WMU Graduate Standard - Fall 2012
WMU Graduate Standard: Fall 2012
Dean's Message
It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to the readership of our first e-news for the Graduate College at Western Michigan University. In May of 2012, I was honored to be named Dean of the college and am excited about helping to shape the future of learner centered, discovery driven, globally engaged graduate education at WMU.
As you know, graduate education is pivotal to our classification as a research university and ranking in national publications. The Graduate College and its staff serve as a hub for professional development opportunities and support services for graduate students as well as the gatekeeper of policies and procedures that ensure quality and excellence.
For the upcoming year, the staff and I have set a number of goals to enhance our services in support of graduate education at WMU. One goal includes increased outreach and communication to all our constituents. In addition to the e-news, we are excited to partner with the Graduate Student Advisory Committee to begin our Graduate Student Ambassador program that will help us to engage more with our current graduate student body as well as potential future graduate students and our alumni. We will be looking for ways to increase support for our students in their teaching, research and scholarship and global engagement. We will be seeking new ways to provide financial assistance for graduate students, in particular for critical times in their degree programs such as thesis or dissertation completion or when faced with devastating life occurrences.
We are excited about the possibilities and welcome your input and support as we move graduate education forward at WMU.
Susan R. Stapleton, Ph.D.
Dean, Graduate College
Student Spotlight
Dr. Tova Samuels
The Graduate College is proud to announce that Tova Samuels graduated with her PhD in chemistry in June 2012, the first Western Michigan University affiliated MI-AGEP student to graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences at WMU since the inception of the program. MI-AGEP stands for Michigan Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant program geared toward increasing the number of under-represented students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) fields. [Read the full story about Dr. Tova Samuels]
Staff Spotlight
Mr. Tony Dennis
Meet Tony Dennis Director, Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention Tony’s career in higher education began in 1990 working as an admissions counselor at Kalamazoo College. In 1993 he was hired as Assistant Director of Admissions and Orientation at Western Michigan University. In June of 1999 he was promoted to Director of Recruitment and Outreach Director/Student Services at Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. Tony has recruited students throughout the United States and has played a significant role in recruiting some of the top underrepresented (minority) students in the country to attend WMU. [Read the full story about Mr. Tony Dennis]
Events Spotlight
Writing Ethically and Well: Plagiarism, Patchwriting, and the Thesis/Dissertation.
On Tuesday, October 23rd, The Graduate Center will sponsor a presentation, “Writing Ethically and Well: Plagiarism, Patchwriting, and the Thesis/Dissertation.” The presenter is Dr. Edward J. Eckel, associate professor at WMU and librarian at WMU’s University Libraries. The event will take place in the Walwood Commons at Walwood Hall, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Many students do not understand fully what plagiarism is or what doing it could mean to their current status as a student or their future career. [Read the full story about Writing Ethically and Well]
Student Spotlight
Kevin Grazioli - MBA Student Winner of Two EMMY awards!
Kevin Grazioli, MBA student at Western Michigan University, has two beautiful golden statues to commemorate his undergraduate film career. His film “Seeing Stars in Indiana” won two EMMY awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2012. Completed while he was a senior at Ball State University majoring in telecommunications, the film has been airing on Public Broadcasting System stations across Indiana since 2011. [Read the full story about Kevin Grazioli]
Student Spotlight
Dr. Zella Jackson Hannum
Zella Jackson Hannum, Ph.D. Western Michigan University’s First AGEP Ph.D. Graduate in Engineering Zella Jackson Hannum, WMU’s first NSF MI-AGEP doctoral graduate in engineering, successfully defended her dissertation on May 16, in Walwood Commons. Dr. Hannum was awarded a Ph.D. at the June 2012 commencement ceremony from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, which is chaired by Dr. Paul Engelmann. [Read the full story about Dr. Zella Jackson Hannum]
Events Spotlight
2012 MI-AGEP Dissertation Writing Retreat
Dissertation Writing Retreat The 2012 MI-AGEP Dissertation Writing Retreat, held from May 21 to May 24 at the Kellogg Biological Station and Conference Center at Gull Lake, was a great success. For the third year in a row, a total of sixteen students attended from four participating universities: Western Michigan University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State. The students were in the STEM fields. The four day event featured Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale, nationally known facilitator. [Read the full story about the 2012 MI-AGEP Dissertation Writing Retreat]
Did you know?
Accelerated Programs at WMU
Accelerated Degree Programs allow eligible students the opportunity to complete both an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in less time because the student may begin taking graduate courses while still an undergraduate. During their senior year of their undergraduate careers, students in the accelerated program may substitute up to 12 credit hours of graduate course work for undergraduate course work. Once they enter graduate school, they’re able to quickly move through their master’s degree requirements because they’ve already taken several graduate classes.
The following departments offer the accelerated degree program.
- Department Program Name
- ECE Engineering (Accelerated)
- CCE Civil Engineering (Accelerated)
- COM Communication (Accelerated)
- CS Computer Science (Accelerated)
- ECE Electrical Engineering (Accelerated)
- IME Industrial Engineering (Accelerated)
- ME Mechanical Engineering (Accelerated)
- MUS Music (Accelerated)
- BLS Orientation & Mobility (Accelerated)
- PAPR Paper/Imaging Science & Engineering (Accelerated)
- STAT Statistics (Accelerated)
- SWRK Social Work (Accelerated)
- BLS Vision Rehabilitation Therapy (Accelerated)
Dr. Koorosh Naghshineh, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering(MAE) Department Graduate Adviser, Professor and Director, Noise and Vibration Laboratory notes, “MAE was the first [department] in the university to introduce such a program. It is a great way of recruiting our good undergrad students to our graduate programs.”
To learn more about Accelerated Degree Programs in your discipline, view our current list of Accelerated Degree Programs, and contact your program advisor.