GRAD CLAS NOTES
March 2024
Supporting Our Graduate Students

As we welcome some warmer weather, I hope that you enjoyed a restorative spring break and are as excited as I am for the remainder of the spring semester!

Before break, we celebrated the Open House of the new Grad Center and the new offices for CLAS Graduate Studies in Vasey Hall. It was a great day during which we were able to showcase our beautiful new spaces and welcome graduate students, faculty, staff and graduate alumni.

As you may know, investment in the graduate student experience is a priority of the Rooted. Restless. Villanova Strategic Plan. We are proud of the support we offer graduate students in our college, including conference travel support, summer research funding, research symposiums and language workshops, to name a few. We are also proud to work closely with the Grad Center and our other partners across the University to support graduate students. In this issue of GRAD CLAS NOTES, you will find information about writing workshops, counseling office hours and support groups, as well as ways to connect with important resources such as the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF) and the Career Center. These offices have dedicated professionals to help graduate students make the most of their Villanova experience and help prepare them for academic and career success.

Finally, I encourage you to attend Villanova's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday, March 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Topper Theatre in the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. 3MT is a research communication skills competition in which graduate students are challenged to present their research in three-minutes or less to a non-specialist audience. This year, we have seven graduate students representing CLAS who will present live on stage. The event will also be live streamed. Registration is required for the in-person event. You can find more information below.

Wishing you a successful second half of the spring semester!






Emory H. Woodard IV, PhD, Dean of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Graduate Studies News
Prestigious Oxford Summer Program Lays Groundwork for Villanova Theatre Graduate’s Acting Career
This past summer, Villanova Theatre alumna Taahira Davis ’23 MA participated in the prestigious British American Drama Academy (BADA) Midsummer Program at the historic Magdalen College at the University of Oxford. The BADA program runs in association with the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. The program is designed for committed actors and focuses on classical theatre craft with an emphasis on Shakespeare. Its faculty consists of leading British theatre practitioners and faculty from top American graduate programs. READ MORE
CLAS Research that Resonates Podcast Focuses on Language and Literature
The College's Research that Resonates podcast takes listeners inside labs and classrooms to learn about important research our students are conducting alongside faculty mentors. The latest three-episode miniseries focuses on language and literature and includes interviews with Jean Lutes, PhD, English, and current English master's student Matt Villanueva; Joe Toscano, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences, and current Psychology graduate student Ryan Henderson '20 CLAS; and Deena Weisberg, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences. Listeners can find the episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. LEARN MORE AND LISTEN
Environmental Science Master's Student Wins Falvey Data Visualization Competition
Environmental Science master's student Amanda Wagner won first place in the graduate division of the Villanova Falvey Library's 2024 Data Visualization Competition, a culminating event of the Library's Love Data Week. Wagner's project, Vulnerability to Tornado Hazards, is a story map produced in ArcGIS that breaks down different areas’ vulnerability to tornados, looking at past data on tornado warnings, impacts and risk factors. READ MORE on the Falvey Library blog.
Upcoming Academic Calendar Important Dates
Campus Courses
(including Classical Studies)

  • March 13 – Registration begins for Summer 2024 classes
  • March 27 – Easter recess begins after last class
  • April 2 – Classes resume
  • April 3 – Last day for authorized withdrawal without academic penalty (WX)
  • April 8 – Registration begins for Fall 2024 classes
  • April 26 – Thesis/Dissertation Deadline
HRD and Online MPA Courses

  • March 13 – Registration begins for Summer 2024 classes
  • March 17 – Spring I last day of classes
  • March 18 – Spring II classes begin
  • March 24 – Spring II last day for add/drop
  • April 8 – Registration begins for Fall 2024 classes
  • April 28 – Spring II last day for authorized withdrawal without academic penalty (WX)
Events, Reminders and Information
Foundations of Good Academic Writing Workshop – March 14
In this online workshop on Thursday, March 14, from 12 to 1 p.m., the Grad Center will analyze problem areas typical to academic writing and outline several key characteristics that make for clear, compelling writing whether for journal articles, seminar papers, proposals or other academic texts. Learn more and register.

Counseling Center Drop-In Office Hours – Begin March 14
Graduate students can drop in and meet one-on-one with a counselor from the Counseling Center in a safe, secure environment in the Vasey Hall Grad Center Collaboration Room, G14D, Thursdays beginning March 14 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. through the remainder of the semester and can provide an initial consultation to assess any further support needs. No appointment needed.

Graduate Student Support Group – Begins March 14
This confidential group creates a safe space for graduate-level students to experience stronger emotional connections with others while also working through personal issues that may be unique to being a part of a graduate program at Villanova. The group will be led by the Counseling Center's Drs. Natalie Sheridan and Julia Stein and will meet in Vasey Hall, Room G12 Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call the Counseling Center at 610-519-4050.

Three Minute Thesis Competition – March 15
Please join the Grad Center on Friday, March 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Topper Theatre, located in the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts, for the Three Minute Thesis Competition. Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition for master’s and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills. Developed by The University of Queensland, 3MT cultivates students’ academic, professional, presentation and research communication skills. To be successful, competitors must effectively explain their research in three minutes, using language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Support your fellow graduate students at this exciting competition. Learn more and get your free ticket.

CLAS 3MT participants include:
  • Rachel Carrock, Biology, “Arnold's Paradigm in the field: The relationship between morphology, performance, and behavior in an invasive species of gecko”
  • Hannah Feldman, Environmental Science, “An Immersive Urban Environmental Geochemistry Research Experience as a Pathway to Careers in the Geosciences”
  • Lorina Holterhoff, Environmental Science, “The Urbanized World: Metal Pollution in Green Stormwater Infrastructure”
  • Noelle Johnson, Theatre and HRD Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, “Aunt Ester to Mame Wilks: August Wilson's Black Women Character's as a Blueprint for Social Justice and Reform”
  • Claire Jones, Biology, “How do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?”
  • Chaitanya Mankala, Software Engineering, “Pioneering Artificial Neural Network for Dynamics Systems”
  • Ibukunoluwa Ogunjimi, Mathematics, “The Intersection of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence - Conformal Maps”

Academic vs. Proposal Writing Workshop – March 19
Proposal-writing requires a different style and a different set of writing skills than many other types of academic writing. This Grad Center online workshop on Tuesday, March 19, from 12 to 1 p.m. will clarify these skills and provide samples of what they look like in successful proposals. Learn more and register.

Center for Research and Fellowships and Career Center Drop-In Office Hours
Interested in speaking with someone about research opportunities or career prospects? Gray Kidd, PhD, from the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF) or Casey Hilferty from the Career Center will be hosting open office hour once a month in the Vasey Hall Grad Center Collaboration Room, G14D, so you can get direct feedback about your career and research opportunities. No appointment needed. Both CRF and the Career Center also offer virtual appointments.

Casey Hilferty, Career Center
  • Tuesday, March 19, 1-4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, April 9, 1-4 p.m.

Gray Kidd, CRF 
  • Thursday, April 11, 1-4 p.m.

But Is It Fair Use? A Copyright Discussion – March 20  
Fair use is a very useful, but often confusing, exception to copyright. Join Falvey Library on Wednesday, March 20, from 12 to 1 p.m. for a virtual Q&A discussion that will include an introduction to fair use, along with discussion of its history, hot topics in fair use, and most of all, your questions about fair use. Have a project or a use in mind? Bring your questions! This event, co-sponsored by Falvey Library and Villanova University General Counsel, is part of the Publishing, Copyright and Scholarship Series. It is intended for undergraduate and graduate students. Learn more and register.

Intersectional Reflection #3: First Generation Student Identity – March 20
Our third Intersectional Reflections Dinner and Discussion will focus on First Generation Student Identity. Join us as we enjoy a great meal and hear about the academic journeys of a panel of faculty, staff and graduate students who come from backgrounds where they were the first in their family to navigate the realm of higher education. Graduate students, staff and faculty of all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to attend this event. The reflection will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 in the Grad Center Student Lounge in Vasey Hall. Seating is limited, and registration is required for planning purposes. Registration for this event is open now but will close on Monday, March 18 at 9 a.m. or when we reach capacity, whichever comes first. Learn more and register.

GRADtitude & Self Care – March 25
Join the CLAS Graduate Student Council on Monday, March 25 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Dougherty Hall East Lounge for some relaxation, tea, hot chocolate, Zen garden, face mask giveaways and information from the Counseling Center on mindfulness and self care!

Preview Day – April 6
Do you know prospective students who would be interested in Villanova for graduate school? Encourage them to attend the Grad CLAS Spring Preview Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 in the Finneran Pavilion. Preview Day is an in-person experience in which students have the opportunity to explore the beautiful Villanova campus, meet with the Office of Graduate Studies staff, engage with faculty from their program of interest and meet potential fellow classmates. While Preview Day is designed for admitted students, prospective students are encouraged to attend! Learn more and register.

Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis – April 10 
This presentation will consider both sides of copyright: using copyrighted materials in your thesis or dissertation, and your (copy)rights as an author. This virtual workshop will take place on Wednesday, April 10, 12-1 p.m. This event, sponsored by Falvey Library, is part of the Publishing, Copyright, and Scholarship Series. It is intended for graduate students. Learn more and register.
Student Support Services Overview
Academic Support
 
Student Health and Well-Being
  • Student Health Center: Open 24/7 during semester. Offering health care to students with individualized attention and timely service. ($25 office visit for graduate students).
  • University Counseling Center: Providing services that help students function optimally with regard to emotional, academic, social and psychological issues.
  • Office of Health Promotion: Empowering students to create healthy learning environments and make responsible, educated choices to maintain balance.
  • Fitness Centers: Campus locations and operating hours available online.
  • Nova Nook: Providing supplemental personal necessities to students in need.
 
Tech Support
  • UNIT Tech Zone: Providing support for all hardware, software and technical problems that students may have with their personal laptop and other on-campus computing experiences.
Stay Connected