The month is here. Are you ready?

The Center for Graduate Studies would

like to congratulate all members of the

Class of 2015.

We invite all SUNY Potsdam faculty,

staff & students to the commencement

ceremony.

The date for commencement :

May 16th—Master’s Ceremony

May 17th—Bachelor's Ceremony

Commencement will be streamed live

this year!

For more information go to: http://

www.potsdam.edu/current/

commencement/

“There is a good reason they call these

ceremonies commencement exercises.

Graduation is not the end; it’s the

beginning!”

Remember the challenges you faced, learning how to get over those challenges, the satisfaction that it comes with, and the people you’ve met along the way. Always keep what you learned with you as you embark on new challenges the world has to offer you. Take advantage of your talents and what you’ve learned, but don’t forget to ask for help when you need it.

As you finish this chapter and get ready to embark on a new one know that we are still here to help you. We will continue to support you from afar and as you prepare to leave we hope you stay in touch.

Here is a link to our alumni survey where you can update your contact information and stay connected.

http://www.potsdam.edu/current/GradStudies/alumni/survey.cfm

Share with us what you’ve been up to since graduation, and let us know the ways you are interested in getting involved.

We’ll talk to you soon. We are extremely proud of you and are honored to welcome you to part of our Potsdam alumni community. Your accomplishments are a great source of pride for our school!

Best,

Center for Graduate Studies Team

Inside This Issue

Upcoming Events P.2 Graduate Awards P.3

Happy Mother’s Day P.5 Graduate Information P.6

Commencement

Graduate Studies Connections A Newsletter from the Center for Graduate Studies

May 2015 | Spring 2015

Congratulations Class of 2015!

Calendar of Events/Important Dates

Academic Calendar or Deadlines

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

May 2015

All professional development details

and registration info, including time

and location, in greater

detail on our website at:

www.potsdam.edu/graduate

May 8th: Last Day of Classes

May 9th-10th: Academic Preparation

May 11th-15th: Final Examinations

May 16th: Undergraduate Honors Con-

vocation

May 16th: SUNY Potsdam Master's Com-

mencement

May 17th: SUNY Potsdam Bachelor’s

Commencement

May 20th: Final Grades Due

May 21st-June 25th: Summer Session 1

May 21st-June 8th: Summer Session 1A

June 10th-June 25th: Summer Session 1B

July 6th-August 7th: Summer Session 2

July 6th-July 21st: Summer Session 2A

July 23rd-Auhust 7th: Summer Session

2B

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30

June 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

July 2015

Final Examinations

The Excellence in Academic Scholarship is designed to recognize outstanding student pursuit in academics and/or research. Nominees should have noteworthy evidence of scholarly contribution to their program and respective field.

The Meritorious Graduate Student recognizes those who have shown leadership and/or engagement within the graduate community through either academic or non-academic activities. Nominees should have noteworthy participation and contribution to the improvement of the graduate student experience.

The Excellence in Academic Scholarship was awarded to Nathaniel Turcotte.

The Meritorious Graduate Student was awarded to two students, Andrea Gauthier and Stephanie LaShomb.

Graduate Awards

Nate hit the ground running so to speak in the Educational Techology Program, completing his first research project: “Unified Calendar: SGA Sponsored Club Scheduling at SUNY Potsdam.” He has since completed the development of the game Teaching Bad Apples (a 15 month process, which included a presentation at the annual AECT International Convention in November, 2014). Recently he submitted an article to TechTrends for their special issue on K-12 Education describing the development of the game. He recently accepted a full funded Graduate Assistant position in the PhD program at Penn State University, where he will be working with Professor Josh Kirby to develop their undergraduate teacher education program. Congratulations to Nate!

Andrea represented Potsdam at numerous professional associations conferences, was a very active student ambassador, and tirelessly offered to drive throughout Ontario to meet with prospective students and share her experiences. Finally, Andrea wrote and published an article/blog for Education USA, Canada, which highlights her experiences and our graduate programs throughout the entire country. She was admired and respected by her peers. One student writes, “I would consider Andrea to be the informal leader of the group, and her attitude made all of our classes more enjoyable. Her intelligence, sense of humor, work ethic and positive attitude all contributes to her standing out from the crowd.” Congratulations to Andrea!

Stephanie has been described as incredibly altruistic, supporting others while maintaining her own standards of excellence. Stephanie was notable as an adult learner during her undergraduate time at Potsdam spearheading events, coordinating students for mentorship, and more. This continued on into her graduate program. One student describes Stephanie as someone who always will go the extra mile to support her peers despite anything going on. Stephanie assisted with the organization and supervision of a summer Literacy camp (in the Literacy Center), and volunteered to assist in organizing graduate student orientation and activities with her fellow graduate students. Stephanie is currently teaching 1st grade, and many of her peers and supervisors have provided additional evidence as to her leadership, dedication, and forward looking disposition. Congratulations Stephanie!

Graduate Awards

The Center for Graduate Studies would like to wish all mothers of our graduate community a Happy Mother’s Day. Hooray for the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, stepmothers, mother’s-in-law, aunts, wives, partners, sisters, friends, fellow moms, mentors and women who love with a mother’s heart. Where will the world be without you? Thank you for all you’ve done and everything you continue to do.

To the students who balance their graduate schoolwork with their parental duties, Thank You! Motherhood is tough 24-hour job, no pay, no day off, sometimes it is unappreciated, but yet resignation is impossible. Yet you continue to prove that nothing is impossible by balancing out both duties.

To Annie Butterfield and Annette Kelley, two mothers/members of the Center for Graduate Studies Team, Thank You! Continue to bring love, joy, happiness and care into this world. Your work here never goes unappreciated!

To all the rest of mothers in the world, continue being the role models in our lives!

Happy Mothers Day!

As we say goodbye to our graduating class as well as welcome in our new class we want to provide information to help you in your future success.

10 Things Every Graduate Student Should Do This Summer

Graduate school is a challenging experience but at the same time, can be one of the most rewarding accomplishments of your life. You’re continuing your path in higher education by earning an advanced degree–an accomplishment that less than 12% of the U.S. population achieves. Here are some tips for those starting or continuing their graduate career.

1. Get to know the faculty 2. Catch up on current events

3. Join a professional organization or association 4. Subscribe to industry publications and newsletters

5. Work on your resume/CV and set up a LinkedIn page 6. Polish your professional side

7. Network with your cohort 8. Get organized for next semester

9. Scout out your favorite study spot 10. Relax and enjoy the summertime

The 10 Skills Employers Most Want In 2015 Graduates

No matter what you have studied in school, the trick is to demonstrate that you have those skills through your cover letter, résumé and interview. Think about class projects where you have been a team member or leader and jobs where you have had to plan and prioritize. Describe those skills specifically in your résumé and cover letter and in your job interview.

1. Ability to work in a team structure 2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems (tie)

3. Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization 4. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work 5. Ability to obtain and process information

6. Ability to analyze quantitative data 7. Technical knowledge related to the job

8. Proficiency with computer software programs 9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports

10. Ability to sell and influence others

Graduate Information

On behalf of the Center for Graduate Studies we would like to remember the people

who died while serving in our country's armed forces. The debt owed to them is

immeasurable. Their sacrifices and those of their military families are our freedom’s

foundation.

We would like to thank those who have given their lives to protect our way of life.

As we go about our activities, we take the opportunity to not only remember the

sacrifices of our fallen and mourn their departure, but we celebrate the spirit with

which they served and reflect upon their contributions to our country.

We would like to thank everyone in our graduate

community who participated in our survey for Graduate

Studies 360. It was our way to help us help you! This

program is designed to better assist Potsdam in

continually improving the Graduate Student experience.

Congratulations to Natalie on successfully completing

the survey and winning the iPad mini!

Congratulations Natalie!

Satterlee Hall Suite 238

44 Pierrepont Ave.

Potsdam, NY 13676

315.267.2165 (ph)

315.267.4802 (fax)

graduate@potsdam.edu (em)

CENTER FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

CGSPotsdam

@sunypotsdamgrad

CGSPotsdam

Center for Graduate Studies @ SUNY Potsdam

Office Hours

Monday—Thursday: 8:00AM—5:00PM

Friday: 8:00AM—4:30PM

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