Newsletter Spring 2024
Greetings to our Graduates, Students, Colleagues, and Friends!
It feels like summer here in Oxford. This past spring semester was an exciting one for the Graduate School.
To start, I want to thank all of our generous donors who contributed to the Graduate School funds during Giving Day. This year, we added our McNair Scholars and Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation (LSMAMP) programs to our Giving Day efforts. The gifts to those programs clearly show that our past participants and friends greatly value how these two programs support the success of student participants in their academic journeys.
Mr. Ameet Talwadker, Mr. Diwakar Anipindi, Dean Annette Kluck, Dr. Vijay Kulkarni, Mr. Vikram Patil, Ms. Pankhudi Srivastava, and Ms. Blair McElroy
We also had a few firsts for the Graduate School this semester. I joined our Senior International Officer, Blair McElroy, in Bangalore, India, in February. Our trip focused on recruiting but also provided an opportunity to host an event for our alums in the area. We believe it is the first such event for the University in India and is the first organized event for alums outside of the U.S. for the Graduate School. We had great fun connecting with our graduates and a former postdoctoral fellow. Because the attendees’ time in Oxford varied from the early 2000s to the latter part of the 2010s, the evening also involved discussions of how the campus and the Square have evolved. Connecting with our graduates abroad was so wonderful, and I hope this will be the first of many such events.
The Inaugural Doctoral Achievement Ceremony
Keeping with the theme of firsts, we hosted the Inaugural Doctoral Student Achievement Celebration, and Dr. Ashleen Williams served as our speaker. This event, which recognized doctoral students who completed significant milestones toward the terminal degree, was a testament to their hard work and dedication. In the Graduate School, we understand the challenges of the doctoral journey, and the opportunity to celebrate our students’ progress was both memorable and meaningful. We anticipate continuing this worthy event, where we can celebrate the goals along the way and inspire our doctoral students to persevere towards their degrees.
In this year’s spring newsletter, we continue the tradition of covering the Hooding Ceremony. We had two fantastic class marshals this year; their speeches were inspiring. Next, you can read about one of the student organizations that exclusively serve graduate students with an emphasis on increasing a sense of belonging among students from underrepresented backgrounds. Our third story highlights a new development for the Graduate School. We are fortunate to have a mental health provider who is passionate about helping graduate students embedded in the Graduate School—Caelyn Ditz. Her presence is a testament to our commitment to student well-being. In our fourth story, you can meet our newest full-time team member in the Graduate School, Julian Gilner. Gilner is helping us expand and enhance our recruiting efforts, bringing fresh ideas and energy to our team. Finally, you will find a story about several alums working abroad (some of whom appear in the picture of our event with graduates in Bangalore, India). Graduate School graduates certainly make an impact around the world.
Have a wonderful summer and Hotty Toddy!
Annette S. Kluck, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
Spring 2024 Newsletter
- Welcome
- Doctoral Dreams: Commemorating Success at the 2024 Hooding Ceremony
- Elevating Voices, Fostering Community: Inside the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association
- Enhancing Graduate Student Wellness: The Graduate House Welcomes Embedded Counselor Caelyn Ditz
- In the Spotlight: Mr. Julian Gilner, Our New Recruitment Manager
- Across Continents, Graduate Scholars are Thriving Abroad