Student Newsletter
Welcome to the CCAS Graduate Student Newsletter! Designed to keep you up to date with news and events, policies and processes, and all things for CCAS graduate students!
Latest Issue: December 2024
The Student Services Team is here to advise, guide, and provide you with resources to aid in your success, as well as help you navigate university policies and procedures. Our office is located in Smith 118, and we are open during normal business hours on Monday – Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. You can schedule a virtual, phone, or in-person appointment with your Student Services Coordinator and Career Counselor.
For our December newsletter, we have the following topics:
- Spring 2025 is Almost Here!
- Important Reminders and Resources
- Career Services & Upcoming Career-Related Events
- Upcoming Student Events
- Edward Alexander Bouchet Society
- 2025 3MT Competition
- Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) - Funding Awards & Resources
- Funding & Employment Opportunities
Spring 2025 is Almost Here!
While we know you are all looking forward to winter break, the start of the Spring 2025 semester will be upon us very soon. Here are a few reminders and resources to help make sure you are ready for the start of Spring 2025 courses.
As a reminder, web registration is now open for Spring 2025 courses. Pre-registration will remain open through January 12, 2025. Key registration dates can be found on the Registrar’s Office website - stay tuned for a full breakdown of those dates in our January 2025 Student Newsletter!
Choosing the RTF vs. RTF-EZ
You may have seen some references to forms called the RTF (sometimes called the RTF Classic) and the RTF-EZ. Students can register for most courses online via GWeb. When a student cannot self-register online, we use a registration form - either the RTF or the RTF-EZ - to help them register.
Please note that these forms also differ in how they are submitted:
- RTF-EZ: submit to the Registrar’s Office
[email protected] or in-person at the USC Student Services Hub - RTF Classic: submit to Graduate Student Services
[email protected]
More information on the RTF and RTF-EZ can be found in the Registration section of the CCAS student handbook. If you are ever unsure which registration form you should use, please reach out to us at [email protected] for guidance.
Leave of Absence
If you wish to take a Leave of Absence (LOA) during Fall 2024, please review our LOA policy and discuss this option with your Director of Graduate Studies. If you choose to take an LOA, please complete a Leave of Absence Application Form and submit it to us at [email protected].
Resource Highlight: Consortium Courses
Did you know that GW students can take courses offered by other DC-area universities, at their current tuition rate and for GW credit? GW is part of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, which includes 18 colleges and universities in the greater DC area. As Consortium members, GW students are eligible to register in courses at any of the listed universities. This is a great opportunity to take a course you may not otherwise take, and to expand your academic and professional network beyond the GW bubble!
Here are a few things you should keep in mind to make sure your Consortium registration is successful:
- Review the Registrar’s Office’s Consortium page for a full breakdown of registration procedures. Please complete the Consortium Registration and GW Equivalent Approval form in its entirety, and email the completed form to us at [email protected].
- You must request permission from your department to register for a Consortium course.
- You must be in good academic standing and in a program located on the Foggy Bottom campus.
- Master’s students may complete up to 9 total credit hours through Consortium courses; Doctoral students may complete up to 12.
- When registering for a Consortium course, you should identify a suitable GW equivalent course. Once you have completed the Consortium course, it will take the place of its GW equivalent in your DegreeMAP record.
- You cannot register for a Consortium course if the GW equivalent course is being offered at GW in the same semester.
- While tuition will be charged at your current GW tuition rate, the visited university may charge additional course fees.
- If you have any questions about Consortium registration, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Important Reminders and Resources
Fall 2024 Graduation Application
If you will be completing your program requirements in Fall 2024, please apply to graduate in GWeb as soon as possible. Please note that you must be registered for courses in Fall 2024 in order to graduate. Online graduation application instructions can be found on the Registrar’s Office website.
Student Accounts Late Fee Policy Reminder
As dictated by GW’s Student Accounts Past-Due Policy, payment of all tuition charges and other applicable fees is due by the first day of the semester, unless you are actively participating in a GW monthly payment plan. Students with an outstanding Student Accounts balance on December 13 will be charged a late fee equal to 5% of the current outstanding balance. Please review your Student Accounts eBill to see if you have any unpaid charges. Both the Late Payments policy and a full breakdown of financial due dates and deadlines can be found on the Student Accounts Office website.
Fall ETD Deadlines
Please continue to be mindful of ETD clearance deadlines for both Ph.D. students and for Master’s students completing a thesis.
Ph.D. students should visit our Ph.D. Clearance Deadlines page, and Master’s students completing a thesis should review our Master’s Thesis ETD Submission page.
GW's Upcoming Wireless Network Change
GW Wireless Network is Changing: Update Your Mobile Devices Now
GWireless will be retired on Jan. 2, 2025. Eduroam will be GW’s new wireless network. To avoid a service interruption when the switchover happens, forget the GWireless network and then set up your eduroam connection on mobile devices like your phone, laptop, tablet, etc.
Career Services & Upcoming Career-Related Events
CCAS Graduate Career Services will continue the Career Readiness Workshop Series in Spring 2025! Career Counselors Erin Ahart and Dr. Johnette Ruffner-Ceaser will share an end-of-semester update via email, including the spring workshop schedule and other helpful information.
The holidays are a great time to assess your career goals and reflect on your progress towards meeting them! Erin and Johnette are available to meet one-on-one, with options to meet in person or online. Students can schedule an appointment on Handshake! Visit our website or email [email protected] for more information.
Upcoming Student Events
Finals Week Survival Bags
December 2 - 6 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Smith 118
Stop by the CCAS Office of Graduate Studies between December 2 - 6, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, to pick up your goodie bag filled with energizing snacks to help get you through the end of the semester!
End-of-Year Food Drive for the GW Store
December 2 - 20 | 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Smith 118
Are you interested in supporting food-insecure GW students this winter? The Store, our student-led on-campus food pantry, serves fresh foods, dry goods, and hygiene items to food-insecure GW students. This semester alone, The Store has seen over 3,000 visits and has distributed over 10,000 pounds of food to over 650 unique students in our community. Of the students served, 25% are from CCAS. As the semester draws to a close, the demand for their resources has only increased as students run out of their meal swipes and as services begin to close for winter break. To assist students in these final weeks, The Store is running a food drive in collaboration with the Food Recovery Network on-campus.
The Graduate Student Services team will have a collection box for The Store’s food drive in our office. Please stop by our office in Smith 118 between December 2 - December 20, to drop off your favorite food, grains, legumes, pantry staples, breakfast food, and snacks! Can't make it by our office? There will also be bins located in:
- The University Student Center
- Milken School of Public Health
- The Science and Engineering Hall
- Phillips Hall
You can also support The Store by purchasing directly from their Amazon Wishlist!
Join a Student Conversation to Advance the Strategic Framework
Tuesday, December 10 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm | USC Amphitheater | Registration
Friday, December 13 from 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Virtual (Zoom) | Registration
You are likely aware that GW is in the process of developing a new Strategic Framework that will define the goals and priorities of the university for the next five to ten years. This process offers us the opportunity to drive lasting change for future GW Revolutionaries.
As we undertake this work as a community, the Office of the Provost is seeking your input through student conversations that will help inform the direction of the work and that will identify our unique strengths and areas of untapped opportunity. You can choose whether you would like to participate in-person or virtually, and register using the appropriate link above.
Additionally, the Office of the Provost continues to accept idea briefs that propose new academic offerings, cross-disciplinary initiatives, and other enhancements to the overall student experience. Any questions about the strategic framework process should be directed to [email protected].
University Closure: Winter Break
Monday, December 23, 2024 - Wednesday, January 1, 2025
As a reminder, all GW offices will be closed for Winter Break from Monday, December 23, 2024 through close of business on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. We will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2025 and will be available to answer any questions you may have before the start of Spring 2025 classes. Spring 2025 classes will begin on Monday, January 13, 2025.
Edward Alexander Bouchet Society
Application deadline: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In the spirit of Edward Alexander Bouchet—the first self-identified African American to earn a doctorate from an American university—the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate.
Bouchet Society members form a network of preeminent scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster a supportive environment and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.
All PhD students at the George Washington University who have been advanced to candidacy (i.e., have completed the coursework and general examination required for their degree) are eligible for nomination to the Society. Applicants should currently be enrolled in a Ph.D. program - students in other doctoral programs are not eligible.
Students may nominate themselves for this honor, or they may be nominated by their departments or by a member of the GW faculty.
Nominations and applications are due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 5, 2024. For more information and application instructions, please visit the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honors Society page on our website.
2025 Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
Competition registration deadline: Friday, December 20, 2024
Your thesis takes years to write - can you explain it in three minutes?
We are excited to announce that GW's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA) will host the second annual University-wide Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition on February 20, 2025!
Doctoral students from across GW's doctoral degree-granting schools/programs are invited to compete for cash prizes up to $1,000!
Register for the competition and share your research in 3 minutes! All participants must be current GW doctoral students, in good academic standing, and have advanced to candidacy before February 1, 2025.
Registration is limited and a waitlist will be available. If you would like to participate in this year’s competition, please make sure you register by December 20, 2024. For more information and a link to register for the competition, please visit OGPA’s 3MT page.
Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) - Funding Awards & Resources
In addition to the funding and employment opportunities linked below, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some awards and resources available from OGSAF. Applications for funding awards provided by OGSAF are now open for the 2025-2025 academic year, with deadlines between January 3, 2025 - February 15, 2025.
The focus of these awards varies, so whatever your area of study, you should be able to find an award suited for you. Master’s and Ph.D. students looking for study abroad/ dissertation research funding may want to pay specific attention to the FLAS awards offered by both the Sigur Center and Institute for Middle East Studies. For a full list of awards available, as well as eligibility and application deadlines, please visit the OGSAF Award Competitions page.
We would also like to direct your attention to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs’ (OGPA) 2024-2025 Graduate Student Handbook. This handbook is a collection of university-wide resources that are available to the graduate student population. Over the past 6 months, OGPA has worked hand in hand with the Student Government Association (SGA) on the creation of the 2024-2025 Graduate Student Handbook. With its release we hope that graduate students will have a greater understanding of the resources provided by the university as well as making them more readily accessible.
Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities
The Inter-American Foundation Research Fellowship Program
Application Deadline: December 3, 2024
The Inter-American Foundation (IAF), in conjunction with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), welcomes applicants for its new Research Fellowship Program to advance rigorous field-based research on actionable questions about community-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IAF will award up to ten Fellowships in 2025. Each of the ten fellowships includes a stipend of $20,000 to support an individual researcher working over the course of twelve months in one or more of the countries in the region where the IAF works (see IAF.gov/Where we work), participation in a three-day in-person orientation workshop, and engagement with the network of IAF Fellows.
Applicants must be a citizen of one of the countries in which the IAF works or the United States and must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) fellowship program provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States.
For information on eligibility and the application process, please visit the Fulbright-Hays DDRA website.
George Washington University Presidential Fellowship
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
If you are a current master’s student applying to start a GW PhD program in Fall 2025, you may consider applying for the Presidential Fellowship. The George Washington University Presidential Fellowship offers high-achieving students the opportunity for professional development and graduate study at GW. Founded in 1989, the Presidential Fellowship program requires a two-year commitment and fellows contribute to the advancement of the GW community by serving as ambassadors through their academic, professional, and personal involvement.
More information on eligibility, applications, and deadlines can be found on the Presidential Fellowship website.
NSEP Boren Graduate Fellowships
Application Deadline: January 22, 2025
The National Security Education Program Boren Fellowship is for graduate students interested in acquiring or strengthening skills in languages critical to US National Security, and is intended for those who are willing to make a commitment to federal service. Graduate Fellows are able to choose their own program or select one of four Flagship Programs. In addition to language learning, Graduate Fellows are encouraged to conduct research, take additional academic courses, and/or pursue internships. There is also an opportunity to be funded for domestic language programs. The maximum award offered for graduate students is $30,000.
More information on eligibility, requirements, and deadlines can be found on the Boren Awards website. You can also view a recording of OGPA’s Boren Awards Information Session. If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Boren campus representative, Isabelle Giuttari of OGSAF ([email protected]) or schedule an appointment.
Updated December 2, 2024.
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