graduate school 2013 announcement for advanced fellowships

7/29/2019 Graduate School 2013 Announcement for Advanced Fellowships

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University of Southern California3601 Watt Way, GFS-315, Los Angeles, California 90089-1695

Tel: 213 740-0933

To: Deans, Vice and Associate Deans who oversee PhD programs, Faculty Chairs, Directorsof Graduate Studies and Graduate Advisors

From: Sally Pratt, Vice Provost for Graduate ProgramsMeredith Drake Reitan, Assistant Dean, Fellowships

Date: February 5, 2013

Subject: 2013-2014 Graduate School Fellowship Process for Advanced PhD Students (Endowed,Research Enhancement and Dissertation Completion)

This memo repeats information shared in an earlier memo regarding graduate school fellowships for the

coming academic year. We are delighted to announce the availability of a number of fellowships foradvanced PhD students.

Graduate school fellowships for advanced PhD students include Endowed PhD Fellowships, ResearchEnhancement Fellowships, and Dissertation Completion Fellowships. The goal of these fellowships is toincrease the amount of support that students have for their work toward the PhD, especially in fieldswhere research assistantships are generally unavailable and teaching is the primary means of support.The annual stipend for advanced PhD fellowships has been raised to $30,000 to match the level of othergraduate school fellows. There will also be somewhat more funding available than there has been in thepast. Fellows in these categories may also be eligible for travel grants for conferences and research. Thebase travel grant is $500. If the fellows program matches this amount with $500, the Graduate Schoolwill contribute another $500, for a total of $1,500 available to the student.

Each PhD program may nominate up to three candidates for each category (endowed, dissertationcompletion and research enhancement) for a total of nine nominees per program. The fellowshipsfor advanced PhD students include a stipend, tuition, health and dental insurance and universitymandatory fees.

The allocation of advanced fellowships will depend on the quality of the applicant, the programsranking of its candidates and the amount of available graduate school funding. The advanced fellowshipevaluation task forces will not change the rankings provided by the program.

1. Endowed PhD Fellowships are for students who are making good progress to the degree in termsof both quality of work and timing, and who can provide a compelling statement about theircurrent or planned research. Rather than nominating students for specific endowedfellowshipsas in the past, programs will submit a ranked list of applicants, checking off the fellowships forwhich they believe the student is eligible.


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2. Dissertation Completion Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis, with emphasis infields where research assistantships are not generally available. The Dissertation CompletionFellowship is intended to facilitate the final completion and submission of dissertations.Recipients of the Dissertation Completion Fellowship will therefore not be eligible for furtherfunding as a graduate student at USC upon completion of this fellowship.

3. Research Enhancement Fellowships are new this year and are one of the provosts initiatives tosupport graduate education. These fellowships are designed to provide additional opportunitiesfor outstanding PhD students in any field whose research requires work in particularly complexor distant settings, expertise in languages classified by the federal government as lesscommonly taught, or other unusual expenses for activities that are essential for the studentsresearch. Selection will be based on the quality and research potential of the graduate studentand the likelihood that the additional resources will have a notable effect on the academic careerof the student. The fellowship provides one year of fellowship at the graduate school fellowshiprate and up to $5,000 in research, travel, or training funds. Candidates must be doing highquality work, making timely progress to their degree, have completed at least two years in theirUSC PhD program, and must be able to make a compelling statement about their current orplanned research and why the planned extra work is essential to the research.

The application for a Graduate School Fellowship for Advanced PhD Students includes the following.

A. Information provided by the student to the PhD programs designated fellowshipnominator:

1. For Endowed and Dissertation Completion Fellowships: a description of thestudents dissertation, which should demonstrate the projects contribution to thefield and its grounding in relevant scholarship and methodology. The proposalshould make a compelling statement about the planned work and be accessible toscholars in a broad range of fields. The research area/dissertation descriptionsubmitted by the candidate to the PhD program should be in 12-point Times New

Roman, single spaced, with 1 margins, numbered pages, and a header on everypage that includes the students name and title of the dissertation (500-1,000 words).

2. For Research Enhancement Fellowships: a description of the planned area ofresearch, probable or existing dissertation topic, and a specific statement as to thenature of the additional research, travel, or training and why it is essential for thestudents research program. The statement should be in 12-point Times NewRoman, single spaced, with 1 margins, numbered pages, and a header on everypage that includes the students name and title of the dissertation (750-1,250 words).

3. Plans for degree completion, including dates of screening, qualifying exams andanticipated dissertation defense (100-500 words).

4. USC official or unofficial transcript or STARs report (scanned documents areacceptable).

5. Signature page signed by the student, students dissertation advisor, departmentchair and Dean or Deans proxy affirming that the student is making satisfactoryprogress to the degree. Candidates for the dissertation completion fellowship will beasked to acknowledge that they are making satisfactory progress to the degree and


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that they understand that they will no longer be eligible for funding as a graduatestudent at USC upon completion of the Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

A. Information provided by the students home program and uploaded as PDF documents bythe PhD programs designated nominator:

1. The rank order of all candidates submitted for each specific type of fellowship,whether Endowed, Research Enhancement, or Dissertation Completion.

2. One letter of recommendation for each candidate provided by the students homeprogram and uploaded as a PDF document by the PhD programs designatednominator.

3. A year-by-year list of support received by the student since matriculation in theprogram, including teaching assistantships, fellowships, summer funding, fundingfor research and travel to conferences, and any other funding to enhance thestudents professional development. Please note: We expect departments to haveinvested in the students they put forward for these fellowships. Only excellentstudents will be funded.

The online nomination site for endowed, research enhancement and dissertation completion fellowshipswill open on Monday, February 25, 2013 and will close on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 12:00 noon.

If you have questions, feel free to contact Meredith Drake Reitan at [email protected]. We lookforward to working with you to support a truly outstanding cohort of PhD students.

graduate school 2013 announcement for advanced fellowships

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