2013 has been already been a busy year for staffing updates at the Faculty of Graduate Studies' Dean's Office.

We are pleased to announce Carolyn Swayze has been named the new Coordinator - Information, Research, and Communications at the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Carolyn has moved within the office from her position as a Scholarships Officer. She can be reached at fgscirc@uvic.ca.

We are equally as pleased to announce that Yvonne Rondeau has joined the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Carolyn's vacant Scholarships Officer position. Yvonne joins us from Student Awards and Financial Aid and can be reached at scholoff@uvic.ca.

Please join us in congratulating Carolyn and Yvonne on their new positions!

The university flag will be lowered on Thursday, March 21, 2013 in honour of Dr. Samuel L. Macey, who passed away on March 11, 2013. Dr. Macey was a UVic professor of English for 19 years and served as Dean of Graduate Studies from 1983 to 1986. He was also the long-time editor of the Finnerty Gardens newsletter and a great friend of UVic.
 
A memorial will be held on Thursday, March 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the University Club.

Read more about Dr. Macey's life here.

Effective 15 March 2013, Graduate students who are Active, Temporarily Inactive or Withdrawn with Dean’s Permission will be able to generate their own Degree Audit Report (CAPP Report) online in My Page.  CAPP reports are a great resource for confirming the remaining university and program requirements for a declared program. To access this report, students will need to sign in to My Page and then access the ‘Degree Evaluation’ option on the ‘Grades & Records’ tab under ‘Student Services.’

Questions regarding the information on the CAPP report should be directed to the Senior Graduate Admissions and Records Officer (grad15@uvic.ca).

Participation in the Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS) gives you the opportunity to contribute to improving your UVic educational experience and those of future students.

Participation in this survey is voluntary but by doing so, you have a chance to win one of two $300 gift cards to the UVic Bookstore!  The results of the survey (which are fully anonymous) provide valuable planning data to help our institution improve all aspects of your graduate education. This study is being conducted at more than 40 Canadian universities to ask students about their activities and what they feel they are gaining from their university experiences overall.

The survey closes on Friday, March 29, 2013, so please consider completing the survey if you have been invited to participate.

Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award for Graduate Students

The Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award for Graduate Students were awarded to the winners at a ceremony on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

This year's winners were selected from a pool of 15 nominees from across campus. Up to three awards are given out annually and are for registered graduate students who have excelled in their teaching during the preceding calendar year.

This year's award recipients are (L-R): Scott Kouri, MA student (CYC); Jessica Blythe, PhD student (GEOG); and Iman Moazzen, PhD student (ELEC).

Tara Paterson — University of Victoria student, devoted community volunteer, ardent activist and former students’ society chair — is heading to the University of Oxford next October as UVic’s newest Rhodes Scholar. Paterson, 23, is the 2013 Rhodes Scholar for BC. The postgraduate awards, which cover all travel, living and study expenses at the British university, are each valued at more than $100,000.

Tara is in her final year of an honours degree in Women’s Studies and Political Science at the University of Victoria where she was also Chairperson of the Students’ Society. Her passion for social justice has driven her studies and activism. Interested in issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights, Tara has held positions with several international and local organizations.

Read more about Tara Paterson in the Media Release from UVic Communications here.

Read more about the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship here at http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk and the Rhodes Scholarship in Canada here at http://www.canadianrhodes.org

The Government of Canada’s Vanier Scholarship program attracts and retains world-class doctoral students and helps establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Each scholarship is worth $50,000 per year for three years.

Read more about UVic's Vanier winners in the Summer 2012 issue of The Ring. Read more about the Vanier Scholarship here.

UVic Law student Johnny Mack is one of 14 PhD students receiving a highly coveted doctoral scholarship of $180,000 from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. As a 2011 Trudeau Scholar, Mack will be investigating how traditional socio-political and legal frameworks of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Vancouver Island could be reformed to better reflect the realities and issues their communities face today. Read more about this 2011 Trudeau Scholarship winner.

At the 2011 spring convocation, David Cecchetto, PhD in Cultural, Social and Political Thought, was the winner of the Governor General's Gold Medal.

Dr. Cecchetto is also the winner of the 2011 CAGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation award. Read David's full story here.

We've recently updated our site - and we want to hear what you think.

If you're having trouble finding something, like the new look and organization, or have anything else you'd like to tell us, use our feedback form.

UVic’s graduate business school has a new name, the Sardul S. Gill Graduate School of Business, marking the first time in Canada that such an institution has been named for a donor of Indian descent. The new name honours Victoria resident Sardul Singh Gill’s $5-million gift to the Gustavson School of Business.

BC Business Magazine has named the University of Victoria's engineering entrepreneurship master's program as one of its "20 Most Innovative Companies" in BC. The magazine describes the program as "impressively inventive" and growing "ideas that have a business plan encoded in their DNA." Through a unique partnership with Wesley Clover International, an Ottawa-based investment company, UVic engineering students are being given the opportunity to graduate with a master's degree, a diploma in entrepreneurship, and equity in a business they helped form. Learn more about engineering and entrepreneurship at UVic.

This new program offers outstanding MSc and PhD opportunities for graduate work in Biology and Forest Biology. Learn more about the NSERC CREATE Training Program.

Effective September 2011, the School of Public Health and Social Policy in the Faculty of Human and Social Development will offer a Master’s degree of Public Health. Public Health Focus of New School.

The UVic Neuroscience Graduate Program (MSc and PhD) was given final approval by the Ministry of Advanced Education on May 19, 2011. The program is interdisciplinary, building on existing strengths in the Psychology, Biology, Division of Medical Sciences, Biochemistry and Microbiology and Exercise Science, Physical & Health Education Departments and will be hosted by the Division of Medical Sciences.

The first students will enter the Neuroscience Graduate Program in September 2011

Mitacs, a national, not-for-profit research organization, is hosting Mitacs Step Workshops for Graduate Students at UVic on Thursday, March 28, 2013. These workshops are free but require pre-registration.

Mitacs Step is Canada’s only comprehensive program providing business-ready skills to up and coming researchers. Step trains graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in essential interpersonal, project management and entrepreneurial skills required for them to succeed in their future career.

Thursday, March 28, 2013  - 8:30am - 4:30pm (Registration at 8:00am SHARP)

Practice Your Presentation Skills I 

The simple truth is that people who present well in front of groups are far more likely to succeed at captivating, persuading and inspiring others, and are generally perceived as better leaders. In summary, one’s ability to present will help determine their success in business.

In this one-day workshop, theory is introduced in short bursts, and participants spend the majority of time practicing their presentation skills and receiving onsite feedback.

The focus on extensive practice and feedback is what makes the program meaningful, and is what makes the learning stick.

Register here