Welcome to the January 2025 edition of GradNews for the 2024-2025 academic year!  This monthly newsletter will include key information and resources to support your success as a graduate student at SIUE.  Each month we will bring you news about upcoming events, campus resources, research funding, professional development, campus engagement, and graduate student success stories.  Watch for GradNews coming to your email inbox each month!

Have feedback for the Graduate School? Fill out the Feedback Form to let us know!

Welcome to 2025!

For those of you beginning your graduate program this spring, welcome to your graduate journey at SIUE! And to our continuing grad students, we hope you had a restful and joyous semester break. Welcome to the start of the spring 2025 semester!

Present Your Research at the Spring Research Symposium

The annual Graduate School Research Symposium will take place on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025. Graduate students of all disciplines are invited to present their research or creative activity! Student presentations will take place in-person at the Morris University Center Goshen Lounge from 11:30am-1:00pm.

For more information on the presentation opportunity and to register to present your research, visit the Symposium Student Presentations website. 

Register for Summer Session!

Registration for summer classes opens Monday, March 31, 2025.  

Summer session is a great way to complete an extra course—saving money by staying on track to graduate. Many summer classes meet for five weeks or less. Benefit from small class sizes and lighten your fall class load.  
  
siue.edu/summer  
618-650-2080  
[email protected]  
Service Center on the first floor of Rendleman Hall

42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration 

Wednesday, Jan. 22 
11 a.m.-2 p.m. 
MUC: Meridian Ballroom 
Get tickets on the MLK Celebration website by Wednesday, Jan.15 

Back 2 School Fest

January 13-24, 2025 11 AM-1 PM
Get ready for the new semester and come to the Goshen Lounge to join the Campus Activities Board for exciting winter-themed giveaways! 

*while supplies last* 

WKFD Series- Budget Basics 

January 27, 2025 2:30 - 3:30 PM
Learning Resource Center 

Join us for an hour-long program on budgeting basics, where you'll learn practical strategies to take control of your finances and achieve your financial goals. Whether you're new to budgeting or looking to improve your skills, this session will provide valuable tips and tools to help you manage your money with confidence. 

Click Here to RSVP

SIUE: The Year in Photos 

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville communications team ends the year with a look back at 2024 with images from University photographer Howard Ash.   

Crisis Text Line

Need to vent? Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counselor
Free confidential 24/7 support at your fingertips.

How it Works.
Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States – 24/7, free, confidential. Crisis Text Line (CTL) is here for you. A live, trained volunteer Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from our secure online platform. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool calm.

Graduate Catalog & Degree Works

The SIUE Graduate Catalog is online and is your resource for:

• Your program's curriculum and graduation requirements
• Course descriptions
• List of Graduate Program Directors and graduate faculty
• Academic policies & procedures
• Archived catalogs from prior academic years

Want to assess your progress towards degree completion?  Degree Works is accessed through CougarNet and is a comprehensive, web-based academic advising and degree audit tool to track your academic progress.  Degree Works reviews your completed and registered coursework against the SIUE Graduate Catalog requirements in order to assist you and your advisor in academic planning. 

Modules to Enhance SIUE Graduate Student Writing

The Graduate School has created 4 online modules that contain critical information to address graduate student basic writing skills, research-focused writing, the management of large writing projects, and challenges specific to non-native English speakers. The modules were created specifically for SIUE graduate students by SIUE faculty and staff. This project was developed and overseen by the Graduate School and supported by the Innovation and Excellence in Graduate Education foundation funds. Click here to access the modules. 

Research & Creative Activities

Be inspired by the incredible research and scholarly activities happening at SIUE by both faculty and students chronicled in the Fall 2024 edition of the Research & Creative Activities magazine published online.  From sculpture and science to economics and engineering, take a moment to read about the high-caliber scholarship happening all around you at SIUE!

Sharpen your Speaking Skills

Across disciplines and career paths, sharpening your oral communication skills will be crucial to your success.  Your time as a graduate student should facilitate your skill development to be more engaging and confident as you network with colleagues, teach courses, interview for jobs, speak at a staff meeting, or present at conferences.

• Conference or class presentation in your future?  Read Robert Kosara's Common Speaking Mistakes to Avoid to capture and maintain the attention of your audience!
• Networking or interview opportunity coming up?  Develop and practice your elevator pitch to summarize your background and goals.
• Anxiety about public speaking?  Read through the tips from the APA on How to Keep Fear of Public Speaking at Bay.
• Ready to crush your next staff meeting?  Forbes breaks it down in 6 Ways to Make a Great Impression in Every Meeting. 

Graduating Spring 2025?

Congratulations in advance to all graduate assistants that will be graduating spring 2025! Just in case you were not already aware, graduate assistants that are graduating spring 25 should have a GA contract end date of 5/10/25 or earlier. 

New Graduate Assistants

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the online GA Handbook. The GA handbook contains detailed information about all graduate assistantships including eligibility requirements, benefits, stipend amounts and more. It is a vital resource for all graduate assistants.

Meet Akosua Cobbina, MS in Industrial Engineering

Akosua recognized limits in opportunities for females in STEM careers in Sub-Saharan Africa but from her younger years she always desired to be involved in driving solutions to practical problems. The next step for her as a Process Engineering graduate from the University of Ghana was to further her education and get practically involved in industry. Industrial Engineering at SIUE provided her with the opportunity to broaden her understanding and knowledge of the large manufacturing space and help deliver solutions.

Her research currently focuses on predictive analysis of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and its relation to climatic factors. This aims to bridge the gap and advise public health authorities on the best actions and a point of start to address this challenge. Her graduate assistant position at the Office of Online Services and Educational Outreach provides her an avenue to work on creative content to drive leads for non-credit programs and also marketing strategies to improve programs at OSEO.

The Online Services and Educational Outreach office said this about Akosua, "Akosua has been a fixture in our office since January 2024 and has improved our social media accounts and general office environment tremendously. She has taken it upon herself to do further research, create new opportunities for our social media outreach and bring new information forward at every chance she has."

Akosua would like to work in an industry where her skills and experiences will optimize processes and improve cost factor. She has always loved working with production companies especially because she gets excited when she sees her product in the realm of its supply chain. In the long term, she would like to pursue a PhD in Industrial Engineering and work on predicting other neurological disorders in the United States to help with early detection and treatment.