Fall 2018 Graduate Director Meeting

1. Fall 2018Graduate Director Meeting Slides will be emailed and will be available on our Website

2. Agenda Current Initiatives • Updating GMS and CollegeNet features coming; training in the spring. • Advocacy role to be played by the Graduate School (e.g., Health Insurance billing). • Criteria for posting to Listserv and Social Media • Sexual Assault Prevention Training Program.

3. Agenda Student Admission and Progression • Mantra: Please ask before you promise. • Admission Conditions and Exceptions • Program Graduate Handbook • Advising and Mentoring • Satisfactory Progression • Grievance Procedures • Instructor, Graduate Director/Department Chair, College Dean, Graduate School • Special Enrollment (Z-Status), Transfer Requests, & POS • Grade Submission and Assignment of Incompletes

4. Current Initiatives Updating Graduate Management System (GMS) • GMS has served us well for years as a ‘homegrown’ system. • As “hackers” have become more sophisticated, we have security issues. • Off campus access to GMS requires VPN (Virtual Personal Network) sign in. • Full decommission scheduled for Summer 2019.

5. Current Initiatives CollegeNet Features Coming • Recruiting Portal • Formerly on our web page “Request Information” (closed for security) • Interested students can request information and will be linked to your web site. • COMING FEATURE: Spring 2019 – automated communication plan where you will be able to create “welcome” information templates.

6. Current Initiatives CollegeNet Features Coming • Applicant Checklist • Fall 2019 applicants • Libby Cross email to by by Nov.1st, to verify required documents to make an admission decision. • Applicants will be able to verify online what has been received and what has not yet been received to make an admission decision. • Implementation anticipated in November 2018.

7. Current Initiatives CollegeNet Features Coming • Training for all admission processing will happen in the Spring. • The mission remains to create an “audit trail” and for committee reviews to be paperless.

8. Current Initiatives Advocacy Role of the Graduate School • This fall there was a change in Health Care provider and procedural changes to graduate student billing. • We were able to help with advocating for graduate students who were not represented in decision-making deliberations. • Please know that we have done and will continue to advocate for graduate students—when we know of issues. • Service providers on campus have been receptive.

9. Current Initiatives Criteria for Posting to Listserv and Social Media • We get many requests to post information to these outlets. • Some are appropriate; others, less so. • In an effort to help ensure messages get out, please see the guidelines

10. Primary Listservs:

11. An email will be sent out to the appropriate listserv if it: • Is of importance to a large segment of the population of the listserv you are sending information to • Includes a meaningful subject line • Identifies a sender (either an individual affiliated with the University or a department email address) • Is short and concise. Try to avoid attachments • Follows the Carolinian Creed and University Policies • If your message meets the above criteria, you may email the appropriate listserv. For all listservs contact: Libby Cross (crosse@mailbox.sc.edu)

12. Graduate School Website: Any employment opportunities for graduate students should be sent to GRADapp@mailbox.sc.edu and after review will be posted to the Graduate School’s Opportunities Board. (Additionally, job postings can be made to the University’s Handshake platform via the Career Center.) Fellowship and internship opportunities can also be posted on the Opportunities Board. Please allow one week for posting. Graduate School Social Media: If you have an event or announcement that is not appropriate for the listserv but that would be suitable for our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn), please send information – ready to be posted – to GRADapp@mailbox.sc.eduat least one week in advance of your desired posting date. If you have an attachment, it must be in JPEG or PNG format to be used.

13. Current Initiatives Sexual Assault Prevention Training Program • An initiative out of the Office of Equal Opportunity Program. • Different from what may have been required of undergraduates; a program designed for older adults. • Questions? Contact: Carl Wells, PhD, Assistant Director/Deputy Title IX Coordinator Office of Equal Opportunity Programs 777-3854

14. Agenda Student Admission and Progression • Mantra: Please ask before you promise. • Admission Conditions and Exceptions • Program Graduate Handbook • Advising and Mentoring • Satisfactory Progression • Grievance Procedures • Instructor, Graduate Director/Department Chair, College Dean, Graduate School • Special Enrollment (Z-Status), Transfer Requests, & POS • Grade Submission and Assignment of Incompletes

15. Student Admission & Progression • Mantra: Please ask before you promise. • Assigning an incomplete, grade changes, guarantees of transfer credit… • Admission Conditions and Exceptions • Exceptions mean admissions criteria are not met • Missing documents • Low GPA and/or test scores • Require additional evidence not already provided • Conditions apply to students admitted to increase probability for success • A single semester; explicit. • Monitor.

16. Student Admission & Progression Program Graduate Handbook • Advising (FAQ; Who do I see about what?) • Mentoring (How and When to find, for what?) • Satisfactory Progression – Criteria/Milestones/Monitor/Help • Grievance Procedures • Instructor, Graduate Director/Department Chair, College Dean, Graduate School

17. Special Enrollment (aka Z-Status) What is Z-Status? • Z – Status is a student enrollment classification that allows the University to declare a graduate student enrolled full-time, even though they may only be registered for as little as a single hour of course credit. Who is Eligible? • Students must be near the end of their academic program; meaning, enrolled in thesis (799) or dissertation (899) preparation, or another capstone experience. • Residents and non-residents (including International students) are eligible. • Students may not be employed more than ½ time outside of GA. • A Program of Study will be required for approval.

18. How do we use Z-Status? • Request for Special Enrollment, can be found in the forms library on The Graduate School’s web site • ( http://gradschool.sc.edu/forms/gs-zs.pdf ). • Students may request up to three terms (Spring, Summer, and Fall) on a single request form. • Graduate Directors or Major Professors must sign each request. The form must be COMPLETE (all information requested and signatures provided) to be considered for approval. Incomplete forms will be returned.

19. What does “Complete” mean? • Information is legible. • Student’s first and last name along with the USCID number. • Student’s address, email, and phone number • The Student’s school, major and degree. • Effective terms indicated (up to 3 terms on one form) • Indicate Graduate Director or Major Professor and Print name with email and phone. • There is more…..

20. Ensuring the form is complete…. Check all boxes that apply: • If the student has previously been enrolled with Z-status. • If the student is not employed or not for more than ½ time (other than as a GA). • Is the student working on a thesis or dissertation? • Has the student completed all coursework, other than a capstone? • Will the student be a GA? • Is this a request for Family Medical Leave Act FMLA) consideration and is medical documentation attached?

21. Not done yet….. • International students are eligible, but, these students must submit a request for an Exemption from Full-Time Enrollment form through the Office of International Student Services (ISS). • ISS must approve this request, BEFORE the Graduate School will process the Z-Status request. • So, there are two forms. • The student must sign and date. • The Graduate Director/Major Professor must sign and date.

22. What will delay processing the form? • The form is incomplete. • There is no Program of Study on file and approved. • Coursework has not been completed. • Students have not yet registered for at least 1 hour. • This is a request for more than 3 terms and no additional justification is provided.

23. POS and Transfer Requests • A Program of Study (POS) will also be required for Course Transfer Requests. • Reminder for Transfer Requests: • Course(s) may not have been used toward another degree elsewhere. • Course may be no ‘older’ than 6 years to use toward a masters degree (includes certificates and specialists); 10 years to use toward a doctoral degree, AT THE TIME OF GRADUATION. • Grade earned must be B or better – B- would not qualify.

24. Grades and Incompletes At the end of each semester, instructors of record are responsible for submitting grades. Encourage faculty not to delay submitting a grade; the result is NR on the student transcript which will ‘roll’ into an “F.” Assigning “Incomplete” should be rare. Default is 1 year and can be less. Default is F if no back up grade is indicated. When complete, the correct form is a Registrar-Protected form for make-up of Incomplete--not the Grade Change form.

25. Bonus Information Professional Development Opportunities for Graduate Students October 26: Networking Twitter Chat, 2-3 p.m. (@GradSchoolAtUSC)  November 2: Writing Your Teaching Philosophy, Part 2, 3-4:30 p.m. (Thomas Cooper L511), organized with the Center for Teaching Excellence  November 6: Start Smart Financial Literacy and Salary Negotiation Workshop, 4-6 p.m. (Thomas Cooper Mezzanine, Student Success Center conference room), organized with the Student Success Center  November 12: LinkedIn and You: Effectively Growing Your Network, 2-3 p.m. (webinar), organized with the Career Center  November 30: Shut Up and Write!, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (Byrnes 703), organized with the Writing Center  December 7: Professional Journeys: Exploring the Career Paths of Graduate Alumni, 2-3 p.m. (webinar)