps will be after leaving U-M. The short answer is that the bloggers will be busy! Below are some highlights of what’s next for our bloggers: Driving 2200 miles to a temporary home in the Washington desert to work at the LIGO Hanford Observatory in Hanford, Washington. Drafting three out of four of the data chapters for a dissertation. Making a move to Holland, Michigan and finding a job close… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-14T12:30:50+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/summer_plans/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/summer_plans/#When:12:30:57Z As a doctoral student in the process of writing my thesis proposal the academic year is a big long blur of deadlines; spring break, summer break, winter break, graduation week, welcome week. They all seem irrelevant, it is one endless stretch with recursive events of meeting up with advisors, working on the thesis and then meeting up again! But this does not have to be something terrible - being a grad student offers me the flexibility of making my own schedule, setting up my deadlines, and carrying work around even when I decide to travel out of town - as… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-11T12:30:57+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/opening_up_to_inspiration_by_questioning_my_assumptions/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/opening_up_to_inspiration_by_questioning_my_assumptions/#When:12:30:38Z The time has come for me to think about what life might be like after school, for I am hoping to defend my dissertation in August. As I mentioned previously, I came to Ann Arbor not knowing much about adult life in the U.S. But that does not mean I did not have assumptions about the place. I thought that America was about celebrity, materialism, and binge drinking in college. What Ann Arbor did, though, was question these assumptions. I realized that America was also about lovely bluegrass music, stunningly beautiful landscapes and decaying urban cores. While I haven’t gained… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-10T12:30:38+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/uborrow_a_new_way_to_get_materials_through_interlibrary_loan_ill/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/uborrow_a_new_way_to_get_materials_through_interlibrary_loan_ill/#When:12:30:19Z Need a book, dissertation or other physical library materials that are not owned by the University Library? Give UBorrow a try. UBorrow is a faster, more predictable interlibrary loan (ILL) option for the borrowing of physical items. UBorrow allows you to: Search or browse a database of 14 combined library catalogs (Big 10 universities plus Center for Research Libraries) Discover if a book is available at MLibrary or within the consortium with one search Place a request that goes directly to another institution without MLibrary staff intervention: Authenticate with your UMich sign on through ILLiad at https://ill.lib.umich.edu/illiad/uborrow.html then click the “Search UBorrow” button below the UBorrow logo Expect a faster and more predictable turnaround time (usually within 5 business days) Receive 12-week book loans, which is longer than standard ILL (DVDs and other special materials will still have relatively brief loan periods) Questions? E-mail interlibrary.loan@umich.edu Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. PLAN, Resources 2012-05-09T12:30:19+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/two_michigan_meetings_happening_this_month/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/two_michigan_meetings_happening_this_month/#When:12:55:30Z This May, the University of Michigan will host two conferences drawing nationally and internationally recognized speakers and participants to Ann Arbor. The conferences, on “Title IX at 40” and “Chaos and Complexity,” are the third annual series of “Michigan Meetings” sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School. The 1972 Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, familiarly known as “Title IX,” was landmark legislation that changed the lives of women and girls. The conference, to be held at Rackham May 9th through 11th, will celebrate its 40th anniversary and refocus attention on its goals. It has been organized by SHARP,… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Graduate School News 2012-05-08T12:55:30+00:00 http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/what_comes_next_to_be_continued/ http://www.rackham.umich.edu/blog/entry/what_comes_next_to_be_continued/#When:12:30:24Z This question makes me think of those old “Choose your own adventure” books. So first before we choose what comes next, maybe we should do a quick recap of the past. Work and life balance: My work and life balance was completely off balance throughout my first and second years of grad school, with too much emphasis on the former and very little of the latter. I think I’ve been improving gradually, learning from experience that emphasizing the importance of life makes work more productive, and importantly, more fulfilling. Faculty connections: I’ve made errors, but mistakes are to be learned… Please visit the Rackham Graduate School website for the full article. Student Voices 2012-05-07T12:30:24+00:00