Today marks the second session of the “Dissertation House for Employees” at UMBC.  We had some extra slots on our roster this year, so graduate students from the three campuses who’d requested a spot in any available DH were invited to join the group.  Some of our employees at UMBC are in doctoral programs at College Park, so it helped to have some of the College Park DH students present to provide connections.  At present, the room is quiet, and students in doctoral programs at UMB, UMBC, and UM College Park are working on their dissertations.  Here are some photos from last week, including books on statistics and the new APA Style Manual which are available in the UMBC Bookstore in the Commons.  Comments from participants continue in this thread: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2010/09/24/todays-september-24th-dissertation-house/#comments.

Today, we dedicate a Dissertation House session to employees.  So many people are leaders in their respective careers, but they haven’t been able to take the time to finish the dissertation. This session is for them. Among them, we will have a couple of graduate students from our tri-campus who received special permission from Dr. Carter to join today’s group. These “experienced” grad students and alums from the other PROMISE Dissertation Houses at UMBC, UMB, UMCP, and Rocky Gap who are finishing their degrees within the next year will be able to provide our employees with motivation and encouragement. We believe that there is strength in numbers, so we are happy to have a full room today.  Today’s participants can enter their blog posts as comments to this message.

SEPTEMBER 2010

-Preparing for Ph.D. Candidacy: Rules, Regulations, and Forms

Friday, 9/17/10, 12 noon – 1 PM, Commons 331

-Success Seminar (Funding/Fellowships)
Wednesday, 9/22/10, 1:00-2:30 PM, AOK Library, 7th Floor Open Area

-Dissertation House for UMBC Employees (only)
Friday, 9/24/10, 9:00 – 5:00 PM (Part I), Commons 329
Friday, 10/1/10, 9:00 – 12 noon (Part II), Commons 329

-PROMISE Opening Meeting

Friday, 9/24/10, 4:30  – 6:30 PM, Public Policy 206

Dissertation House for UMBC Employees (only)
Friday, 9/24/10, 9:00 – 5:00 PM (Part I), Commons 329
Friday, 10/1/10, 9:00 – 12 noon (Part II), Commons 329

DISSERTATION HOUSE APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The on-campus setting provides Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement. Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations. Students will learn effective time-management skills; learn how to set small manageable goals, and will meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them completing their degrees.

This is a Friday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation. The Dissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

To apply to attend the Employee 2010 Dissertation House, submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1 inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period. Please use the following guidelines:

(1) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method;

(2) Amount completed on the project to date; and

(3) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation. Include the following header information with the description:

Name:
Address:
Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax):
E-mail address:
Academic Program:
Year in Program:
Degree Sought (Masters or Doctorate):
Expected Defense Date:
Expected Graduation Date:

DATES/LOCATION

• University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC): Sept 24, 2010, (9-5) Room in Commons TBA
  
• University of Maryland at Baltimore County(UMBC): Oct 1: 9-12 (follow-up Session)
  

APPLICATION PERIOD

Monday, September 13 , 2010 – Friday, September 17, 2010.

Email applications to promisestaff@gmail.com with the subject line: “Dissertation House”