The Graduate School is happy to tell you that for the first time, graduate students completing their degrees during summer term may participate in the spring commencement ceremony.  A special form must be completed by summer graduates and their major professors to arrange participation in the ceremony.

If you have students who expect to complete a degree spring or summer term, please share this information from the Graduate School’s commencement web site: http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/success/commencement.

Please direct all questions to Julie.kurtz@oregonstate.edu.

Thank you.

Good Afternoon: Several weeks ago the College of Agricultural Sciences hosted a workshop “FERPA Outside the Classroom”. The workshop PowerPoint, video, and some templates are now available at the website below. We will be adding some additional materials and important links for faculty and staff in the upcoming weeks. As we heard during the workshop there are many issues surrounding FERPA and letters of recommendation, reference calls, etc. I will be vetting an official process for the College in a few weeks. Until that time we recommend the following actions:
1. When asked to write a letter of recommendation, please get the student’s specific permission to address all or certain aspects of their academic performance (see Example 3). If done by email the email must come from their onid account. Remember that there is no such thing as implied consent, even with letters of recommendation.
2. Departments can consider collecting a general consent form from students. We suggest using a form which includes the College of Agricultural Sciences, rather than just the department. The upcoming process will consider whether to require College level consent , collected and archived at the department level. Remember that these must be renewed each year.
3. Have a conversation with students about the consent form and what it means. Again, we will consider a College wide effort to inform students and/or at the department level.
4. Recall, even after graduation a letter of recommendation requires a release for use of academic performance information.

http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/students/ferpa

Finally, any input on how the College should approach FERPA consent agreements is welcome. Please email me with your thoughts.

Penelope L. Diebel
Assistant Dean of Academic Programs
College of Agricultural Sciences

Nominations are being accepted for the Karel J. H. Murphy Professional Faculty Leadership and Service Award. This award recognizes a professional faculty member who has provided outstanding leadership and service throughout their career both within their Department and in programs and organizations across Oregon State University.   Award criteria is available at http://oregonstate.edu/pfla/awards/karel-murphy

Nominations will be accepted through April 9.   Please direct questions to Michelle Mahana at michelle.mahana@oregonstat.edu

The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.
Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry

Dreyfus foundation Deadline:  August 3, 2015
Funding:  $120,000 over two years

Applications should describe innovative fundamental research in the chemical sciences or engineering related to the environment. Examples include but are not limited to the chemistry associated with: the climate, the atmosphere, aquatic or marine settings, toxicology, soil or groundwater. Also of interest are chemistry-related energy research (renewable sources, sequestration, etc.), and new or green approaches to chemical synthesis and processing both with a clearly stated relation to the environment.

Applications are accepted from principal investigators who have well-established research efforts in environmental science or engineering.

Complete program details: http://dreyfus.org/awards/postdoctoral_program.shtml

If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Delmore at debbie.delmore@oregonstate.edu.

It is time, once again, for OSU to name the “Undergraduate Researcher of the Year.”  This award, which seeks to recognize significant efforts of students engaged in scholarly work in their disciplines, will be presented to student participants in the Celebrating Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) event to be held on the MU Quad on May 14.  Students in each undergraduate college will be recognized, as well as one awardee for the entire campus.

Nominations for the award are due no later than April 13 and must come from faculty mentors.  The process is described in the attached file.  Please direct questions to Kevin Ahern at ahernk@onid.orst.edu.

The Office of Undergraduate Research seeks nominations of OSU faculty members in all disciplines who are guiding undergraduates in projects of research and creativity for OSU’s 2015 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year. Complete nominations are due April 13.  Instructions are attached here and available on the Undergraduate Research Web page – http://oregonstate.edu/students/research/

For questions, contact Kevin Ahern at ahernk@onid.orst.edu

As current or past members of PKP, with an affiliation at OSU, we would welcome your nominations for the 2015 PKP Emerging Scholar Award.  The OSU chapter of the Honor Society of PKP established the award to honor tenure-track faculty members in any academic unit who are in the early stages of their professional careers in recognition of outstanding research or creative activity in their field of study.  The award consists of a plaque and first year membership dues to both the local OSU Chapter and the National Society of Phi Kappa Phi.  A nominee must be a faculty member at OSU who:
•         holds a tenure-track appointment at the rank of assistant professor in any academic field at the University
•         has conducted outstanding research or creative work in the arts, sciences, or professional fields, especially while at OSU
Applications must be submitted by April 10 to: Michael.Wing@OregonState.edu .  For more details, please go to http://phikappaphi.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/EmergingScholarFlier2015.pdf

Nominees do not need to be current members of PKP.

Nominations for classified or professional faculty to receive a monthly Merit Award are now being accepted. The award recognizes and encourages outstanding performance in the work place. The nominator may be anyone from the campus community. Potential qualities include great working attitude, cooperation, courtesy, creativity, flexibility, professionalism, quality of work, sense of humor, and other qualities the nominee admires. Nominations are due by March 16. For more information: http://oregonstate.edu/aop/awards-recognition.  February’s is Beth Chamblin, College of Vet Med.