Graduate Advisor Newsletter - January 2024

Snow on flowers outside Tomlinson Hall, Main Quad, November 2021

Welcome to this month's edition of the School of Graduate Studies newsletter to faculty advisors! Below you will find information on upcoming deadlines, academic policies, news, and more. Past newsletters will be archived on our website for you to review any time you wish.

Important Upcoming Dates

Please make sure you and your students are aware of important dates and deadlines. Some may require your review, approval, and signature.

  • Jan 19: Awarding of Fall 2023 Degrees
  • Jan 26: Drop/Add Ends
  • Jan 26: Waiver of Registration Deadline
  • Jan 26: Health Care / One-to-One Waivers Due
  • Jan 26: Withdraw Without Financial Penalty Deadline
  • Feb 9: Apply for Spring Graduation Deadline
  • Feb 16: Three Minute Thesis Competition

Academic Policy Briefs

Waiver of Registration

Students who were registered for at least one credit hour during the fall semester may be eligible to waive registration for the spring semester, if they submit all final materials, including the Waiver of Registration form, to gradstudies@case.edu by Friday, January 26. Your student must also apply to graduate in SIS. The Waiver of Registration form does not require your signature as advisor but international students must also have it signed by International Student Services (ISS).

Applying for May Graduation

If your student has completed or will complete all graduation requirements this semester they will need to apply in SIS for May graduation by Friday, February 9. If they applied to graduate in fall 2023 but did not complete all requirements they must apply again this semester. All graduation materials (for students not qualifying for the Waiver of Registration) must be submitted to gradstudies@case.edu by April 5.

UNIV 402C Presentation Skills

Students who wish to increase their English fluency and presentation skills are encouraged to enroll in the free, zero-credit UNIV 402C. The deadline to register is Monday, January 29 (the day before the first class session). For more information, please email Eric Moore, Director of Spoken English Language Programs in the School of Graduate Studies.

Useful Information

Student Medical & Fitness Plan Waivers

If students intend to waive the Student Medical Plan or waive the One-to-One Fitness plan, they must submit the requests by Friday, January 26. Students must have comparable health insurance to waive the medical plan. If the student waived the medical plan in the fall they automatically waive it again in the spring. However, all students are enrolled in the fitness plan each semester and must again submit a waiver.

NameCoach Pronunciation

Beginning this spring, CWRU has partnered with NameCoach. Students can record their name pronunciation so faculty and staff can listen and learn to use the correct pronunciation during interactions. See instructions on how students can record their name and how you can listen to the recordings in Canvas and SIS. Please email sisbateam@case.edu if you have any questions.

Graduate Award Nominations Soon!

The School of Graduate Studies will be opening nominations soon for our 2024 awards so we encourage faculty and departments to start thinking about which of your outstanding students to submit this year! Look for that email soon as well as a request for your department to notify Grad Studies of awards you are giving that you wish to include in our ceremony on Wednesday, May 1.

University Resources

Please be aware of University Resources you can share with your students as needed. We will highlight a few each month.