Yes, just to clarify, this has nothing to do with GAPSA and I was blindsided with this as well. (As if GAPSA has, would ever have or should ever have this kind of power - unlikely). This event (put on by a subcommittee of the school's Graduate Council, which is made up of deans/associate deans of every College along with a few others from the Registrar, University Life, etc and headed by the Associate Provost for Graduate Education - which is currently vacant, more about that below) was apparently intended for only graduate coordinators and only came to me through a rather round-about way (and accidentally I learned). I will write up something more detailed about the meeting and the proposal BUT a few things to set people's minds at ease for now until I have some time:
1. This was the FIRST of several meetings and points of contact for this proposal - I know the head of the subcommittee and he is a good guy, we are currently in the process of scheduling a Town Hall for late-April. There will also be a survey and other ways to make your voices heard.
2. The earliest that this proposal will be voted on by the Graduate Council will be late-2013 but most likely January 2014. The earliest this new system would be implemented is Fall 2014. And most importantly for those of us in the midst of our program, everyone here before Fall 2014 would be grandfathered in and would remain under the current 11 year limit (6 years to advance and 5 to finish your dissertation).
More about the details soon,
Steve
Steven A. Harris Scott
________________________________________
From: HISTPHD-L [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Ammon Shepherd [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 2:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: voting in GAPSA Elections and an OPEN FORUM on "Revised Time Limits for Ph.D. Programs" TODAY at 3pm!!!
Totally agree with Tad. :)
(Although I did realize this had nothing to do with GAPSA or Steve personally. I still think Tad nailed it in his assessment.)
Ammon
On Apr 3, 2013, at 2:44 PM, Tad Suiter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Royce--
>
> Thanks for the clarification. I was in fact reading this as a subcommittee of GAPSA, since it was buried in the GAPSA news. While I knew we had a Departmental Graduate Committee, and but I had no idea there was a GMU-wide Graduate Committee, so it didn't even occur to me that THAT was what Steve meant.
>
> My bad.
>
> Though that said, I still don't think it'll achieve anything for anyone, and the fact that we're hearing about it the day of the meeting (or in my case, the day after), sounds like yet another example of the administration sneaking things through. Like I said, time-to-completion is the new mantra for how to "fix" grad school among those who have little interest in actually sufficiently funding and supporting students to succeed across higher ed. With Mason's administration, I'm not at all surprised if we're going to be shoved onto that bandwagon.
>
>
> —Tad
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 2:29 PM, Royce Gildersleeve <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Royce Gildersleeve
> Reference Assistant
> Johnson Center Library
> PhD Candidate-Department of History
> George Mason University
> (703) 993-9867
> [log in to unmask]
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ammon Shepherd <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 2:15 pm
> Subject: Re: voting in GAPSA Elections and an OPEN FORUM on "Revised Time Limits for Ph.D. Programs" TODAY at 3pm!!!
>
> > Totally agree with Tad. I could get my dissertation done in 1 year
> > if I had full funding for it!
> >
> >
> > On Apr 3, 2013, at 2:06 PM, Tad Suiter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Yeah, found out about this too late to attend-- some of us work
> > off-campus, which seems not to be a concern of those who are
> > drafting this proposal-- but I would love to know the logic behind
> > this.
> > >
> > > It strikes me as very similar to the push recently announced at
> > CUNY, this new mantra of time-to-completion. But that's really
> > shuffing the responsibility off and back onto the student, isn't
> > it? Shouldn't an organization advocating for the grad students of
> > Mason be working for more FUNDING and other resources that would
> > make a desire for quicker time-to-completion an achievable goal for
> > more students, rather than drafting measures that don't ensure any
> > greater support for students to reach completion that instead
> > simply tries to motivate students through a threat?
> > >
> > > In the debate between carrots and sticks, shouldn't we be
> > advocating for more carrots, rather than quicker use of the stick?
> > >
> > > I feel like this would most harm the students who are working at
> > other jobs-- and we have people in our department already working
> > as professional historians! Why would we want to discourage people
> > working in government historical jobs and for local museums (DC has
> > some of the best in the nation) from seeking professional
> > development in the form of a PhD from GMU?
> > >
> > >
> > > —Tad
> > >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Apr 2, 2013 at 2:21 PM, Mary Linhart <[log in to unmask]>
> > wrote:>
> > > Why are you reducing the time limits? I see no advantage at all
> > to this. Am I missing something?
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > >
> > >
> > > From: sscott4 <[log in to unmask]>
> > >
> > > Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2013 2:03 pm
> > >
> > > Subject: Re: voting in GAPSA Elections and an OPEN FORUM on
> > "Revised Time Limits for Ph.D. Programs" TODAY at 3pm!!!
> > >
> > >
> > > > Hi everyone, forgot to attach the draft proposal for the
> > Revised
> > > > Time Limits for PhD Programs so here that is.
> > > >
> > > > Steve
> > > >
> > > > Steven A. Harris Scott
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ________________________________________
> > > > From: HISTPHD-L [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of sscott4
> > > > [[log in to unmask]]Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 1:42
> > PM
> > > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > > Subject: voting in GAPSA Elections and an OPEN FORUM on
> > "Revised
> > > > Time Limits for Ph.D. Programs" TODAY at 3pm!!!
> > > >
> > > > Hi everyone,
> > > >
> > > > Many many thanks to Spencer Roberts for volunteering to be
> > written
> > > > in for Director of Communications for GAPSA to keep a History
> > grad
> > > > student in GAPSA's governing structure! Please vote today or
> > > > tomorrow at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z6SVPJ5 for the
> > > > following candidates that I am endorsing:
> > > >
> > > > President - Katy Seipel
> > > > VP of Fairfax - Josh St. Louis
> > > > Director of Communications - Spencer Roberts
> > > >
> > > > If you don't know Spencer, here is his bio:
> > > >
> > > > Spencer Roberts is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History; he
> > also
> > > > has an MA in History, and a BA in History and English
> > Literature
> > > > with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric. Spencer has written for
> > > > school newspapers, trained in video and audio engineering,
> > worked
> > > > in radio as a manager and host, and served as an editor for
> > > > numerous organizations. Spencer hopes to bring his experience
> > and
> > > > skills into GAPSA in order to facilitate high-quality,
> > effective
> > > > communications and also to explore new opportunities for
> > increased
> > > > awareness and participation among graduate students at GMU.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Also of interest to some of you:
> > > >
> > > > **OPEN FORUM: Revised Time Limits for Ph.D. Programs: Tuesday
> > 4/2
> > > > at 3pm, Mason Hall D5 (sorry for the lateness of this
> > > > announcement, I was just made aware of this event)
> > > >
> > > > A subcommittee of the Mason Graduate Council was recently
> > formed
> > > > to examine the current rules about maximum duration of PhD
> > studies
> > > > at Mason. The committee prepared a draft proposal which was
> > > > discussed at the Graduate Council last month.
> > > >
> > > > We would like to invite you all to an open forum to discuss
> > this
> > > > proposed draft and hear your comments before the proposal moves
> > > > forward. A draft of the proposal is attached, with changes
> > > > underlined.
> > > > The forum is scheduled for Tue. April 2 at 3:00 pm. It will
> > take
> > > > place in Mason Hall, room D0005.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > **Also, please attend one or more events for Graduate and
> > > > Professional Student Appreciation Week! See the poster here:
> > > > http://gradlife.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Grad-App-Week2013-
> > > > Final.pdf - today, there will be ice cream in the Grad Student
> > Center!
> > > >
> > > > All the best,
> > > > Steve
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Steven A. Harris Scott
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ________________________________________
> > > > From: sscott4
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 10:25 AM
> > > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > > Subject: particpating in GAPSA
> > > >
> > > > Hi everyone,
> > > >
> > > > After the wonderful response I got for the Library Advisory
> > > > committee (although I know that was personal for many of you),
> > I
> > > > figured I would attempt another call for service - this time
> > for
> > > > my current organization, GAPSA. I will (finally) be ending my
> > time
> > > > there this week - although I will continue as an ex-Officio
> > member
> > > > of the Board - and would love to continue the tradition of
> > having
> > > > a History PhD involved. We are in need of a Director of
> > > > Communications and the best news about that: fewer meeting (one
> > a
> > > > month at most) AND more importantly, I've decided to make it a
> > > > mission of my time as a GAPSA ex-President to argue for a
> > stipend
> > > > to be paid to Exec Board members. So, if you're interested in
> > > > making a newsletter every couple of months, sending some emails
> > > > and taking only a few notes very possibly for some extra cash
> > and
> > > > a lot of free food, let me know asap. We'll have to write you
> > in
> > > > since the ballot comes out at noon today but if we get our
> > fellow
> > > > History PhDs to help, I t!
> > > > hink you'll have no problem getting enough write-in votes to
> > win
> > > > (there is currently no candidate).
> > > >
> > > > Many thanks,
> > > > Steve
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Steven A. Harris Scott
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > I'd just like to point out that "A subcommittee of the Mason Graduate Council"--the group examining PhD time limits--is not GAPSA. Also, Steve himself is not attempting to shorten the PhD time limit, as some on this list seem to think. My understanding of the email is that Steve was attempting to draw our attention to the issue--and the forum at which it was to be debated--as soon as he found out about it.
>
> Cheers,
> Royce
>
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