While ASU travel restrictions remain in place, the Graduate College will continue to offer professional development funding for internet-based programs and events which occur between August 1 and September 30, 2020. Awards of up to $500 are available to help cover registration costs for online/remote conferences, workshops, and training related to their degree studies.

The time you spend during graduate school can be some of the most rewarding as well as the most challenging times in your life. It is an opportunity to create lifelong friendships and learn skills that translate into a strong career. It is also a time when you can be challenged the most intellectually, emotionally and often financially. There can be incredible uncertainty about how your hard work and learning will translate into a long term career under the best of circumstances.

In seeking ways to best support ASU graduate students during the current pandemic, the Graduate College is pleased to announce the creation of a new award to help ease some of the unanticipated financial burdens due to COVID-19 as well as some flexibility with our summer travel award funding to continue supporting professional development during ongoing travel restrictions.  

In our April 7 edition of the Grad15 webinar, Nika Gueci with the ASU Center for Mindfulness, Resilience and Compassion shared resources and tips on mindfully navigating times of disruption. More conversation than presentation, the session gave graduate students the chance to ask questions, share their challenges, and exchange strategies for maintaining mental health during our COVID isolation.

Grad15 is a new weekly mini-webinar series tailored to address topics and challenges faced by graduate students in a timely manner.

In this week’s Grad15 mini-webinar, Amanda Athey and Janet Duke shared some timely advice and tips for graduate students preparing to defend their thesis and dissertation defenses online. Here are a few key takeaways from the session:

ASU’s Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience is offering the ASU community an hour of contemplation every day from 12:00 noon – 1 p.m. Billed as “Caring and connection in the time of COVID-19,” the sessions are open and free.  As noted by the Center, “the world and each of us in it remain much in need of community and connection at this time.” The virtual mediation practices are available via Zoom:  

While we are all feeling challenged by the uncertainty in response to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), that challenge can be multiplied if you have to put our research/data collection “on pause”. 

Are there ways to stay productive and not sidetracked? Yes! 

As we cope with the demands and challenges stemming from the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), I want to reassure you that ASU and the Graduate College are prepared for this challenge. You are too!  

Our first priority is your health and well-being. Shifting classes online is an immediate step we can take to contain the spread of the virus. We continue to monitor this quickly evolving situation and promise to update you as necessary.  

• ASU has extended online classes through the end of the spring semester.