In this issue:
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Classes on caucus night
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Scholarship search update
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Spring 2008 degree application deadline is February 5
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Exit interview reminder
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New request for special exam form
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Office of Admissions change in business hours
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Graduate non-degree registration for spring 2008
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Introduction of new ASR staff
Classes on caucus night
Tuesday, February 5, 2008, is Minnesota's caucus night. All University of Minnesota classes scheduled to meet on caucus night will be held. However, if a faculty or staff member scheduled to teach on caucus night and would like to attend their party caucus, or if enough students indicate that they will be attending caucus so that holding class becomes impractical, instructors may either cancel class or make reasonable alternative arrangements. Instructors are expected to make reasonable accommodations for students who will be attending their party caucus.
Scholarship search update
The University of Minnesota Undergraduate Scholarship Search is preparing for launch.
The “quiet launch” phase will began this week (January 14, 2008). For four weeks, the tool will be available to scholarship administrators and other project stakeholders, but not promoted to students. During this time, scholarship administrators are encouraged to enter remaining scholarships and criteria; view and adjust the scholarship data they've entered; and ensure they are satisfied with how their scholarships will be promoted to students. Staff participation during this quiet launch period is essential to a successful launch to students.
The tool is currently scheduled to go live for students in February. Please stay posted for updates to the project schedule and information about how your college or department can help promote the tool to students.
The new scholarship search will show current students information about University scholarships that may be a good fit for them. The search tool gives a brief summary of targeted scholarships based on the student’s academic record and personal information, and tells them where to go to learn more. The scholarship search will be available at onestop.umn.edu.
Scholarship administrators will receive information from the project team about how they can begin viewing their scholarship information during the “quiet launch” phase of the project; if you have questions, please contact Santiago Fernandez-Gimenez at ferna010@umn.edu. You can also visit the project Web site at http://asr.umn.edu/scholarship.
Spring 2008 degree application deadline is February 5
The spring 2008 Application for Degree deadline for undergraduate students and for professional programs with term-based graduation is February 5, 2008.
Remind undergraduate students to apply for graduation online at http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/graduating.html.
Exit interview reminder
As spring term approaches, many students are making their graduation plans. If a student took out any kind of a student loan at any time while attending the University, that student's plans should include scheduling an exit interview.
Depending on the student, an exit interview may take the form of an in-person interview, or the student may go through an online exit interview with the lender. If a student received a Perkins student loan, a health profession or a nursing student loan, or a University trust fund loan, he or she must do an exit interview with Student Financial Collections (SFC). Most professional schools will set up dates when SFC will come to their school to do the exits in a group setting.
Undergraduates and graduate students (except professional school students) should go to Grad Fest on Wednesday, March 26, between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or Thursday, March 27, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Grad Fest will be held in the Great Hall of Coffman Union. Exit interviews can be completed at Grad Fest.
Questions about exit interviews should be directed to Student Financial Collections at stdtloan@umn.edu.
New request for special exam form
The new Request for Special Exam form (OTR 154) is available on One Stop forms online. The new form accompanies the new fee process, which allows the $50 per credit special exam fee to be posted directly to a student’s account. Please note
- The fee is optional; colleges may decide whether or not to charge it. But in order to charge the fee, the college offering the exam must officially request the fee.
- Colleges and departments should define the internal process through which the fee will be charged to the students’ accounts. All credit exam fees for a term must be posted in a timely manner so that students are billed within the same term. See the billing schedule for details.
- In order for staff to post fees to a student’s account, they must have attended two training sessions: Student Data Inquiry and SF Posting. To sign up for Student Data Inquiry training, go to http://training.asr.umn.edu and select “Student Records.” If Student Data Inquiry has already been completed, contact Student Financials Help at sfhelp@umn.edu to arrange for posting training.
- The department/college has final discretion about whether to offer an exam for credit.
- The student’s college has final discretion over whether to apply any credit earned by special exam toward a student’s degree program.
- Review the new form for more information.
Office of Admissions change in business hours
Beginning December 31, 2007, the Office of Admissions adjusted
its business hours. The call center and visit offices will be staffed
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. In past years, the
office has opened at 8:00 a.m. and remained open until 6:00 p.m. on
Mondays. The visit office will continue to be open on select Saturdays
during the school year.
Graduate non-degree registration for spring 2008
Non-degree registration is in full swing for the spring 2008 term. Students who have been admitted to a graduate program for a future semester, or those who are considering applying to a program, may contact University of Minnesota departments to determine which classes would meet Master's degree requirements, as well as learn how to register. These students should complete a Request for Graduate Credit form and submit it to the department(s) offering the course(s). If the department's Director of Graduate Studies or the designee approves the course(s) for graduate credit, the form is signed and faxed to 612-626-9129 for processing. The form can also be forwarded to: One Stop Student Services, 130 West Bank Skyway, 219 19th Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55455-0427.
A new link has been added to the One Stop Web site that includes detailed information about this process: http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Registration/Additional_Registration_Information/
Registering_for_Courses/Graduate_Credit.html.
As in past semesters, non-degree students are required to pay their tuition and fees in full by the first due date of the semester (February 20) to avoid cancellation of their course(s). Questions can be directed to Amy Morrisey (612-624-6871, morri107@umn.edu), or Alison Frank-Quick (612-626-9116, fran0332@umn.edu).
Welcome new Academic Support Resources staff
We are pleased to introduce some new members to the Academic Support Resources (ASR) team:
Carolyn Davidson
Carolyn joins the Office of Student Finance as a Business Analyst. Prior to joining ASR, Carolyn was a Security Analyst for the Office of Information Technology focused on the PeopleSoft Application including student information. Carolyn is a graduate of Central Michigan University.
Chuck Hippman
Chuck joins the Office of Student Finance as a Business Analyst. Chuck graduated from the University with a B.S. in Computer Science and is currently taking classes for his MBA. Before joining ASR, he worked for the College of Liberal Arts' Office of Information Technology in desktop support for 5 years, both as a student and full-time employee. In his free time, Chuck plays a lot of ultimate frisbee.
Bernie Miller
Bernie is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, IA, and joins the ASR as a Business Analyst in the Office of the Registrar. He has spend the past 9 years working in the Office of Information Technology as a Senior Analyst/Programmer supporting enterprise-wide PeopleSoft applications, and has worked in Information Technology for the past 30 years. When Bernie isn’t working on the University’s computers or fixing those of his friends, he enjoys (among other things) singing, ballroom dancing, cooking and the theater.
Emily Mraz
Emily joins the Office of the Registrar as an Assistant Athletic Eligibility Coordinator working with Tracy Fischer. Emily has a degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Most recently, she was an academic adviser in the College of Liberal Arts. Prior to that, she worked with processing applications and student visa documents for the former Minnesota English Center.