Doctoral Support Center & Doctoral Programming Blog

Cohort 2008 - February 2011 Updates

Hello Cohort of 2008,

I hope you are enjoying the semester as many of you are completing the final stages of your dissertation and the Ed.D. Program.  If you missed the Dissertation Submission Workshop on December 7, 2010, the Ed.D. Program Office will be hosting another workshop on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. (location TBA). At this event, students will learn more about the final dissertation defense and the Graduate School Dissertation Submission process.   The Doctoral Support Center and Financial Aid Office will also present information relevant to this phase of the program. We strongly urge you to attend as you approach your final dissertation defense. You do not need to RSVP.

The Ed.D. Program hooding ceremony will take place on May 12, 2011 at 3:00 PM. The ceremony will take place in Founder’s Park across from Waite Phillips Hall and between Bovard Auditorium and Taper Hall. The University’s commencement ceremony will take place on May 13, 2010 at 8:30 AM. Please check your email for more updates on commencement. You can also visit the Rossier School of Education’s commencement website at http://rossier.usc.edu/students/commencement/.

In order to be considered a spring graduate, you must meet the Graduate School Deadline and upload your committee approved dissertation to the Graduate School by April 1, 2011. To be a summer graduate, you must upload your dissertation by July 1, 2011. In order to participate in commencement, you must be on target to upload your dissertation by July 1, 2011.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Melisa Carson

mcarson@usc.edu

(213) 821-1516

Graduate Professional Student Senate Elections

Are you interested in being a leader of graduate students? The Graduate and Professional Student Senate is holding elections for senators for the 2011-2012 academic year. The Executive Board of GPSS is elected by the senators representing all of the departments of the university. The eligibility and online form to run for the Executive Board is available on the GPSS website: http://www.gpssusc.com/home/senate/elections.html

Deadline to Apply : Febuary 4th, 2011
Election will take place on : March 07, 2011

Compensation (Pay) ranges from 4 units to 2 units, depending on the workload of the position.

February 2011 Updates

Dear Cohort of 2009 Students,

     I hope you are having a great semester! I hope you found the Dissertation Proposal Workshop helpful. For those of you that could not attend the workshop the Ed.D. Program Office wil be holding another Dissertation Proposal Workshop on March 30th, 2011 from 4:00-6:00pm. The location is TBD. All of the materials that were distributed at the workshop have been sent out via e-mail.

Summer 2011 Registration Information: I will be sending out summer registration memos on Friday, February 18th, 2011. Registration for the summer semester begins on March 1st, 2011. In the first summer semester you will enroll in your fourth concentration class. In the second summer semester you will enroll in your final concentration course. All students will also enroll in EDUC 790: Research. The meeting dates for EDUC 790 will be determined by your chair and thematic group. I will e-mail the entire cohort once the Financial Aid Office has posted the Summer Loan Request Form.

APRISE Study Trips: The APRISE Office will be hosting two study tours from May 13th-May 22nd, 2011. Please check your e-mail for the Study Tour Announcement and Application. The application needs to be filled out and returned to the APRISE Office by February 18th, 2011.

Operation Dissertation Acceleration: The Doctoral Support Center will be hosting an Operation Dissertation Acceleration Workshop from February 24th-February 27th, 2011. The deadline to apply is February 4th, 2011. If you have any questions about this event please contact Dr. Ilda Jimenez Y West at ijimenez@usc.edu

I hope you have a great semester!

Fight On!

Nadine Singh

Cohort of 2010 - February 2011 Updates

I hope your second semester in the program is off to a great start!

Concentration Confirmation: The Concentration Selection Event will be held on Monday, January 31 from 4:30 - 6:00 PM in VKC 156. The event will be recorded and hosted online for any students who cannot attend. After this event, all students in the Cohort of 2010 will be asked to either confirm their current concentration or request to move to a new concentration via a Survey Monkey link. Any students who request a change in concentration will be asked to provide a statement explaining the decision, which will be reviewed by the chair of your preferred concentration. Further details about the submission process will be emailed to all Cohort of 2010 students on February 1.

Summer 2011 Information: The Summer 2011 registration memos will be sent out to students in mid-February. The memos will include all of the information you will need to register in the upcoming summer semester. The summer semester consists of two six-week sessions. In the first six-week session (May 18 - June 28), you will take your first concentration course. In the second six-week session (June 29 - August 9), you will take the Inquiry Methods I course. The registration memo will have full details on the summer schedule, as well.

Summer 2011 Financial Aid: The Financial Aid Office will be posting a summer financial aid loan form in early-March. I will be contacting the entire cohort when this is available. You will not be forced to use spring and fall funds to pay for summer.

Summer Conference: Please save the date for the Ed.D. Summer Conference on Saturday, August 20th. More details about the event will be sent in the coming months.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you very much!

Rocke DeMark, Ed.D. Program Advisor for the Cohort of 2010

Access to your Fall Courses on Blackboard ends February 1

USC’s Blackboard Support Team recently sent a message to all student users which affects your recent fall courses. We post it again here for your convenience.

Beginning Tuesday, February 1, 2011, you will no longer have access to Blackboard courses from previous semesters; you will have access only to those courses in which you are currently enrolled. This change is in line with USC Blackboard policy to provide you with a current, streamlined view of your Blackboard course listings.

ITS disables student access to completed Blackboard courses approximately eight weeks after the last day of classes, as listed on USC's academic calendar. Student access to fall semester courses will be disabled on February 1, 2011. Student access to spring semester courses will be disabled on July 1, 2011. Student access to summer semester courses will end on October 1, 2011.

To download a file such as a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, a Microsoft Word document, or an Adobe Acrobat file from Blackboard to your computer, right-click [or command-click] on the file's hyperlink and:

- If you are using Microsoft Internet Explore, choose Save Target As...

- If you are using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, choose Save Link As...

- If you are using Apple Safari, choose Download Linked File.

This will save the file to your computer, either to your desktop or to your computer's download folder.

If you would like to see your final course grades for previous semesters, you can view your official grade report on OASIS or MyUSC. If you would like to access course materials or individual grades on assignments from a previous semester’s Blackboard course, contact that course's instructor.

For additional questions regarding this topic, please send an email to blackboard@usc.edu or call 213-740-5555 and choose Option 3.

USC Blackboard Support Team

 

State Farm Companies Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Awards Program

The State Farm Companies will give up to three $10,000 awards to doctoral students whose dissertation topics focus on improving K-12 public education to meet future and current economic needs. Interested students must meet these criteria:

• Have completed a major portion of their coursework
  • Have an approved proposal
  • Have started writing, but have not completed a dissertation
  • Are enrolled in a graduate-degree program
  • Are U.S. citizens

The application can be found at the State Farm website at http://www.statefarm.com/aboutus/community/grants/foundation/state_farm_foundation_scholarships.asp. Students' requests for nomination will be reviewed by the Rossier School of Education, and up to three nominations will be forwarded to the State Farm Companies. Completed applications, nomination forms, transcripts, and letters of recommendation must be received in the Ed.D. Program Office by March 1, 2011.

Writing Group Orientation and Workshop this Weekend!

Just a follow up for those that are coming to the workshop this weekend.  I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow. The Writing Group Workshop runs on both Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 5 pm.  You can come part of the day each day or just one day.  You can join an existing group or create a new group. You can come to any weekend workshop- you are not obligated to attend all of them.  When you do come, bring your laptop to work on your dissertation. You may want to bring a headset if you want to listen to music as you work or ear plugs.  Bring your calendar to plan writing dates for yourself and with others.  The journey begins!

The agenda for this weekend as follows:

Saturday 22 January  WPH Rm. B49

9:00AM – 9:30 AM — Sign In/Registration Pick up Welcome Packet/Document Delivery

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM — Welcome and Overview of Program

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM —Introductions/Form Writing Groups and Develop Plan

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM — Writing Workshop

Sunday 23 January WPH Rm. B49

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Writing Workshop

Sunday Presentation: 1 pm Literature Review 

Overview of the Program

The Spring 2011 Writing Group will be in session from January to April 2011.

During the  22 January Orientation, Doctoral Students will be provided an opportunity to form or join writing groups.  Students will develop individual writing goals and plans.  Groups should try to meet weekly to achieve goals toward degree completion.

Students are also encouraged to meet with their writing advisor monthly for discussion and individual updates and to schedule any review dates for drafts. Four weekend workshops will be offered, the workshops provide an opportunity to write and have an advisor available to assist with questions regarding the dissertation process.  Download WG Flyer

Please RSVP to lfischer@usc.edu   if you will be joining the Spring 2011 Writing Group.  This is a great opportunity to focus and get ‘er done! 

I look forward to seeing all of you. Write On and Fight On!

Linda Fischer, Ed. D.

Doctoral Support Center, RSOE, WPH 402

(213) 740-3813

Writing Group Orientation and Workshop this Weekend!

Worshop Agenda

 

Saturday 22 January  9 am to 5 pm WPH Rm. B49

9:00AM – 9:30 AM — Sign In/Registration Pick up Welcome Packet/Document Delivery

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM — Welcome and Overview of Program

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM —Introductions/Form Writing Groups and Develop Plan

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM — Writing Workshop

 

Sunday 23 January 9 am to 5 pm WPH Rm. B49

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Writing Workshop

Sunday Presentation: 1 pm Literature Review 

 

Overview of the Program

 

The Spring 2011 Dissertation Writing Group will be in session from January to April 2011. This is a great opportunity to commit to a writing time and have access to a writing advisor. 

 

During the  22 January Orientation, Doctoral Students will be provided an opportunity to form or join writing groups.  Students will develop individual writing goals and plans.  Groups should try to meet weekly to achieve goals toward degree completion.

 

Students are also encouraged to meet with their writing advisor monthly for discussion and individual updates and to schedule any review dates for drafts. Four weekend workshops will be offered, the workshops provide an opportunity to write and have an advisor available to assist with questions regarding the dissertation process.  

Workshop Dates

 

Orientation and Workshop:  Saturday and Sunday, January 22 and 23, 2011, 9 – 5, WPH Rm. B49

Sunday Presentation:   1 pm Literature Review

 

Workshop:  Saturday and Sunday, February 12 and 13, 2011, 9 – 5, WPH Rm. B49         Sunday Presentation: 1 pm Chapter 1 Overview

 

Workshop:  Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, 2011, 9 – 5, WPH Rm. B49          Sunday Presentation: 1 pm Chapter 1 thru 3 Connections

 

Workshop:  Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17, 2011, 9 – 5, WPH Rm. B49

         Sunday Presentation: 1 pm Preparing for your Defense

          Sunday Finale 5-6 pm Location TBD

 

 

Mark your calendars.  Please RSVP to lfischer@usc.edu  if you will be joining the Spring 2011 Writing Group.  This is a great opportunity to focus and get ‘er done!

 

International Fellowship Opportunities

Competitive international fellowships are your opportunity to become a true global scholar. The office of Academic Recognition Programs offers General Fellowship Information Sessions in Leavey Library on the following dates:

• Thurs., Mar. 10, 1-2pm

• Tues., Mar. 29, 11am-12pm

• Thurs., Apr. 14, 3-4pm

• Tues., Apr. 26, 2-3pm

• Wed., Jan. 19, 2-3pm

• Mon., Jan. 31, 2-3pm

• Tues., Feb. 14, 1-2pm

• Thurs., Feb. 24, 2-3pm

*U.S. Citizenship required

For more information contact: Academic Recognition Programs in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, by phone at (213) 740-9116, by email at arpstaff@usc.edu, or on the web www.usc.edu/arp/fellowships.

 

 

DEADLINES: 2011 Spring Submission

While the 2011 Spring Deadline for dissertation submission to the Graduate School isn't until April 1st, if you want to avoid registering and paying for the Spring Semester, you must upload your dissertation to the Graduate School by Friday, January 28th.

In order to submit by that deadline, you must have had your dissertation defense and had any revisions approved by your committee.  Once you've done this and reviewed the formatting guidelines, you can begin the Graduate School's submission process.   For more information on Graduate School submission, you can download a DSC presentation from DSC on BlackBoard.

So how can the DSC help?  Annemarie worked as a thesis editor for USC's Graduate School for several years.  Once your manuscript has been formatted, she can review your PDF (please do not send in .doc form) for any errors prior to your uploading to the Graduate School.  Contact her by emailing <rsoedsc@usc.edu>.

Congratulations on reaching this stage in your doctoral journey.

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Photo credited to: Alan Cleaver