As we gear up for this last month of the fall semester filled with final exams and projects, let’s take some well-deserved time for ourselves to recharge and reset. The CLAS Office of Graduate Studies and the Grad Center have planned a fantastic Wellness Week December 5-9, kicking it off with a Mindful Monday Lunch and Activities event and ending with an Ugly Sweater Holiday Happy Hour on Friday. You can see all of the festivities and programming below. If you have not yet done so, please register for the events you wish to attend so we can get an accurate count for refreshments. In addition to these Wellness Week events, the Office of Student Life has a website dedicated to Health and Well-Being Resources for students including links to services on campus, information sheets, student organizations and campus programming. Graduate students are encouraged to take advantage of these important resources.

As you work on your culminating projects this month, think about how they may fit into your larger academic goals. In this issue of GRAD CLAS NOTES, we offer some resources to support your work and share it with the community, including our Summer Research Fellowships, CONCEPT, our interdisciplinary journal, and the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. These are wonderful opportunities to engage in Villanova’s distinctive approach to collaborative scholarship.

Finally, as we approach winter break, on behalf of CLAS Graduate Studies, I wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season. I am immensely proud of the work you have produced this semester, but I am even more proud of the empathetic and supportive community that you have helped build at Villanova. I hope you are able to spend some time with loved ones who, although they may not always understand everything you are studying, are very proud of you, too.

Graduate Software Engineering student Nick Langan '20 CPS is featured in the November issue of Radio World Magazine for his new free mobile app, RadioLand, which allows users to find "listenable" FM radio stations based on their location in North America. The avid radio enthusiast created the app for his master's thesis. READ MORE

The Fall 2022 issue of Villanova Magazine is now online. In this issue you can read about the groundbreaking work to examine a 110 million year-old lizard fossil by Biology professor Aaron Bauer, PhD, and alumnus Edward Stanley, PhD, '09 MS, who now serves as a lab director at the Florida Museum of Natural History, as well as an in-depth cover story on the new Mullen Center for the Performing Arts and our graduate Theatre program, among other Grad CLAS stories. Read Villanova Magazine.

In this video, watch Emory H. Woodard IV, PhD, Dean of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Teresa A. Nance, PhD, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, talk about how graduate students are an area of focus in the Villanova strategic plan and how the University is committed to comprehensive DEI initiatives. Watch the video.

All events are FREE! We will also be accepting donations for Toys for Tots at the Grad CLAS events. Please register in advance, so we can plan accordingly.

All events are FREE! Please register in advance so we can plan accordingly.

Celebrate the Advent season at this ecumenical Christian retreat held on campus in Corr Chapel from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 7. Meet with colleagues from across the University and share your personal experiences and faith journey as we encounter the theme "Keeping Watch in the Wilderness." Learn more and register.

Why is it so important to have an “elevator pitch”? When would you use it? What types of things should you say? The last in this semester’s research communication skills workshop series is hosted by Meredith Okenquist, Career Management Coach in the Career Center. Join this virtual event from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7 to learn more about the impact and value of having a carefully written and well-practiced marketing message about you. We will review best practices to identify which credentials, skill sets, and experiences to highlight. We will also discuss common mistakes made in developing and delivering this content. Learn more and register.

Attention December 2022 graduates! Please take a few moments to fill out the Graduate Outcomes Survey. This outcomes data is of critical importance to us in assessing how we did in our efforts to provide a robust graduate education experience. Students who complete the survey by January 31, 2023, will have a chance to win one of two Villanova diploma frames!

Graduate students in CLAS are encouraged to apply for a summer fellowship to support their research. Awards are made on a competitive basis in the amount of $3,000 for master's students and $4,000 for doctoral students for work in June, July and August. For details regarding eligibility requirements, criteria, how to apply, deadline for proposals and review process, faculty evaluation of the project, and award recipients, please visit the Graduate Summer Research Fellowship page.

CONCEPT – Papers Due February 1

CONCEPT, the interdisciplinary journal of CLAS graduate students, is now accepting article submissions. The author of the best article in the 2023 issue will receive the Graduate Student Research Prize. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Submissions should be based on material that has been researched as part of graduate work at Villanova. Authors should register on the CONCEPT website and follow the instructions there for posting their submission. (An author may submit no more than one article for consideration.) Any questions should be directed to faculty editor, Dr. John Kurtz.

CONCEPT Peer Reviewers Needed

CONCEPT is a graduate student-run publication. Given the breadth of the graduate programs and to ensure fair review of submissions, it is vitally important to have editors and reviewers representing as many disciplines as possible. Those interested in serving as an editor or as a peer-reviewer should contact faculty editor Dr. John Kurtz directly. Volunteers to serve as editors should include a list of their known regular time commitments for Spring semester.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition for master’s and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills. To be successful, competitors must effectively explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience. This year, Villanova will be hosting its 3MT competition on Friday, February 24, 2023. Cash prizes are awarded for first and second places and for audience choice. The deadline for video entries is Monday, February 6. Learn more about 3MT.

Campus Ministry and Falvey Library invite the Villanova community to join them for a taste of mindfulness meditation every Monday from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. Mindfulness Mondays offers a virtual, comfortable space where you are guided and encouraged to stop and focus on the “here and now.” Mindfulness is proven to reduce stress and enhance well-being. Registration is not required, all are welcome! Learn more.

Looking for a place to study? A place to connect with other graduate students? A time an place to reserve to study or write? The Grad Center offers St. Mary's Hall Room 121, each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Coffee, tea, bagels, fruit and donuts are provided!