Graduate School Gazette

Vol. 1

October 2024

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL GAZETTE Graduate School News & Updates

A WORD FROM OUR DEAN Dr. Adam Beach

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IT’S AN EXCITING TIME TO BE A GRADUATE STUDENT AT BALL STATE We continue to execute our strategy of offering a suite of strong on-campus graduate programs that focus on research and professional training along with a vibrant portfolio of online degrees for working professionals who want to attend graduate school part-time. This Fall, we enrolled 5,920 graduate students, the largest graduate enrollment in Ball State’s history. Our graduate enrollment has grown 28% over the past decade, far outpacing the modest 4.5 percent increase in national graduate enrollment over that same time period.

On top of these wonderful enrollment numbers, I’m especially excited to be leading the Graduate School because we have a great team that is also developing and improving our programs, which all support our students on their journey to completion. These programs include our GOLD program, our research and travel grants, our Three Minute Thesis competition, our just launched summer completion fellowship program, and our longstanding Pathways Mentoring Program.

We hope you will also be excited as you read through this newsletter and see all of the great work that is taking place in our graduate education community. We have a strong community at Ball State focused on graduate education, including many of our alumni who continue to be involved with and support their graduate programs. We are so proud of all of our graduates, and we hope to hear from you in the coming years as we continue to explore opportunities to support our students and strengthen graduate education at Ball State.

3MT: THREE MINUTE THESIS WINNERS

In the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, graduate students convey the essence and importance of their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation research in an engaging way to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes using one static PowerPoint slide. Learn more about the 3MT Competition and watch the winning student presentation on the Graduate School’s website.

First Place: Grace Brenner, English Second Place: Dylan Seiler, Biology Third Place: Runlan Liu, English People’s Choice: Grace Brenner

CAPSTONE SUMMER COMPLETION FELLOWSHIP WINNERS Thanks to the generous contributions of several benefactors, the Ball State Graduate School announced the beginning of a new fellowship program to support students entering the last year of their program and who are finishing their thesis, dissertation, or six-hour creative project. Starting Summer 2024, the Graduate School awarded six competitive fellowships; $5,000 for doctoral and $3,000 for master’s students.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

BY THE NUMBERS Degrees Conferred 1094 Total Summer 2024 Degrees Conferred 1189 Total Spring 2024

904

Total Degrees Conferred Fall 2023

Assistantships 727 Graduate Fall 2024

The goal of the Capstone Completion Summer Fellowship program is to provide funds to support students’ research and writing endeavors during the summer before their last year of graduate study. We are currently fundraising to further support this program. Learn how to give today!

Our Graduate Education Committee graduate faculty reviewers, Drs. Manoj Athavale, Kathy Denker, Regina Giraldo-Garcia (chair), Shireen Kanakri, Amy Gregg, Dorice Hankemeier, and Ryan Hourigan selected the following student fellowship awardees.

Smrita Acharya, PhD, Environmental Science Sara Bender, PhD, Educational Studies Zahra Deghan, MS, Biology Charlotte Mohn, MS, Sport & Exercise Psychology Sophia Owutey, MS, Biology Robyn Spoon, PhD, Educational Psychology Find out more about these great winners by reading their stories on the Graduate School’s blog.

SOUTHERN REGIONAL EDUCATION BOARD DOCTORAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM For the third year in a row, the Graduate School awarded two doctoral students with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Program award. The Doctoral Scholars Program provides doctoral students from underrepresented backgrounds multiple layers of support. Each fall, more than a thousand scholars and young faculty members convene to learn and support one another at the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. Read about last years’ awardees below: Bianca Hicks, Ed.D. in Higher Education Doctoral Candidate Dissertation Title: Leadership Experiences of Black Women in Higher Education Administration “There were so many amazing takeaways and moments from my experience at the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. I was able to network with Doctoral Scholars across the country, and gain insight and inspiration from those further along in their doctoral journey, as well as those who have recently completed their journey. A major theme for me in a takeaway was Legacy.

There is so much opportunity to build not only a future for my family, but to leave a legacy of empowerment and belief in future students of color who look like me. Learning from my new colleagues better prepared and energized me for the next steps of my program completion. I have a new and fresh perspective of what's possible for my future as a soon-to-be Doctor of Education.”

Qunishia Carter, Ph.D. in Educational Psychology Doctoral Candidate Current Research: Exploring how Black women cope and re(define) their identities at predominantly white institutions “My dissertation research was built on the premise of the importance of establishing spaces where positive socialization can flourish for marginalized students. The Institute on Teaching and Mentoring was just that–– it was a place where myself and other students who identify as coming from marginalized backgrounds were able to collaborate and find support and a sense of community. There was so much knowledge and guidance shared during the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring I will forever be honored that I was able to attend.”

NEW DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE STUDENT SUCCESS In June, the Graduate School welcomed Emily Karas as the Director of Graduate Student Success. She leads the Graduate School’s professional development and retention efforts. Emily coordinates three graduate student success programs: the Pathways Mentoring Program, the Graduate Opportunity and Leadership Development Program (GOLD), and the Graduate Student Wellness Initiative (GSWI). Emily brings nearly 10 years of higher education experience and works with campus partners to develop and facilitate engaging programming designed to support graduate students’ well-being, academic success, and professional development.