As graduate students, you are integral to the University's pursuit of knowledge and its mission to apply that research to better our world. You partner with faculty to produce groundbreaking work, and you launch new inquiries that encourage us to explore new ways of thinking. Each day I am impressed by your achievements and your commitment to Villanova's distinctive approach to collaborative scholarship. This month, I would like to highlight just a few of the ways that you can participate in this community of scholars and share some resources to support you in your academic endeavors.

First, please do join us for our Fall Graduate Student Research Symposium this Friday in the Connelly Center. Oral presentations begin at 1 p.m. Poster presentations at 3 p.m. Check out the of list presenters and support your classmates! See more details in the blurb below.

Many of these students were awarded Summer Research Fellowships from our office, one of several resources we offer including conference travel funding, language workshops and our interdisciplinary journal, to name a few. Partners across the University are also here to support your work including the Villanova Institute for Research and Scholarship and the Center for Research and Fellowships. The Center for Graduate Research and Education offers a wide range of programming including writing groups, virtual and in-person workshops, and opportunities for graduate students from all colleges to connect and socialize. Please take some time to see what they have to offer. I am thankful to have these key University resources in support of our students.

Finally, you may notice some new faces in our staff photo below. As graduate education is evolving, so is the Office of Graduate Studies. Over the past several months, we have made some important organizational changes to better recruit new students and better support our current students and faculty. What hasn't changed is the welcoming atmosphere and commitment to service. I am blessed to be able to work with these colleagues.

Wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving and a successful finish to your fall semester!

The Office of Graduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce a number of promotions and staff updates, as the office has expanded to take on new responsibilities and offer additional services. Learn more about the office and meet the team!

“An important dimension of dignity has been forgotten,” suggests Vincent Lloyd, PhD, professor of Theology and Religious Studies and director of the Center for Political Theology in Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in his new book Black Dignity: The struggle against domination. Looking to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black Dignity aims to re-orient the way readers envision the concept of dignity.

“Too often we think about dignity as a kind of nobility (the dignity of kings, judges or bishops) or as an attribute of our shared humanity. I argue that the Black Lives Matter movement draws our attention to a different sense of dignity: dignity in motion, performed in struggle against domination,” Dr. Lloyd says. READ MORE

Helen Lafferty, PhD, a longtime Villanova University professor and administrator, was unanimously voted to serve as the interim president of Youngstown State University, her undergraduate and graduate alma mater.

Dr. Lafferty has been part of Villanova for more than 40 years. She has served many roles including University vice president for 16 years, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and interim vice president of Academic Affairs. She is a faculty member in the Department of Education and Counseling, primarily teaching graduate students in the higher education track. She has also taught courses in Villanova’s prison education program at State Correctional Institution Phoenix. READ MORE

Nova Network November is here! This monthlong programming series features events dedicated to enhancing the professional development of Villanova alumni and current graduate and professional students. All programs will take place throughout November online, on campus and across the Nova Nation. Wherever you are in your career, there are opportunities for you to grow alongside your fellow Villanovans this Nova Network November! Learn more and see the list of events.

Villanova Theatre Presents House of Desires – November 10-20

See your fellow graduate students in action and support the Villanova Theatre program! House of Desires is directed by Pulitzer Prize winner and Villanova associate professor James Ijames. In this tantalizing comedy of intrigue, Don Pedro pines for Doña Leonor who is in love with Don Carlos, who is desired by Doña Ana, who is pursued by Don Juan. This 17th-century romantic farce is a wild tale of confusion and mistaken identities complete with wily servants and witless nobles. Written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, one of the few female playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age - a poet, nun and major Mexican literary figure - House of Desires offers intrigue and insight in equal measure. Learn more and buy tickets.

Please join us for the Fall 2022 Graduate Studies CLAS Research Symposium on Friday, November 11. This event highlights the outstanding and diverse scholarship being conducted by graduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Oral presentations will begin at 1 p.m. in the Connelly Center Cinema. Poster presentations commence thereafter in Villanova’s Art Gallery at 3 p.m. See the list of presenters and make plans to support your classmates! Light refreshments will be served. All attendees may enter a raffle to win FREE Villanova Men’s Basketball tickets to the game against Georgetown at the Finneran Pavilion at 12 p.m. on Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)!

"TEDxVillanovaU: Paradigm Shift for Sustainability," an official TEDx conference held in the spring of 2023, is seeking speakers with ideas worth spreading. Applications are due November 13, and auditions will be held the first week of November. Whether you have a finalized talk or just an idea you want to share, you are encouraged to apply. Learn more.

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!

3MT Information Session – November 16

Learn about one of the most exciting research competitions for graduate students at this virtual info session at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16. Villanova is hosting its annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday, February 24. Join Dr. Mike Westrate and Emily McCloskey of the Grad Center to learn about this fun competition and how you can get prepared. Did we mention that there are cash prizes? Register for the information session.

Conference Event Planning Workshop for Graduate Students – November 18

Join the Grad Center for an Event and Conference Planning Workshop from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, November 18 in St. Mary's Hall Room 163C. Speakers from across the university will discuss the "ins and outs" of academic event planning. The first hour will focus on event planning for graduate students. Then, after a light lunch, there will be two breakout sessions: one for grad students in the humanities, and the other for grad students in STEM (including the Social Sciences). Upon completion of the workshop, student groups who are planning a conference may request funds from the Grad Center. Register for the event.

Communicating the Value of Your Research to a Broad Audience – November 30

From 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30, Dr. Emily Carson from the Villanova Institute for Research and Scholarship is hosting a virtual workshop as part of the Grad Center's research communication skills workshop series. Academics can spend so many years immersed in the specialized vocabulary of their fields that they struggle to communicate to a larger audience. Yet, being able to translate research is critical. Only through effective communication can researchers ensure that their hard work is understood and impactful. This session is a great stand-alone workshop for all graduate students as well as good preparation for grad students participating in the 3MT program. Register for the workshop.

Peace, Justice and Culture: Grassroots to Global – Call for papers by December 5

The Villanova University Center for Peace and Justice Education, Catholic Relief Services, and the Augustinian Institute announce the call for papers for the second annual graduate student peace and justice symposium, taking place on February 24. The conference theme “Peace, Justice, and Culture: Grassroots to Global” aims to explore various interdisciplinary studies that combine perspectives from politics, religion, culture, environment, gender, health, science, technology and more. We encourage proposals from any discipline or department and welcome participation from all graduate and doctoral students to this no-cost* symposium. The event will include a faculty mentored pre-submission workshop to help students develop and submit abstract proposals, and a pre-symposium workshop to facilitate interconnected panel discussions and presentation techniques. Students utilize any writing (to include course papers, journal articles, dissertation chapters, etc.) as the basis for their proposals.

This one-day hybrid (zoom and in-person) event is an opportunity for graduate students to present and showcase their research, providing expertise and perspectives on topics related to justice and peace. The symposium will consist of two plenary sessions followed by panel presentations from the selected students. In each three-person panel session, students will provide a fifteen-minute presentation on their respective research project. Learn more.