Here I am into the second year of my term as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The holidays are over and it is time for us at SGS to get back to work. This past year has been one of learning the many great graduate programs we have at UMKC. The diversity of the number of Master’s programs from the academic to the professional is unmatched by many contemporary universities. The doctoral programs are unique to this nation. Here we have the Doctor of Musical Arts in the world-renowned Conservatory. We have Ph.D. programs in Nursing, Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Doctor of Education programs in the School of Education. Then there is the nationally unique Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program here at UMKC, where 25 disciplines work with one another to facilitate new knowledge and solve complex problems by bringing in a diversity of viewpoints. As testimony to our legacy, this issue discusses some of our success stories of previous graduates.
In this newsletter, we have the viewpoint of a Ph.D. student in Economics who details what brought him to UMKC. I met Avraham Baranes (his friends call him Avi) at a recent international Economics Conference held here in Kansas City. I remember he was filled with excitement at his decision to come to UMKC for his doctorate. He is a Chicago native, and graduated from Denison University in Ohio. I remember him telling me it was one of his best decisions he ever made. His infectious enthusiasm about graduate life at UMKC makes him our “poster boy” for what we do at UMKC.
Something new we have in this newsletter is an interview with one of our celebrated faculty, Dr. Deep Medhi of the School of Computing and Engineering. What I mean by new is that we have a YouTube video of his views on graduate education. Dr. Medhi has been a champion of the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program and has a number of students who have completed the program to go on to successful careers. Dr. Medhi enjoys watching the growth of students, both undergraduate and graduate. He talks about what it is like to be a faculty member for those who want to pursue such a career.
The School of Graduate Studies is doing something that we normally have not done in the past—-fundraising! Former Dean Ron MacQuarrie has had an endowment established by the School of Graduate Studies for scholarships. The SGS has developed a strategic initiative to build this endowment. As Dean MacQuarrie is an avid runner, we will be engaging in an annual 5K run to raise funds for this fellowship fund to help future graduate students. The first run will take much planning and will occur in April 2014. We have hired a running company to help us with the planning, along with a consultant to help raise the funds for the run. With UMKC students, staff, and faculty engaged in running, this will be the first UMKC run. Our location in Kansas City is sure to bring out more runners. We hope to attract at least 1,000 runners the first year and build that up as we continue this event yearly. These endowments increase in value over time and give us the extra edge in excellence. You will be hearing a lot from us about this event!
After consulting with various graduate faculty groups, in particular the Graduate Council, this year we will be allocating our financial resources to graduate students a bit differently. We will have the traditional fellowship competitions as in previous years, albeit a bit smaller. We will continue with the new travel program for graduate students who are presenting papers or posters at regional or annual meetings. However, beginning next year, we will be initiating a graduate student fellowship enhancement program. This is how it will work. A department will nominate an outstanding student who, if selected by the SGS, will receive an extra $3500 on top of the usual stipend if a Ph.D. student, and an extra $2000 stipend if a MS student. Over a three-year period, we plan to have more than 150 of these supplemental stipends available to graduate students throughout the community. This means that we will be phasing out the fellowship program. The philosophy is to give a wider distribution of funds to more deserving students as opposed to awarding previous funds to a limited number of students.
As we have done in the past, this newsletter gives you an update on deadlines, opportunities, and workshops that may be important for you to know. I want to let you know that the School of Graduate Studies is here to help you out. Do not hesitate to contact us with issues. I hope that this semester is all that you hope it can be—aim high!
Denis M. Medeiros, PhD, RD
Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs