Welcome from the Dean

I am pleased to announce that the Graduate School with the support of the Office of Research and the Council on Research and Creativity has established the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. Dr. Anne Marie West is the Director of this new office which is located in the Scholars Commons of Strozier Library. The purpose of the office is to provide advice and assist graduate students in obtaining external fellowships and grants to support their studies and to nominate graduate students for nationally recognized awards. Students should contact Dr. West to learn about their options for support. Please visit ogfa.fsu.edu to schedule an appointment with Dr. West.

Last week was an exciting and busy week at Florida State University. For me it started with a presentation on the morning of August 18 to new faculty about graduate education at Florida State University. The interactions that take place between faculty and graduate students are of paramount importance to the designation of the Florida State University as a research university. In fact, as is the case nationally, our graduate students indicate that the primary reason they choose to come to FSU is to work with a specific faculty member. Having quality faculty is essential for attracting quality graduate students and for engaging in quality research. A few hours later I welcomed many hundreds of new students at the Fall 2009 New Graduate Student Orientation. As I walked around the room and met the students I learned that they came from all over the world and were here to begin their studies in many of our different programs. I was struck by the great diversity embodied by these students. We are truly fortunate because this diversity strengthens the university by enriching the campus learning community with varied perspectives and experiences.

As we begin the new academic year I want to encourage graduate students to enhance their FSU experience by attending the Professional Development Workshops that the Graduate School has scheduled throughout the upcoming year. Not only do these workshops provide valuable information on a wide range of topics, but this is a great opportunity to network and meet graduate students from other disciplines. Please check the website for the dates and times of these events. In addition, I encourage students to participate in the Preparing Future Faculty program and Mentornet. Information about these programs is also provided on this website.