Student Newsletter - February 2023

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!

Graduate Student Newsletter Archive

February 2023

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 February newsletter we have the following topics:

Upcoming Events

A Week of Women and Girls in Science

GW is partnering with the Embassies of France, Germany and Italy in Washington and Children’s National Research Institute on a weeklong celebration of Women and Girls in Science leading up to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The embassies will mark this day by promoting equal access for women to science, raising awareness on the topic and looking at equal study and career opportunities in the field of science.

All are invited to join the Women in STEM community and student groups across GW for networking and to engage with high school students and counselors for informative posters, fun activities, and discussions showcasing the vibrant community and the many opportunities and support for Women in STEM at GW. Refreshments will be served. Event information:

Date: February 7

Time: 4-6 p.m.

Location: Science and Engineering Hall, Green Wall B1 Level

Valentine’s Day Cookies, February 14

Celebrate Valentine's Day with the CCAS Graduate Student Services Team on February 14 between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Stop by Smith Hall 118 to grab a free cookie and meet members of the Team!

Spring 2023 Ph.D. ETD Workshop I, February 15

Ph.D. Students completing their dissertation in Spring 2023 or in the near future are strongly encouraged to attend an online Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) workshop. The first workshop of the semester will take place on February 15 from 3-4 p.m. Our Student Services team members will review the submission process, formatting requirements, and briefly discuss upcoming deadlines. This workshop will only cover requirements specific to CCAS Ph.D. students.

Please register in advance to attend this workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Three Minute Thesis Competition, February 22

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition celebrates the existing research conducted by PhD students. Developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. GW's 3MT winner or a runner-up will go on to compete in the Northeastern Association of Graduate School's regional competition in April 2023.

The public is welcome to attend the 2023 GW 3MT competition on Wednesday, February 22, from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm in the Amphitheater in the University Student Center. Please register to attend in advance.

Spring 2023 PhD ETD Copyright Workshop, February 23

When do you need permission to use the work of others or your own previous or future publications in your dissertation? Join us for this informative online workshop hosted by the GW Libraries Scholarly Communications Team and learn about the steps you must take to protect your work. Spring 2023 potential graduates whose dissertations will include previously published works are strongly encouraged to attend this workshop.

Please register in advance to attend this workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Save the Date - 8th Annual Diversity Summit, March 1-3

The George Washington University is pleased to announce the theme of this year’s Diversity Summit: Toward a More Perfect Union: With Liberty, Justice & Civility for All.

This theme calls on us to recognize the diversity of our thoughts, voices, contributions, and ideas that strengthen our community and the world. As we engage in difficult conversations and intense debates, we must be willing to seek the humanity in other people, challenge ourselves to understand another point of view, and empower each other to disrupt and reject all forms of oppression. Our collective ability to make meaningful change is unstoppable.

More information on the Summit is available online.

Completing Your Degree in Spring 2023

If you are completing your graduate certificate, Master's degree or Doctoral degree requirements in Spring 2023, you must apply to graduate for Spring 2023. If you have not already applied, you can do so through GWeb. Instructions can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website. If you wish to participate in commencement/celebration activities in May 2023, then you must apply no later than March 15, 2023. To ensure there are no delays or issues, we strongly recommend that you apply much earlier than the deadline. You may apply for graduation as soon as you are registered.

If you are completing your degree requirements during the summer semester, but wish to participate in commencement/celebration activities in May 2023, then you must wait until Summer registration opens on March 15, register for Summer, and then apply for Summer 2023 graduation no later than April 1, 2023. Do not apply for Spring graduation if you do not intend to complete your degree requirements until the summer semester. Doing so will cause delays with your graduation clearance process.

2023 Commencement Week Celebrations

Mark your calendars for the following CCAS and GW Commencement Week events:

Celebration	Date and Time
Doctoral Hooding	Thursday, May 18 at 5:00 pm
Master’s Celebration	Friday, May 19 at 8:30 am
GW Commencement	Sunday, May 21 at 10:00 am

Commencement 2023 Student Speaker Competition

Members of the graduating Class of 2023 are invited to enter the student speaker competition for a chance to address their classmates and other members of the GW community at the May 21, 2023, university-wide Commencement on the National Mall.

To enter the competition, applicants must submit a biography, proposed speech and video recording of the speech by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26.

Ten applicants’ videos will be judged by GW students in an online public voting round. Up to five finalists will be invited to a final round audition, in person or via Zoom, in front of a committee of judges from the GW community.

2022’s Commencement student speaker was Vishva Bhatt, B.A., who graduated from the Elliott School of International Affairs.

Faculty Speaker and Graduate Mentor Award Nominations

We invite you to nominate a CCAS faculty member to speak at this year’s CCAS Celebration. If you know a faculty member who you believe would be a compelling speaker, you may submit your recommendation. We are also seeking nominations for the CCAS Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring. To recommend a CCAS faculty member who has been particularly helpful and supportive to graduate students, whether in a formal or informal capacity, please use the form for a master’s level mentor or the form for a doctoral level mentor. Nominations for all three honors are due no later than Thursday, February 16, 2023. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

ETD Deadlines

PhD Students:

March 3 - Circulate approved, pre-defense dissertation to examination committee members (See CCAS Ph.D. Defense Procedures)

March 9 - Submit the Dissertation Examination Defense Form

March 24 - Pre-clearance by CCAS - Completed in 2 steps:

DegreeMAP reflects all degree requirements completed except the dissertation and dissertation research courses
Attended an ETD dissertation formatting/publishing workshop

April 3 - Dissertation defense deadline

April 5 - ETD form due and submitted final, approved, post-defense, electronic dissertation to the ProQuest site

April 12 at 5:00 pm - Final, approved dissertation containing all post-defense revisions and required formatting is approved by University ETD administrator

Master’s Students:

April 23 - Submit ETD Access Approval Form to [email protected] and upload final, approved thesis to the ProQuest site

April 28 at 5:00 pm - Submit all requested formatting revisions and receive the approval of the University ETD Administrator

Gelman Library Graduate Student Study Spaces

The Graduate Student Study Room is a quiet study space on the fifth floor of Gelman Library, accessible via a tap of your GWorld card. The Global Resources Center on Gelman's seventh floor is open exclusively to graduate students outside of its staffed hours, also with your GWorld card. Learn more about available study spaces on the Gelman Learning Spaces page.

Career Services & Upcoming Career-Related Events

All CCAS graduate students have access to a dedicated career coach to help with resumes, cover letters, networking, interviewing, and many other areas. (Note: The Trachtenberg School and Data Sciences program have their own dedicated career counselors.) Paul Binkley is available to meet one-on-one by scheduling a time in the online career management system Handshake. More information on the services available to CCAS graduate students can be found on our Career Services website and via email at [email protected].

GW Career Exploration EXPO, February 9 and 10

This year’s GW Career Exploration Expo is being offered virtually and in-person. This event is open only to GW undergraduate and graduate students and will play host to lots of highly sought-after employers. This is an opportunity to meet with employer representatives about internships and employment opportunities.

The EXPO will be held over two days to accommodate virtual and in-person formats. Please note that different employers will participate in each day of the fair. Ensure that you note which employers are participating virtually, in-person, or both.

Thursday, February 9, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. EST - Virtual
Friday, February 10, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. EST - In-Person

Resume Drops
The Center for Career Services utilizes resume drops so that students may submit their resumes directly to employers participating in career fairs. Students may submit their resumes to the resume drops regardless of whether or not they attend the fair. (Note: Resume drops are not jobs; they are simply a way to ensure an employer has your resume for review after a fair.)

For more information on the 2-day fair, lists of participating employers, instructions for the virtual fair, information on resume drops, and preparation tips, visit the fair’s Handshake page.

World Bank Group Virtual Information Session, February 14, 4-5 p.m.

This information session will cover the World Bank’s mission, organization, history, operations, projects, knowledge, partnership, and priorities. The session will also include a discussion with GW alumni from the Elliott School working at the World Bank about how they contribute to the World Bank’s mission of ending poverty and promoting shared prosperity. Come prepared to ask questions and learn more about the largest international financial institution.

For more information on the event and the Zoom link, visit its Handshake information page.

U.S. Department of State Virtual Overview with Diplomat-in-Residence, February 15, 12-1 p.m.

This event is the first in a Spring semester Series, in cooperation with the US State Department’s Diplomat in Residence (DIR), Darion Akins. The George Washington University, collaborating with other university partners, is offering students a series of events to showcase State Department opportunities, roles, and responsibilities. In addition to the diplomatic corps, the Series will highlight information about other State Department positions in the civil service, cybersecurity, administration, and policy and consists of a DIR Overview; a Panel of Professionals; and a Site Visit. The State Department site visit is on a first come, first served basis. GW students can register for one event or all of the events. Events in the series are scheduled monthly from February through April.

More information can be found on the event’s Handshake page. Registration for the event is located online here.

Leadership Connect Training, February 15

Learn from their Client Success Manager how to use this searchable service to identify and connect with alumni and key decision makers across all sectors. GW pays for this tool which is accessible in the resource section of Handshake. For more information on this event and to register, visit the Handshake events page. This event is part of the GW Graduate Student Career Series.

LinkedIn Workshop: Learn About LinkedIn with Joe More, February 16

Join our Virtual Workshop with LinkedIn’s success manager Joe Moore to explore ways you can leverage LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning to continually reach your career goals. Whether you’re looking to land the job, get promoted, or just excel you’ll find tools to keep your professional brand in top shape.

With the topics covered in this session and some dedicated self-development time you can be confident your career trajectory continues pointing to your true north.

Learn how recruiters see your skills inventory and how you can leverage this process to fill experience gaps and grow your career.
Find tips to harness the power of LinkedIn Learning’s AI and Machine learning to stay on top of the skills you are most passionate about.
Make finding inspiration and informational interviews effortless to grow your network.

For more information and to register, please visit the event’s Handshake web page.

Other Upcoming Employer-Sponsored Career Events Listed On Handshake

Below is an abbreviated list of virtual events open to all CCAS graduate students that appear on Handshake. Each of the events listed below are linked to their Handshake information page.

Navigating the Federal Hiring Process: USAJobs, sponsored by CDC	February 7
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum Employer Meet-Up	February 8
Pathways to USAID Panel Discussion	February 8
EY (Ernst & Young) General Information Session & Panel	February 8
Teach for America: Career Advice from Gen Z for Gen Z	February 13
Federal Resume Workshop	February 15
PwC Spring 2023 Internship Info Session	February 15
MossAdams: Introduction to Consulting	February 17
National Security Agency (NSA) College Programs Info Session	February 22

To find information on more events, simply access the Events section of Handshake and search by date, employer, or other filters.

Professional Head Shots Now Available at the Center for Career Services

All students can now get professional-quality headshots with the new professional headshot booth located in the Center for Career Services on the fifth floor of the University Student Center. A professional headshot is a window into your personal brand. It is often your first impression when featured on your social media profile and is a must-have on sites like LinkedIn. A professional headshot allows you to portray the professional version of yourself to prospective employers and can help you to stand out from other job seekers. For more information and to schedule an appointment to take your professional headshot, visit the Career Services Professional Headshot Booth page.

Funding, Fellowships, Internships & Employment Opportunities

Below are a number of great opportunities for funding, professional fellowships, internships, and employment. For information on other opportunities funded by CCAS, GW, and outside organizations that are available throughout the year, please visit the Funding Opportunities for Current Graduate Students website.

CCAS Dean's Graduate Instructorship Applications Now Open for Academic Year 2023-2024, Deadline February 15

The CCAS Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce our annual call for proposals for the Dean’s Graduate Instructorship (DGI).

The DGI program is designed to provide exceptional Ph.D. candidates with an opportunity to design and teach their own undergraduate courses, while obtaining financial support for their dissertation research. For AY23-24, CCAS will ask applicants to draw upon their own research expertise to propose a Dean’s Seminar, a course designed to provide first-year CCAS students with opportunities to engage in lively discussions on topics relevant to the issues of our time. Proposals for these courses must fulfill the criteria for GPAC designation in at least one area.

Recipients of the DGI should expect to teach a Dean’s Seminar in Fall 2023.

Applicants for the DGI must have been advanced to candidacy in their PhD program and must have at least one semester of GA experience in their home departments, leading discussion sections, recitations, and/or laboratories. (A full description of eligibility and application requirements, which include a letter of support from the chair of the department in which the course will be offered, can be found on the CCAS website under the section for the Dean's Graduate Instructorship.)

Recipients of the DGI will receive the standard CCAS graduate assistant salary and stipend as well as required tuition for the semester (up to 9 credits). Receipt of the DGI increases by one the total number of funded semesters that the awardee should expect to receive as a PhD student at GW, either from internal or external sources.

Application Due Date: Wednesday, February 15th, 5 p.m. EST

Please direct any questions to Jeremy Stadelman, Administrative Associate to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, at [email protected].

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Summer Fellowship, Deadline February 15

The U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship Program provides summer fellowships to institutions of higher education. The grant to GWU, written by the Institute for Middle East Studies and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, assists graduate (Master's, PhD), professional students (JD, MPH, DrPH, MBA and MD) and undergraduate students at George Washington University to further language study and area/international studies. The Summer FLAS fellowships are intended to help students gain the equivalent of a year's worth of college-level language study.

More information and a list of target languages can be found on the FLAS website.

Summer 2023 Internship with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Deadline February 15

Applications for the Robert F. Smith Internship Program are now available on the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s website. This paid ($850 per week) internship for Summer 2023 provides guided learning experiences consisting of hands-on training, mentoring, attendance at educational events, and cultivation of contacts for the next generation of researchers, scholars, curators, and other museum, library, preservation, and heritage professionals – individuals who will assume the mantle of identifying, documenting, curating, and digitizing treasured artifacts that reflect African American history and culture.

Applications for 2023 internships are due by 11:59 p.m. February 15, 2023.

CDC Evaluation Fellowships for New Graduates, Deadline February 21

The CDC Evaluation Fellowship Program is now accepting applications for the 2023 class (estimated start date August 14, 2023). The Program Performance and Evaluation Office (PPEO) manages the Fellowship under the leadership of CDC’s Chief Evaluation Officer (Dan Kidder ). Fellows are master’s- or doctoral-level professionals with applied evaluation experience. The Fellowship is intended to be a two-year program, with the second year being contingent on satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Fellows are placed in host programs across the agency working on program evaluation activities. The Evaluation Fellowship offers a unique training opportunity with clear expectations and supportive resources, including professional development funds provided by the host program. In this experiential learning model, Fellows learn evaluation skills working in their host program while helping their host program build, expand, and/or improve their evaluation activities.

Fellows are hired under Title 42 training appointments and receive significant financial support for professional development and CDC employee benefits (e.g., medical insurance, sick and vacation leave). Please visit the CDC Evaluation Fellowship Program website for more information about eligibility, the program, and the application process.

The application deadline is February 21, 2023, 11:59 pm EST.

Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF) for AY 2023-2024, Deadline March 1

CCAS invites eligible PhD candidates to apply for the Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF) for the 2023-2024 academic year. Each DCF includes a stipend equivalent to the normal GA salary and stipend in the recipient’s respective department for one semester as well as an award of required candidacy tuition for the period of the fellowship. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023.

For more information and to submit an application, visit the DCF website.

Graduate Student Fellowships from George Mason University, Deadline March 15

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University has a series of 3 fellowships available for 2023-2024. The deadlines for all three programs is March 15, 2023.

Adam Smith Fellowship: A one-year fellowship program for doctoral students from any university and discipline including economics, philosophy, political science, political economy, or sociology.

Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship: A one-year fellowship program for graduate students from any university and discipline attending master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs in a variety of fields including economics, law, political science, and public policy.

Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship: A one-year program for doctoral students from any university and discipline with training in quantitative methods in a variety of fields including economics, political science, or sociology.

Graduate Student Newsletter Archive