Nominee's Platform - President

Patrick J. Thompson

Colleagues:

Since last fall, the extraordinarily intelligent and diverse group of people pursuing their graduate studies at UM has awed me.  Indeed, I have noticed that one of the greatest resources at UM are the people whom I am proud to call my colleagues. 

Over the course of the past year, both President Hernandez and Vice President Mufuka have done a wonderful job planning very successful INS-GSA events (fall and spring networking events, mock conference panels, and etc.).  Continuing the successful community building activities initiated by the current administration, I propose two additional opportunities for students to learn and get to know one another.  These include the following:

·      Meet & Greet Welcoming Committee:  One of the toughest parts of getting off to a good start at UM is adjusting to the unique environment of the Miami Metro area.  I propose to inaugurate a committee to help incoming students acclimate to Miami.  This initiative would be inaugurated with a brief gathering the week prior to the beginning of the semester.

·      Journal Club: Beginning the second week of classes, I propose we establish a one hour, weekly event, in which a student volunteer can present for their fellow students a current journal article.  Journal Club will furnish students with an opportunity to work on their presentation skills, as well as serving to foster discussion about current research topics.

I would like to close by thanking you in advance for your consideration of my candidacy. If elected, I promise I will endeavor to the best of my ability to be a good steward of our graduate community.

Regards,

Patrick J. Thompson, MPA, MS

Nominees' Platforms - PhD Senators

Menaka Mahajan

I have served as an INS Senator in the University of Miami’s Graduate Student Association since Spring 2010. Recognized by the E-Board as one of the most active and committed Senators, I have voted on issues directly impacting the graduate student body, including the use of activity fees, student socials, and constitutional amendments. I have also introduced new initiatives in the GSA, one of which was recently approved. During the Spring 2011 semester, I conducted a survey of INS students and presented the priorities you identified to the GSA Executive Board. In my presentation, I proposed that these priorities form the basis of the GSA’s future agenda. We subsequently initiated discussions with Administration regarding a dedicated graduate student lounge and an increase in UPrint funds for students with greater need. The petition language I drafted for both issues formed the basis of two GSA resolutions. The resolution for the graduate student lounge was approved; discussions are still in progress for the UPrint increase. I intend to continue these efforts as an active member of the GSA, diligently representing INS in the University of Miami Community. Thank you in advance for your consideration of my candidacy for PhD Senator.

Hanna Samir Kassab

Dear friends and colleagues:

It has been a wonderful first year. Meeting so many interesting people and professors has been a great pleasure and I would like to give back to my department. It would be a great honor to represent my fellow students as the GSA’s Ph.D. Senator for the INS department.

My primary goal is to keep students informed of GSA politics. If elected, I will dedicate myself to accountability and transparency: I vow to involve students in the decision making process, keeping them up-to-date on all issues through departmental meetings and online communication. I will make myself open and available to all. I will vote for us and will fight for our demands.

The GSA must continue organizing social events. More importantly, I would like to promote inter-departmental group study sessions. Learning from fellow students has helped me in my own development.

Those of you know me may know me as an honest, hardworking, organized, diplomatic and friendly individual. I work best with people and I enjoy going that extra mile to get the job done. Student politics can be quite ugly. My past experience has taught me how to deal with difficult situations. Such a position is tailor-made to my specific talents.

Thank you for reading this short platform; it is an honor just to be nominated for such a worthy position. I appreciate everyone who supported me in this run and I know the right decision will be made.

Yours truly:

Hanna Samir Kassab


MA Senator Candidate: Dina Mouliouk

Elections -update-

Hello everyone, We're still in the process of gathering nominations and platforms. Please continue to nominate your peers. Elections will be held Monday, May 2nd. Please leave any comments and suggestions below.

IPE Summer School: New Constitutionalism and World Order

York University is now accepting outside applications for a graduate course entitled ‘New Constitutionalism and Global Political Economy.’ The 2011 International Political Economy and Ecology Summer School will take from May 16-28 and will be directed by Distinguished Research Professor Stephen Gill, Political Science and Communications and Culture, York University. Hosted by Departments of Political Science and Geography, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and by the Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, this year’s International Political Economy and Ecology Summer School is integrated with a One-day Conference and a three-day Research Workshop, that form sessions of the course. Students are required to attend both.

These are:

1.  A one-day public event on 25 May 2011: The Future of Global Governance. 

Details & registration at www.yorku.ca/lefutur

Or call Lia Novario: 416-736-2100 extension 33782.

2.  An SSHRC-funded international research workshop: New Constitutionalism and World Order. This will be held 26-28 May 2011. IPEESS students will sit in on the workshop proceedings.

For details see: www.yorku.ca/nc2011/

The 2011 IPEESS will be held from May 16-28, Verney Room, Department of Political Science, 6th. Floor South Ross Building, York University, Toronto.

Apply for an Environmental Travel Award

The Citizens Board has funded an Environmental Travel Award competition for 2011-2012. Winning students will be awarded $750 for travel related to environmental research or conferences. Information about the grant guidelines and a flyer can be found on the Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy website at http://www.cesp.miami.edu/ under the first News item. The deadline for a 300-word proposal is Wednesday, May 6, at 5 pm. 


For additional information, please contact Gina Maranto, (305) 284-3090, g.maranto@miami.edu or Shannon Gibson, (305) 284-8259. 

"Life's a Beach:" Earth Day Beach Cleanup

This Earth Day, don’t forget: "Life's a Beach!" On Saturday, April 23, the "Life's a Beach" Earth Day event will clean up the South Pointe Park jetty. The cleanup will begin at 3pm and end at 5:30 pm. All cleanup materials will be provided and the event will include giveaways and opportunities to sign up for SCUBA certification courses. The event is open to the public.

Summer Employment Opportunity at Calling 'Canes!

Instead of searching the classifieds to find that perfect job, why not do something that can help make a difference at the University of Miami, while having fun and getting paid in the process? 

Working at Calling ’Canes offers a unique opportunity to current students, allowing them to network with alumni and friends of the University. 

We offer nightly hours between Monday and Thursday from 5:45-9pm and Sunday from 1:45-9pm. And with flexible scheduling, you choose the two (or more) nights that work best for you. In addition, you will improve your communication skills, make friends, and enhance your resume. 

Apply today to begin your hands-on telemarketing training and begin making $9/hour. Apply online:www.miami.edu/callingcanes   

Tuesdays with Toppel

Tues April 26 at 5:30pm at the Rat

Please join us for Tuesdays with Toppel, our monthly University of Miami alumni and employer networking event* on Tuesday, April 26 beginning at 5:30pm at the Rathskeller located in the center of the Coral Gables campus.


Employers such as Prudential, Motorola, Citrix, The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce and Homestead Motor Speedway have found great talent by attending previous Tuesdays with Toppel!

   

Whether searching for a position, searching for business opportunities or simply to network you will meet with University of Miami alumni and local employers while enjoying a great evening.  

The cost for the event is $10 and each person will be provided one complimentary beverage and appetizers. Please RSVP by logging into your CaneZone account by Monday, April 25 by 5 PM.

If you should have any questions regarding Tuesdays with Toppel, please contact Edward Cruz, Assistant Director, Alumni Programs at ecruz2@miami.edu. 

Election Season!

Hello everyone,

(Early) congratulations on a successful semester!
We hope that the INS GSA has been able to support you in your endeavors.
Our term comes to an end this summer and we hope that you will consider nominating your peers for positions on the executive board 2011-2012.

The elections process will proceed as follows:
1) Please send nominations for the above positions to ins.grads@gmail.com

• We will accept nominations until Monday, April 25th at noon.
• We will notify nominees to verify their acceptance.

2) On Tuesday, April 26th, we will ask the nominated candidates to submit their platform (no more than 250 words) to be posted on the INS blog.

• This can include proposals for events, workshops and the vision you have for the department.

3) The election will be held on Friday, April 29th.

• Prof. Kanet, our faculty advisor, will be validating this process.

4) Results will be posted on Monday, May 2nd on the INS blog.

Notes:

• If no candidate receives an outright majority, a run-off election of the top two candidates will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd.  
• You can self-nominate.

Here are the constitutions’ guidelines on eligibility:
Any active member of the INS-GSA (i.e., any graduate student that is currently enrolled for the fall semester) is eligible to run for all:
i. Positions for officers.
ii. Executive board members may be eligible for reelection for one more term only.
iii. Impeached executive board members shall never be eligible to run for an Executive Board position again
iv. Individuals may not run as part of a ticket

The positions available are:
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Webmaster
Senator (MA student)
Senator (PhD student)

Break a leg!

See What a Thesis/Dissertation Defense is All About!

Are you an aspiring doctoral student?

Sit in on a dissertation defense—it’s the best way to see what’s in store for you in your academic  future. Defenses are open to the public. Dates, locations and topics are posted on the Graduate School’s website regularly.

New Platform for UM's ETD Database

Scholarly Repository for Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Graduate School is pleased to announce that UM’s ETD database has moved to a new platform called the “Scholarly Repository” at  http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu.

From now on, doctoral and master’s students with a thesis requirement will upload the final PDF to the new database.

There is No Need to Take Any Action NowWhen the time comes, you’ll receive instructions from the Dissertation Editor on how to upload your ETD to the Scholarly Repository. You must complete the formatting review and have in hand an approved PDF before you can upload anything to the Scholarly Repository.

If you have questions about this new platform, please contact the Dissertation Editor by e-mail at grad.dissertation@miami.edu.

POLITICS PHD STUDENTSHIPS AND MA BURSARIES AT NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY, UK.

The School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University have the following funding opportunities for postgraduate courses being offered in 2011-12:

Up to TWELVE full or partial fees bursaries for MA or PhD students (some with small additional maintenance payments) available to UK, EU or International students intending to go on to study for a PhD. Please see the following link for further details:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/postgrad/funding/

We have eight MA programmes in Politics, including programmes in ‘International Studies’, ‘Global Justice and Ethics’ and ‘Globalization, Poverty and Development’, ‘Critical Geopolitics’, 'World Politics and Popular Culture', ‘European Union Studies’, ‘International Political Economy’ and ‘Politics (Research)’ – for details see:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/gps/politics/postgrad/taught/

We would particularly welcome applications from students wishing to study for a PhD in any area of Politics.  You can find details of staff interests and student blogs by following the link above.

If you have any queries, please contact Jenny Lamb (j.c.lamb@ncl.ac.uk) or Karyn McCloud (karyn.mccloud@ncl.ac.uk).

Book Presentation

GSA Graduate Student Appreciation Dinner

WHAT: The Graduate Student Association cordially invites you to the Graduate Student Appreciation Dinner to celebrate a successful academic year!!

You’ll get an opportunity to meet graduate students from other departments while enjoying free food, free drinks, and a great atmosphere!

WHO: All Graduate Students (Master & Ph.D.)

WHEN: Friday, April 22^nd, 2011

Cocktail Hour: 6pm to 7pm, Dinner to follow.

WHERE: Newman Alumni Center, 6200 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, Fl 33146

ADMISSION: RSVP required by Sunday, April 17^th to gsa@miami.edu

Seats are limited. Please bring your Cane Card.

ATTIRE: Business casual

Doctoral Workshop on Regional Economic Integration

Doctoral Workshop on Regional Economic Integration
May 15 - 17, 2011 - Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Tech CIBER, The European Union Center of Excellence at Georgia Tech,  The American Consortium on European Union Studies present  the "2nd Annual Doctoral Consortium Workshop: Regional Economic Integration: Researching Dimensions of EU and Transatlantic Competition and Collaboration”.

The  two-day workshop is aimed at  stimulating interaction among doctoral students from the US, EU and Canada interested in pursuing research  on a topic related to the changing structures of markets, corporate organization,  and power in the global economy or deepening their knowledge of related issues.   The Workshop is transdisciplinary, seeking to bring together early in the career path doctoral researchers in international business, international economics,  public policy, and international political economy,   encouraging cross-fertilization among the disciplinary silos.

Johns Hopkins University – SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies)    will be hosting  the workshop this year.. The workshop will be conducted between 15-17 May 2011 in Washington, D.C., taking advantage of the rich institutional network available there.

The main topics for focus will be Transatlantic Economy and Issues of Industrial Growth, Collaboration and Competition, and Strategic Management and Policy. More details on the agenda can be found in the attached document..

For more information:  ciber@mgt.gatech.edu<mailto:ciber@mgt.gatech.edu> or james.hoadley@mgt.gatech.edu<mailto:james.hoadley@mgt.gatech.edu>
http://ciber.gatech.edu/calendar/2011/2011-05-15-Doctoral-Consortium-Agenda.pdf

IRB / Grant Writing Seminar: Tues April 26

Seminar: Writing Grant Proposals

UM Center for the Humanities Seminar:

Writing Grant Proposals for Dissertation Completion Fellowships and Postdocs
Thursday, April 21 - 12:30 p.m.
School of Nursing and Health Studies, Executive Board Room

The University of Miami's Center for the Humanities will host a seminar on writing grant proposals for dissertation completion fellowships and postdocs on Thursday, April 21 at 12:30 p.m. The seminar will be led by UM professors Stephen Halsey (History), Wilson Shearin (Classics), and Frank Palmeri (English).

Lunch will be served. Please register at humanities@miami.edu