“Rarely do political scandal and academe collide so publicly as they have now, in Europe. In February, Germany’s education minister stepped down after Heinrich Heine University, in Düsseldorf, revoked her doctorate because her thesis lifted passages from other sources without proper attribution.” The Chronicle – Feb. 2013

Several other high-ups have been accused as well.  As a result, this scandal has been associated with the quality of the German University system in general.

Wolfgang E.J. Weber, director of the Institute for European Cultural History, says his historian colleagues from elsewhere in Europe no longer consider the German system to be the gold standard. The Chronicle – Feb. 2013

For students who put their blood (probably not literally), sweat (maybe literally), and tears (definitely literally) into their theses and dissertations, this seems like sand in the face.  Imagine if you finally received a title that that took you three years to earn and now it means next to nothing. Not my idea of a good time.  Information in the digital age travels fast.  This news affects anyone who has ever received a degree from a German institution.  Its like a blemish on a record of good standing – one that may never go away despite the repeated attempts to buff it clean.

Keep this in mind the next time you cut and paste.  The worst part – this is NOT a slippery slope that I am creating as an example to scare you.  This is HAPPENING right now.  Academics across the globe are looking at Germany and thinking “What the heck happened over there?” because several of their leaders were able to get away with cheating in school.  Take a tip from American leaders – cheat on your spouse, cheat on your taxes, but do NOT cheat on your schoolwork.

Some additional suggestions:

• Wear comfy clothing.
• Remember you have EARNED the right to be considered the expert in the room.
• Bring water.  People staring at you = dry mouth.
• Remember that part of what happens during the defense has more to do with the personalities of the faculty that you.
• It will be over before you know it!

The application deadline is March 16, 2012.

When: Wednesday November 28^th at 7 p.m. Eastern time (6 p.m. central  for UT Arlington peeps)

What: Short presentation + Q&A

Why: Learn how to search for and apply to paid summer research experiences, hear from recent summer research participants about their experience and advice.

Where: Register and receive log in info at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5XYTFHR

**Brought to you by  The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP)**

When? Oct. 30 6-8pm, Central Library Room 315A

Don’t let Microsoft Word make writing your dissertation more difficult than it already is!  Learn advanced features in Word 2010 that make formatting your paper to meet Graduate School requirements a breeze.

Register NOW!!

Students may choose to use either the current or the new formatting standards for fall 2012 and spring 2013.  Only documents meeting the new standards will be accepted beginning in summer 2013. If you think there is even a small chance that you may need the summer term or an additional semester to complete you paper it is important that you use the NEW template.

The Office of Graduate Studies and the Central Library have created the new guidelines, along with a new template, to address the more challenging aspects of the current requirements, e.g., the insertion of 2-inch margins on new sections.

Please note: thesis and dissertation documents must be written in the proper format in order to be accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies.

New Template Guidelines

Graduation Checklist and Downloadable documents

UT Arlington’s requirements ensure that all thesis/dissertation documents have a uniform appearance and are suitable for archiving. While we are sensitive to the fact that disciplines have their own guidelines, our requirements mainly follow the guidelines provided in Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th edition.

When: Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 at 11:30 a.m.

Where: Room 303 in the Chemistry and Physics bldg. UTA Campus.

Why: The integrity of your data is the key to ensuring its utility.  Learn specific phases for working with data. Discover the best practices necessary to maintain data integrity so that your results are useful to the expansion of your field.

Reservations strongly encouraged.

Contact: Carol Byrne, 817.272.7437, for more information.

Copyright & Theses/Dissertations
Feb 9, 4-5 pm, Central Library, Rm. 315-A

Do you want to e-publish your thesis or dissertation? What are your rights concerning electronic publishing through the University as Research Commons and ProQuest? This seminar discusses the impact of copyright for graduate students in regard to the University archive.

RefWorks II – Super Features for Semi-Serious Student Writers!
Mar 26, 3-4 pm, Business Bldg., Rm. 136
Sign up
Go beyond the basics of RefWorks and learn how Microsoft Word and RefWork’s “Write-N-Cite” software work together to create a polished paper with minimal effort—(sorry, you’re in charge of the content, although in this session, we’ll work with a “mock” paper to show you how it all works)! Special features of RefWorks, such as Ref Grab-it and RefShare will also be introduced.

Word for Dissertations
Feb 13, 10-noon, Central Library, Rm 315-A

Don’t let Microsoft Word make writing your dissertation any harder than it already is! Learn how to use advanced features in Word 2007 to write longer documents that will make meeting the Graduate School formatting requirements a less arduous process. 2-inch margin? Table of contents? Automatic numbering of figures? No problem.

This is Eric Frierson, one of the amazing Subject Librarians.

The Office of Student Governance and Organizations offers scholarships to recognize and reward competent and reliable student leaders involved in Constituency Councils, Ambassadors, FLOC, the Graduate Student Senate, and Student Congress. Up to twelve scholarships across two levels may be awarded annually (6 per fall/spring semester). All applicants must be in good standing with the university and have completed at least one semester of involvement in the level for which they are applying. Please be aware if you apply for more than one level, you will only be awarded one scholarship if you are a recipient. Because this is scholarship money to be applied to your next semester, graduating seniors* or students transferring to another school are not eligible.

To apply: Complete a Volunteer Leaders’ Scholarship Application form and submit to Student Governance and Organizations (Lower Level, University Center, Box 19350, Arlington, Tx 76019 / Phone 817-272-2293, FAX 817-272-7352).
Spring Deadline: December 16, 2009

Value:
Two levels (Level I: 3 at $150, Level II: 3 at $200) to be applied in the upcoming semester. This may be applied for in the fall or spring semester. It will be applied to tuition and fees.

Eligibility:
Level I:
Members of Ambassadors, Constituency Councils, Student Congress, FLOC, and the Graduate Student Senate.
Level II:
Ambassador Secretary, Committee Chairs (Student Congress,
Constituency Councils, Ambassadors, FLOC, the Graduate Student
Senate), and members of the UTA-HOSTS! Leadership Team.

Criteria:Volunteer Leaders Application
Applicants should exhibit skills including but not limited to the
areas of: 1) willingness to participate in a variety of activities,
2) reliability and dependability, and 3) potential for growth in a
CC/FLOC/Ambassador/SC/GSS leadership position, and 4) exceeding
expectations for their position.

Applicants for Level II should exhibit leadership skills including but not limited to the areas of:
1) organizational skills, 2) ability to delegate, 3) motivation skills, and 4) initiative.
*Graduating seniors who are continuing on to Graduate School are eligible.Volunteer Leaders Application

Volunteer Leaders Application