Congratulations on your first week, Illini! In case you missed it, our Dean has a few words to mark the start of another exciting year. 

SAGE (Students Advising on Graduate Education) is the Graduate College's student advisory board. SAGE members share insight into the grad student experience at Illinois, enrich our grad student community, and help shape Graduate College programming. Every year we like to take a moment and highlight our incoming Board Members. Check out our GradLIFE blog to learn more about this year's SAGE members!

The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is a shopping-style pantry staffed by student volunteers. It is open to current Illinois students with an active i-card. It's opened on Tuesdays from 1-4pm and Saturdays from 2-5pm and is located inside the Instructional Kitchen of the ARC.

The Graduate College's Office of External Fellowships will offer two workshops on proposal writing: one for humanities & social sciences, the other for STEM. Knowing how to craft an effective funding proposal is an essential skill for anyone entering a research-oriented career.  Workshops will help students identify funding opportunities, strategize the components of an effective proposal, and think like a grant writer. See details in our recent GradFELLOWSHIPS newsletter.  Hum/SocSci workshop: Sept 12, 10:00-12:00 Register. STEM workshop: Sept 1, 2:00-4:30 Register.

The National Science Foundation offers Graduate Research Fellowships to US citizens & permanent residents in STEM, social science, & STEM education fields. The application requires two statements, & the Graduate College will offer workshops on each. The next Research Plan Statement workshop takes place Aug 29, 2-4:30 (Register), & the next Personal Statement workshop takes place Aug 31, 2-3:30 (Register). Interested students should first explore our new self-guided NSF-GRF Fundamentals Canvas course. See the recent GradFELLOWSHIPS newsletter for details on these and additional GRF workshops.

We want to support you throughout the thesis process, so we have created a Canvas workspace just for you! Our Thesis Workspace is broken into several modules that are designed to help you navigate the process of writing your thesis and learn more about available campus resources. We've included space for you to record your thoughts and created handouts to help you plan and prioritize. The thesis process can sometimes feel challenging or lonely, so this workspace has discussion boards where you can connect with a community of graduate students. Visit our website to learn more!

Looking for an industry job or internship starting Summer 2024? Hiring in many fields starts soon, and campus career fairs are happening in the next few weeks. Graduate College Career Development is ready to help you strategize your search, develop your resume and cover letter, prep for interviews, and negotiate. Schedule a career advising appointment (https://grad.illinois.edu/careers/advising) and attend our Industry/Nonprofit Job Search Workshop Series starting Wednesday (http://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops).

How can you create a powerful resume for your job search in industry or the nonprofit sector? In this workshop, you will learn how to properly format your resume, how to best integrate your skills, and tips for explaining your graduate school experience to make the best impression with employers. No registration required. This workshop will be held in person AND simultaneously broadcast online. Click here to join the workshop remotely.

Going on the academic job market? You’ll need a strong CV that presents your academic background and experience convincingly. And you’ll need a compelling cover letter that highlights your experience and fit with the department. Join us and learn the basics of preparing these application materials, including structure, content, and customization. No registration required. This workshop will be held in person AND simultaneously broadcast online. Click here to join the workshop remotely.

The Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship supports research at Israeli's leading universities. Applicants may be of any citizenship except Israeli and may come from any academic field. Applicants must have earned their PhDs at any point between Nov 1, 2020 and June 1, 2024.  The fellowship offers a stipend of ILS 168,000 and provides support up to two years.  For details, visit the Azrieli Fellowship listing in the Graduate College's Fellowship Finder database. Applications due Nov 15, 2023.  

The draft Spring 2023 list is now available at go.illinois.edu/lotrae. If your course is missing, check your instructor report against the criteria in the draft list. At least five students must have completed the relevant item(s) and you must have released your sections for inclusion on the list. For questions or corrections, email ices@illinois.edu or call 217-244-3846. 

Researchers and scholars in training, do you have what it takes to get started? A growing number of funding agencies, publishers, and professional associations around the world are requesting an ORCID iD at grant application, manuscript submission, and membership renewal. ORCID@Illinois provides an easy way to obtain this unique, persistent identifier and to link it to your Illinois identity. Get connected at ORCID@Illinois!

In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Illinois REDCap and how it can be used for the collection of research data, including how to create projects, instruments, and surveys and how to start collecting research data. It is recommended (but not required) that you have a REDCap account prior to attending the workshop. Information about accessing Illinois REDCap is available here: https://healthinstitute.illinois.edu/redcap. No prior REDCap experience is necessary.

Start the semester the "write" way! Our hybrid writing group provides graduate students with dedicated time to make progress on thesis or dissertation writing in a supportive atmosphere. Each meeting consists of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. Use this time to create or return to a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term projects, or jump-start a new writing project. You only need to register once with your U of I email to receive weekly email reminders all semester!

Starting 8/28, drop-in at the Writers Workshop between 4-9pm, Sun-Thu, for a short 15-30 minute consultation! These sessions are best for brainstorming, specific questions, smaller sections of a larger document, or shorter documents (1-3 page papers, application materials, etc.). These sessions are first-come, first-served, so there may be a wait to see a consultant, especially during busy periods of the semester.

Please join us for the Fall 2023 Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) speaker series, hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (OVCRI).  Feel free to join any and all talks, on topics ranging from research misconduct to publication ethics to privacy and data management.  Register online today!

Creative Dance for Children is a fun and engaging community program offered by the University of Illinois Department of Dance. Director Betty Allen and students of Dance at Illinois develop and teach creative sessions for children ages 4-10. Fall 2023 classes begin on Saturday, September 9 – November 4 (no classes on Saturday, October 21). Spots are limited. Register

Through the new National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Illinois Computes initiative, users today can access a share of the available Illinois Campus Cluster (ICC) compute nodes for free. Whether your domain is astronomy, biology, chemistry, or all the way through the alphabet to zoology, Illinois Computes and the ICC can help maximize your research. Get started here!

Every summer, F&S tags and removes all abandoned bikes. If you left your bike and want to reclaim it, email bike@illinois.edu; include location, make/model, color, and serial number, if possible. Bike registration information or other documentation will be needed to prove ownership (e.g., pictures). Deadline to reclaim your bicycle: Sept. 22. All unclaimed bicycles will be donated after that date.

Are you eager to find a vibrant community that celebrates diversity and bridges different Asian cultures and experiences, while providing a platform for Asian and Asian American graduate students to connect, share, and learn from one another? Stop by and join our launch event of the Asian and Asian American Grad Network! Desserts from Suzu’s Bakery and snacks are provided. RSVP now - http://go.illinois.edu/AAAGN!

QuEra Computing Inc., a leading quantum computing company, is visiting NCSA on 9/6. Please, join us for this special seminar where Yuval Boger, QuEra's CMO, will highlight how their technologies can be integrated into HPC centers, describe QuEra's current quantum computers, their large-scale product roadmap, and several unique applications that are made possible by this quantum technology.

Showcasing the breadth of microbial systems research on campus and how this work is driven through collaboration, this two-and-one-half day symposium will open with a public lecture by Director of Biosphere Sciences & Engineering at Carnegie Science, Margaret McFall-Ngai, followed by presentations by Illinois researchers and invited speakers, and a panel discussion on Microbes in Society. 

CSBS invites researchers to a virtual workshop with colleagues across the nation to develop a vision for an open source platform that reflects the priorities, challenges, and needs of the social and behavioral science community for the capacity of research using smart devices. Presentation by Health Care Engineering Systems Center Director Jim Rehg, Q&A, and breakout discussion groups.

Meet Illinois' 2023 cohort of Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows and the inaugural cohort of Illinois students who participated in the Health Equity Research Experience at Mayo Clinic for 10 weeks this summer. Learn about their Mayo Clinic research projects during a poster session, followed by a recognition ceremony. Light refreshments will be served. 

Join us on Zoom this upcoming Tuesday @ 2 p.m. CT for an exciting talk titled "Countering Imposter Syndrome" featuring Amie Baumeister, Assistant Director of Gender Equity at the Women's Resource Center on campus. "Imposter Syndrome" is often used to describe internal experiences of intellectual phoniness that appear prevalent and intense among a select sample of high-achieving women. Explore the common ways imposter syndrome shows up and ways to combat it. This event is free to attend and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

The Sky Happiness Retreat is an internationally acclaimed life-skills program that helps participants develop relaxed, stress-free mind and healthy body through evidence-based meditation, yoga, breathwork, socio-emotional development in a fun and experiential format. The retreat is for all UIUC staff, faculty, and fully funded for all UIUC students. Sign up link: https://tinyurl.com/uiucseptember

Join us for our welcome back event and open house in partnership with the University YMCA. Stop by to tour the building, learn more about the organizations housed in the building, resources for staff and students, food, games, therapy dogs, and more! 

Renting a place to live, whether on your own or with roommates, is a big commitment. Learn about leases and how rental contracts work so you know your responsibilities and rights when it comes to renting a place to call home. Join us on September 6 for "Read Before You Sign: Renting & Leasing" at 12 pm CT on Zoom. Registration required.

Students who are undocumented, DACA, or TPS experience unique challenges in higher education. Join University staff, administration, and faculty to learn to better support undocumented students at the University of Illinois. This training is an opportunity to hear from undocumented students and join a network of campus allies. Space is limited. Register to attend at go.illinois.edu/UndocuAlly. 

This retreat is for faculty and graduate students about the landscape of public humanities at Illinois. Our starting point will be the report from the National Humanities Alliance, which curates a variety of examples of public humanities practice nationally. Review these documents, which will guide the collective conversation: go.illinois.edu/PHAreadings. Please register for this event.

Join the Interseminars Initiative’s first cohort for a symposium brimming with scholarly panels, installations, exhibitions, and performances, concluding with a reception and book release celebration. Nine graduate student fellows will be showcasing 18 months’ worth of interdisciplinary experiments, findings, speculations, and pedagogical suggestions. This event also features keynote speakers and guest performers. View symposium schedule.

McKinley Health Center serves on-campus students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The University of Illinois Counseling Center provides mental health counseling and well-being education for students.

If you or a student you know may need support with their basic needs or financial stressors, please reach out.