Graduate School

Letter from the Dean

Dear Students,

We in the Office of Graduate Studies hope that you are having a great summer and that you will find the upcoming school year rewarding and productive. Whether you will be returning to campus in the Fall, or have been working on campus during the Summer, let us know if you have questions about the upcoming year.

Over the course of the past year, we have streamlined our form submission process. Hopefully this new process will serve you better. I have also worked with Graduate Council to construct an articulation of the appropriate roles and responsibilities of faculty serving on thesis committees and of students completing research-based degree programs. Below is a brief summary of the new form submission process, Thesis Committee/Student Roles and Responsibilites, and a reminder of some of the important things you should remember. If you have questions, please do not hesitate contacting the Graduate Office for clarification.

Revised Graduate Forms - Most of the forms you need to submit to the Office of Graduate Studies are now available on-line as xls spreadsheets. To initiate submission of an electronic form, you should first download the required xls spreadsheet and complete. Upon completion, this sheet should be printed out and signatures obtained as required. Normally, you should submit to your advisor first for his/her approval; end with the department/division approval. Once you have received all of the necessary approvals, you may submit your signed form to the Office of Graduate Studies. In the upcoming year, we will investigate moving this process to a purely electronic one in which you will be able to obtain electronic signatures and submited your signed copy electronically. Stay tuned...

Roles and Responsibilities of Committee Members and Students - The Office of Graduate Studies regularly fields questions from faculty and students regarding the appropriate roles and the institutional expectations of students, Thesis Advisors and the various Thesis Committee members in directing, completing and monitor thesis-based graduate programs. While many of us assume that these roles are obvious and should be known to all parties, experience has shown that this may not always be the case. And, when there is confusion about roles and expectations, this can lead to persistent problems that become increasingly difficult to resolve as a student progresses through their degree program. Please review the Roles and Responsibilities document.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training - All students on RA/TA contracts must complete Sexual Harassment Prevention Training. If you have not done
this in the past at Mines, Human Resources will be offering two training sessions: Monday, August 24 at 8:30 am, Tuesday, August 25 at 2 pm, Wednesday, September 2 at 2 pm and Friday, September 4 at 10 am. Please register for the training on the Human Sources Web site (http://www.is.mines.edu/training/). If you have difficulty registering, please contact Mari Gardner - mari.gardner@is.mines.edu.

Faculty Oath Requirement - Colorado Revised Statute 22-61-104 requires all US residents and US naturalized citizens employed by the School who have
teaching responsibilities to sign, and have notarized a Faculty Oath. This requirement extends to all US resident and US naturalized graduate students who are employed by the School as Research and Teaching assistants. A copy of the required Oath may be found at

http://www.is.mines.edu/hr/Forms/FacultyOath.pdf.

This requirement, and the exact wording of the Oath are part of Colorado State law - Mines has no flexibility over the enforcement of this requirement or the
wording of the Oath.

All students on RA/TA contracts must sign the Oath before starting their contracts. At the end of the student orientation session on August 24, 2009, you will have the opportunity to sign a copy of the Oath and have it notarized by Mines staff.

Graduate Student Association - Lastly, I want to encourage all of you to become involved in the Graduate Student Association (GSA). Founded in 1991,
the GSA exists to serve the interests of Mines graduate students. The GSA addresses issues of concern to graduate students at Mines, and organizes
various social and academic functions. All registered graduate students are automatically members of the GSA and are welcome to attend all events and
meetings. The Association meets every other Monday afternoon in the Coolbaugh House. The current officers of the GSA are as follows.

President - Dan Baker - dsbaker@mines.edu

GSA Family Assistance Grant - In the 2005-2006 academic year, the GSA created the GSA Family Assistance Grant, in order to help graduate students defray the costs of child care or health insurance. The amount of the award is $100 per month for 10 months, payable through the student's school account in two sums of $500 per semester. More information on the program and application materials may be found at

http://organizations.mines.edu/gsa/childcare.html

Please feel free to contact Dan for more information on the Association, or if you have concerns/ideas you would like to bring to the attention of the
Association.

Good luck...
Tom

Important Events and Deadlines

August 24
Graduate School Orientation

August 25
Classes Begin

August 28
Last day to register for classes without a $100 late fee (Continuing Students only)

September 3
Last day to register for classes

September 9
Last day for students registered Summer to checkout of program without Fall registration

September 22
Graduation Application (Approved Admission to Candidacy must be on file prior to submission of Graduation Application)

October 22 & 23
Graduation Salute

November 16
Final Thesis Format Approval

November 20
Checkout & Work Completion Form

December 9
Graduation Practice

December 18
Fall Commencement