Friday @ the Center
February 6, 2009
Is Graduate School for You?
The Center is sponsoring an informational session next Thursday for undergraduates who are trying to discern whether pursuing graduate school may be part of their vocation. Please encourage appropriate students to attend, especially first-year or sophomore students. Feb. 12, 9:30-10:20 a.m., Library Seminar Room. Topics to be addressed: How does graduate study differ from undergraduate work? What factors should you consider in your discernment process? Should you apply for a master’s or doctoral level program? How do you decide which schools you should apply to? And remind your students that a more process-oriented session—The Nuts & Bolts of Applying to Graduate School—is offered each fall quarter by the Center.
Want to Lead a Summer Seminar?
The Lilly Fellows Program (LFP) in Humanities and the Arts invites applications to convene a Summer Seminar for Colleges Teachers, with a $56,000 grant given to the LFP institution selected to host. A seminar proposal should address a major issue of special concern for scholars and teachers in the church-related academy and be designed for faculty from LFP institutions, with preference for those in the early stages of their careers. The twelve-person seminar must be planned and led by a seasoned faculty member from a LFP school. Participants will read a set of common texts, engage in disciplined discussion of the seminar topic, and write on some aspect of the seminar topic. Seminars will typically meet for a three or four-week period on a LFP campus. For more information, including a sample budget and a list of previous LFP summer seminars, topics, and leaders, click [here]. Application deadline: March 1, 2009.
Where's External Support for Research?
The February edition of The Grant Advisor can now be accessed through on-campus computers. It contains 20-25 full program reviews and over 300 listings of grant and fellowship programs. If it generates any possibilities or ideas, contact Laura Lundahl for an initial conversation about your ideas and the grant writing process.
He Said, She Said
Although some may think that gender equity in higher education has been achieved, longitudinal research from the Cooperative Institution Research Program (CIRP) at UCLA shows that gender plays an important role in shaping the experience and influence of college. A common perception is that women have achieved academic success, while men are both endangered and underserved in American higher education. But Linda Sax claims, “the reality is both genders face obstacles and challenges in their pursuit of higher education, and we need a deeper understanding of the nuances and implications of the gender gap.” Here are three differences Sax identifies in The Gender Gap in College: Maximizing the Development Potential of Women and Men: 1) Leaving home is more beneficial for female students than male students; women tend to develop greater scholarly confidence, stronger leadership skills, and a healthy sense of emotional well-being, while men’s distance from home is less relevant to such growth; 2) Men who work with faculty members on research or receive personal advice and encouragement hold more egalitarian views on gender roles; women who spend more time with faculty members, especially in the context of research, become more committed to traditional gender roles; 3) Feeling dismissed by a professor in the classroom has negative consequences for women’s long-term academic aspirations, confidence in math, and physical health. The same results were not found for male students. Food for thought? Impetus for action? Next week’s F@C will present more of Sax’s claims.
Happy Teaching!
Susan
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