This year’s Grad Student Appreciation Week has arrived! From Monday, April 3 to Friday, April 7 The Graduate School and other campus partners have teamed up to host various events to show our appreciation for our Graduate Students. All university-wide events are free to attend and open to any graduate students. For more information on these events, visit our Grad Student Appreciation Week page and follow us on Instagram @uconngradschool to stay updated!
Author: Vital, Karina
Graduate Student Appreciation Week
Monday, April 4th to Friday, April 8th is this year’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week, a week full of online and in-person activities and events designed to celebrate graduate students here at UConn. We have the following events happening next week:
Monday, April 4th – The Graduate School: Drinks & Refreshments
Wednesday, April 6th – Center for Career Development: LinkedIn Headshots and CV/Resume Reviews
Wednesday, April 6th – International Student & Scholar Services: Hot Cocoa, Cookies, and S’mores
Thursday, April 7th – The Graduate School & Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services: Pizza Party & Goodie Bag Giveaway
Thursday, April 7th – Women’s Center: Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop
Thursday, April 7th – Rainbow Center: Coffee and Donuts
Friday, April 8th – The Graduate School: Lunchtime Trivia
Other department-specific events hosted by various academic departments.
All events are free for graduate students to attend. For more information about the university-wide and departmental events, please visit the website below.
For more information: Graduate Student Appreciation Week
Navigating Graduate School as a First Gen Grad Student
myUConn App – Graduate Student Persona
myUConn is the official app of the University of Connecticut designed for students, staff, faculty, and visitors to explore all UConn has to offer. For more information on the app, visit UConn Mobile.
The Graduate School has recently released a Persona specific to Graduate Students on this app. Designed to present students with the resources they need in the palms of their hands, this Persona gathers resources specific to the graduate student experience from across campus and centralizes them in one convenient location. Within this app, you can find tiles with resources related to Academics, Athletics, Bus Tracker, Campus Maps, Career Development, Dining, Events, and other areas that you may need during your time at UConn. In addition, you can receive important notifications related to campus closings, reminders for applications to graduate, and information on this year’s Graduate Student Appreciation Week from April 4th through April 8th.
The myUConn app can be downloaded via the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. To access the Graduate Student Persona, select “Storrs” as your location and “Graduate Student” as your Persona.
2022 Marth Award Recipient – David Knecht
It is our pleasure to announce the recipient of this year’s Edward C. Marth Mentorship Award. This award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding leadership and dedication to excellence in mentoring graduate students. It was established by the UConn AAUP to honor Edward Marth, former Executive Director of the UConn AAUP Chapter.
This year’s recipient of the Marth Award is Professor David Knecht from the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Professor Knecht joined the MCB faculty in 1987 and has been conducting research with graduate students here at UConn for the past 35 years. It is clear from the testimonials received that he has had a very significant impact on both the professional and personal lives of the students who have worked under his wing, many of whom continue to seek his advice well beyond graduation. His students and colleagues speak to how generous he is with his time and energy, and to his unwavering commitment to his students and to the training of the next generation of researchers. Known as a tough mentor, Professor Knecht sets high standards and expectations for both himself and for his students. He encourages students to develop a “gritty mindset” that he believes is a key to advancing scientific knowledge. Professor Knecht’s receipt of the Marth Award is a fitting recognition of his dedication over the past three decades to both his own students as well as to graduate education more generally.
Professor Knecht is also a very accomplished researcher. His research expertise is in microscopic cellular imaging and computational assessments of cellular movement. He has nearly 100 scholarly publications and in 2019 received the CLAS Research Excellence Award in Life and Behavioral Sciences. In honor of his contributions, Professor Knecht will be giving an address at The Graduate School commencement ceremonies.
Past recipients of the Marth Award include Crystal Park (2021), Preston Britner (2020), Sandra Chafouleas (2019), Maria-Luz Fernandez (2018), Elizabeth Jockusch (2015-2016), Shareen Hertel (2014-2015), John Mathieu (2013-2014), JC Beall (2012-2013) and Dipak Dey (2011-2012).
Student Resource Guide – Spring 2022
There are folks across the university ready to provide support and guidance, but you need to reach out for help. Listed below are offices you may reach out to for assistance. Reaching out early is key as there are more options to explore earlier in a semester.
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Academic or Faculty Advisor: A student’s major advisor is a resource in navigating academic challenges. Some academic departments also have program staff that can help you determine next steps academically and connect you to resources. If you are a graduate student, make sure you discuss all possible options with your major advisor. If you aren’t sure who your advisor is, you can find this information in StudentAdmin.
Advising Centers: Each school or college as well as each regional campus has an office or center with oversight over undergraduate advising. These centers/offices serve as a resource to students, faculty and staff on a wide range of advising matters, including:
- Permission to register for excess credit or add or drop a course
- Requesting a late withdrawal from a course
- Academic probation, dismissal, and appeals of academic dismissal
- Requesting a general education substitution
To learn more about Advising resources, visit the University Advising website.
Academic Support Services: Graduate and undergraduate students can seek academic support from the Writing Center and the Academic Achievement Center. The Writing Center provides online writing assistance to both undergraduate and graduate students. An overview of support for graduate students is available at this link; undergraduates can view this link to learn about available services. The Academic Achievement Center (AAC) offers an array of academic support services, including coaching, mentoring, and student success workshops. Although many of the offerings are geared toward undergraduate students, graduate students can contact the AAC directly to discuss specific support needs and will be referred to available resources. Undergraduate students may seek support from the Q-Center for classes that have a quantitative component. Specifically, the Q-Center provides direct assistance to students via peer tutoring, review sessions, and the creation of innovative learning tools.
Course Instructors: Students can speak with their course instructor to discuss options within the course, such as opportunities to make up work or extra time on an assignment, as well as the possibility of an Incomplete grade. The Graduate and Undergraduate Catalogs provide more information on Incomplete grades for students considering this option.
Tutoring: Students in need of tutoring may find help within specific academic programs. Below is a list of tutoring resources students may want to access for potential help.
The UConn Library is available to help students with research assistance.
STORRS UNDERGRADUATE RESOURCE
Dean of Students: Staff in the Dean of Students Office are available to support undergraduate students with academic, personal, and other concerns that impact their student experience. Staff in this office provide support without judgement and can help students as they consider completing current courses, rescheduling final exams, or processing a withdrawal or cancellation for those considering taking a break. To schedule a meeting please call 860-486-3426 or use the chat feature on our website to request a meeting with an Assistant Dean. The Dean of Students Office also offers drop-in support, Monday through Friday from 1:00pm-3:30pm with no appointment needed at that time.
REGIONAL UNDERGRADUATE RESOURCE
Regional Student Services Staff: Undergraduates at the regional campuses needing support of an academic or personal nature should connect with the Student Services staff on their home campus. Regional campus Student Services staff can help students as they consider completing current courses, rescheduling final exams, and processing a withdrawal or cancellation if you are considering taking a break. Visit this website to schedule an appointment with a Regional Student Services staff member.
GRADUATE STUDENT RESOURCE
Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Affairs, The Graduate School: The Graduate School staff can answer questions about both academic and non-academic resources that are available to graduate students and advise on strategies for navigating challenges. If you are struggling to determine what academic resources are available, you can email gradschool@uconn.edu and a staff member can help you. Graduate students who feel the need to step away from their academic studies temporarily or to withdraw from their program can find more information about taking a leave of absence or voluntary separation at The Graduate School website or by emailing gradseparation@uconn.edu.
HEALTH AND ACCESS SERVICES
Center for Students with Disabilities: Students may want to explore the possibility of accessing accommodations with the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). To begin the process of requesting accommodations, visit csd.uconn.edu and click on the MyAccess button to get registered. You will then be assigned to work with a Disability Services Provider who will engage with you to discuss your concerns and appropriate accommodations. Students requesting accommodations will need to provide supporting documentation. Please share the guidelines with your provider to obtain the appropriate documentation. Contact Timothy Smagacz, Program Assistant, at (860) 486-2020 or myaccess-csd@uconn.edu with questions regarding documentation.
Student Behavioral Health Services (SBHS) – The Student Behavioral Health Service (SBHS) provides evaluation and treatment to medical, dental and graduate students at UConn Health. To learn more about the resources available visit the SBHS website.
Student Health and Wellness – Mental Health: SHAW provides mental health services to promote the emotional, relational, and academic potential of all undergraduate and graduate students. SHAW-Mental Health offers:
- Rapid access screening appointments
- Emergency/Crisis assessment
- Individual and group therapy
- Medication management
- Mindfulness/Meditation/Yoga workshops
- Referral and off-campus support services
Storrs students (undergrad or graduate) may access SHAW-MH by calling 860-486-4705 or schedule a screening appointment online.
Regional campus students (undergrad or graduate) seeking mental health resources will find campus specific contact information at this link.
We are here to help. Please reach out to one of the many offices listed and the staff and faculty will try their best to provide support and identify solutions. Questions about this information should be directed to dos@uconn.edu or gradschool@uconn.edu.
Navigating Graduate School with Disabilities
Join Us!
Learn from graduate students, faculty, and staff on their experiences navigating graduate school with disabilities.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
WebEx (Virtual – link will be emailed after registration)
For more details and to register for the event, click here.
Captioning and ASL interpreters will be provided at the event. If there are other access elements we can help with, please contact: cinnamon.adams@uconn.edu
More Information
The Graduate School recently polled UConn graduate students who identified as having a disability. The results of the poll revealed several things. First, many of our grad students do not “disclose” their disability to anyone at the university, including CSD (the Center for Students with Disabilities), for a variety of reasons. Even among those students who do receive accommodations through CSD, many do not disclose to their advisers, supervisors, or colleagues due to fears of stigma and othering. This tells us that there is a need at UConn to initiate a broader conversation that addresses the unique needs and experiences of graduate students with disabilities.
Another thing we heard is a desire for community. For many disabled grad students, our only exposure to disability is through CSD, which, while absolutely crucial for our success, is by its very nature focused on disability as a problem to be solved or overcome. For many of us, our disability is much more than that; it is a central part of our identity and our lived experience. We hope to develop, over the coming years, a community where disabled members of the UConn community can joyfully connect with one another in a way that is not clinical or remedial.
To this end, a group of UConn graduate students, faculty, and staff are organizing an event in spring 2022 to begin a conversation about navigating graduate school with a disability, and we hope it is the first event of many. We invite the graduate education community to join us in a virtual panel event in February. The panelists will be graduate students and graduate faculty who will share their experiences of navigating academia with a disability. We have also invited University staff from CSD and Human Resources who are familiar with the accommodations process for grad students and grad assistants to share information and answer questions.
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