Well, we’re more than a month past the one-year anniversary of our COVID-induced shift to remote work and education. Today, with vaccinations available for all, both spring and hope are in the air. We at the Graduate College have our eyes set on a healthier and safer year ahead. To that end, we are busy planning for post-pandemic pivots to ensure that we rise out of the pains of the last year a stronger, better, more innovative, flexible, and just graduate community.
The Grad Academy Accepting Applications for 2021-22 Programming
The Grad Academy is currently accepting applications for its 2021-22 leadership, professional, and career development programming. These free programs will be delivered virtually and in person.
Doctoral graduates will not be hooded by their advisors on stage at the in-person Commencement; rather, they will be hooded virtually at the 4 p.m. Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.
Cindy Kha Receives 2021 Sam Lieberman Regents' Award for Student Scholarship
Cindy Kha, a doctoral student in Biological Sciences, was recently awarded a Sam Lieberman Regents' Award for Student Scholarship, formerly known as the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents' Scholar Award.
Nevena Cvijetic Earns Promotion to Executive Director of Leadership, Professional, and Career Development at Graduate College
The Graduate College is pleased to announce that Nevena Cvijetic has been hired as the Executive Director of Leadership, Professional, and Career Development. Cvijetic is a UNLV alumna, earning a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration, and an MBA from the Lee Business School. Cvijetic has experience across a diverse range of industries, including hospitality, healthcare, nonprofits, and higher education. Prior to working with the Graduate College as a graduate assistant and Grant & Program Manager, she was a Program Director at a local nonprofit.
We are thrilled to once again offer free, research-based, cocurricular certifications and programs through The Grad Academy in the 2021-22 academic year. These are curated opportunities, delivered virtually and in person, to provide leadership, professional, and career development training to graduate and professional students. We are accepting applications until April 30 for the following: Teaching, Research, and Mentorship Certifications; Grad Rebel Ambassadors program; Research and Mentorship Program (June 30 deadline for undergraduate student mentees); Post-Graduate Career Pathways program; and Grad Rebel Writing Boot Camp. We are also accepting applications through June 30 from undergraduate and graduate students interested in participating in the Grad Rebel Advantage program. Please encourage your students to apply! Graduate students should log in to the Grad Rebel Gateway and click on The Grad Academy tab to apply. Undergraduate students can visit this site to apply. For additional information about The Grad Academy, our badges, certifications, and programs, please visit our website.
-Nevena Cvijetic, Executive Director of Leadership, Professional, and Career Development
2020 Doctoral Commencement
In December, the Graduate College celebrated almost 200 spring, summer, and fall 2020 doctoral graduates during UNLV's first virtual Doctoral Commencement, which included a virtual reception for graduates, family, and friends in Remo (left), a virtual event platform. The Graduate College will host a virtual ceremony and reception for spring 2021 doctoral graduates. See the Calendar below to learn more.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Emergency Retention Grants
Applications for Emergency Retention Grants have continually increased since the beginning of the pandemic. In academic year 2019-20, the Graduate College awarded 198 students Emergency Retention Grants totaling more than $295,500. To date for academic year 2020-21, the Graduate College has awarded 229 Emergency Retention Grants totaling more than $579,300.
Graduate students experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to apply for an Emergency Retention Grant, which are intended to provide student support when other financial resources have been exhausted and students have a documented need. Emergency Retention Grants can be used for anything that helps students stay enrolled and progress in their program. Please note that COVID-19-related requests will not count against the standard Emergency Retention Grant policy of only one request per graduate student over the course of their graduate career. We will review each applicant's circumstances on a case-by-case basis and help in any way possible.
If you are able and would like to, please consider supporting the Graduate Student Emergency Support Fund, which is used to provide Emergency Retention Grants. Any gift, no matter the size, makes a difference in the lives of our students.
Clarification and guidance related to student IRB protocol submissions
The Office of Research Integrity in December distributed a memo to deans, department chairs, and associate deans for research regarding guidance on student IRB protocol submissions. Please find the content of that memo below:
Recently, questions were raised concerning the need for individual protocols for graduate students conducting research studies that fall under the definition of Human Subjects Research as defined in 45 CFR 46.102. This memo is being sent to provide clarification and guidance concerning the necessary federal requirements related to Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight of UNLV studies that involve human subjects, with specific emphasis on students’ culminating research projects (e.g., thesis and/or dissertation projects and senior capstone).
These terminal projects are undertaken by student researchers as a component of satisfying degree requirements. University policy and IRB requirements note that a faculty advisor must serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) for all such projects. The UNLV PI Eligibility Policy denotes who may serve as PI at UNLV. However, a faculty advisor cannot submit a “master IRB protocol” or a “blanket protocol” wherein the student is listed as the key personnel/research team member if the intended outcome of the project is for purposes of satisfying the student’s degree requirements.
All thesis and/or dissertation projects, as well as other projects meeting the federal definition of human subjects research, must have an independent review. Stated more simply, each research project must be submitted independently for IRB review. There is neither federal nor institutional allowance for a “master/blanket IRB protocol.”
Standard Report Dashboard Training
The Office of Decision Support this spring is offering Standard Report Dashboard Training to discuss the Standard Report dashboards, what they are, and how to use them. This training is aimed toward FERPA-certified, professional staff who would like to incorporate actionable data insights into their daily workflow and decision making. Attendees can expect to learn how to summarize admissions metrics, headcount, FTE and SCH, degrees conferred, retention, and graduation rate data in an easy to use, customizable environment. Persons of all levels of data experience are welcome.
The training schedule is as follows:
Location
Webex
Time
2-3 p.m.
Dates
May 20
June 17
To register for a training session, complete this Google Form.
Contact Decision Support Data Analyst Bobby Wade at bobby.wade@unlv.edu with questions.
For as long as she can remember, Alexis Freudenberger’s life has revolved
around breakfast. Now, the graduate student is learning all the tricks of the
hospitality trade — and figuring out just how and where she will apply them.
