Authorizing Access to Research and Creative Works Spaces

Graduate students participating in research or creative activities — as paid staff or in graduate assistantships or in education roles (e.g., research hours, internships, independent studies, volunteers) — are expected to complete the Return to Work Authorization form to engage in research or creative activities on campus. If you have already completed a form, you

Written and Oral Defenses and Graduate Committee Meetings – General Guidance

• Appropriate adjustments may be necessary for students or faculty who are at risk for developing severe illnesses (or caring for those at such risk) and those with poor internet service. • Anyone who requests participation remotely must be accommodated, with no risk of reprisal. • All students and faculty will need access to video

Department and Program Admissions Considerations for 2021-22

The pandemic has slowed some students’ progress for their degrees, especially related to their research, scholarship, and other creative works. As you prepare for 2021-22 admissions and offers of financial support, consider whether your program should admit fewer students in order to provide another year of financial support to students whose work has slowed due

Dr. Manuel Leal

Faculty Spotlight- Dr. Manuel Leal Faculty Member Building a Lab Where Everyone is Welcomed. As a kid, he would play with lizards in his backyard, so it was an easy transition to study them in graduate school. Manuel Leal, Ph.D., grew up in Puerto Rico and was always interested in understanding how the Anolis lizards

Written and Oral Defenses and Graduate Committee Meetings for Fall 2020

• Remote written examinations and Zoom defenses and committee meetings should be prioritized (see Zoom Defense Tips) • For some disciplines (particularly in the Arts), it is essential for the defense to be conducted in person and with an audience. In these cases, the advisor and/or DGS should notify the Dean or their designee for

City of Columbia Updates

If you are wondering how the City of Columbia is responding to COVID-19, click here for information.

Food and Other Support Resources

We recognize that there are members of our community who are food insecure. The following resources are available to assist. The MU Tiger Pantry is open for delivery and curbside pickup: Veterans United put together a map of free food locations in Columbia: A local restaurant, the Broadway Diner, is offering free meals to children

Aetna COVID-19 Coverage

There are benefit liberalizations for the Aetna student health plan. The include the following: Antibody testing is covered at no cost share MinuteClinic is offering E-Clinic visits and are covered under the telemedicine no cost share benefit Free home delivery of prescriptions is extended to 9/30/2020 Aetna resumes standard prior authorization protocols for inpatient admissions

Graduate Assistantships for Continuing Students (from Spring 2020)

If a continuing graduate student has been offered and accepted an assistantship for the 2020 summer session and/or next academic year (20-21), those contracts should be honored as written. For students with graduate assistantships whose stipend support is from extramural grants and sponsors, departments should work with the sponsoring agencies to confirm their ongoing support.

CARES Act Emergency Financial Assistance (from Spring/Summer 2020)

The Federal CARES Act has allocated emergency financial aid grants to students who are unable to pay for expenses they have incurred as a result of the disruption to campus operations due to the COVID-19 circumstances. Expenses that you can request assistance for from this fund include food, housing, technology, travel to/from campus to a

Final Exams (from Spring 2020)

No changes have been made to MU’s final exam policies for Spring 2020. No final exams may be held outside of the final exam week. For the Spring 2020 semester, the final exam period begins Monday, May 11th, at 7:30 a.m. and ends Friday, May 15th, at noon. You can find the SP20 final exam

Recommendations for Summer 2020 For-Credit or Funded Research (from Spring 2020; Updated 4/23/20)

Graduate research is recognized for providing critical and formative experiences for most of our students. As always, and particularly during the current global health situation, each student and their Academic Unit should consider all opportunities thoroughly and weigh possible risks with the benefits of research experiences. With this context in mind, the following principles must

Tigers Supporting Columbia Community

Graduate Students Timely Shift to Online Tutoring Supports Columbia Community in Difficult Times By Christina Mascarenas As the world adapts to a temporary new normal with classes and meetings online so has a tutoring program. The ‘A Way With Words & Numbers’ (or AWWWN) non-profit tutoring program housed in the Career Center at the University

Academic Probation/Good Standing (from Spring 2020)

No graduate students will be placed on academic probation (i.e., cumulative GPA below 3.0) by the Graduate School at the end of the spring semester. Students who are already on academic probation will continue on probation and have until the end of the Fall 2020 semester to raise their cumulative GPA above 3.0. However, students

Annual Reviews for Graduate Students

Programs are expected to conduct annual reviews of graduate students . Keep in mind the challenges students are confronting, including care giving responsibilities; home schooling; pivoting research projects; and moving to classes in a new format, both as student and as instructor. These circumstances should be taken into account when determining whether a student is

Preparing for International Travel in the Future

As of April 6, 2020, all travel for university-related business is on hold until further notice. However, students may be preparing for travel in the fall. The International Center has guidance to assist students in their planning process related to course registration, finances, visa. Needs, safety, health and travel insurance, and other matters. Please refer

International Student Coursework for Fall 2020

In partnership with the International Center, guidance for international students admitted for Fall 2020 is available here. This guidance includes recommendations for students who have been admitted who may be delayed in getting a visa to begin in August 2020.

Remote Coursework for International Students for Summer 2020

Because MU will offer all courses this summer online/remotely, current international students may have questions about the implications for summer course-taking as it relates to their visas. The International Center has important information for programs and students.

International Student Admissions for Summer and Fall 2020

Should testing sites be closed, the Graduate School is working with students individually to be as flexible as possible to facilitate admission processes. Please contact Graduate Admissions. We will accept Duolingo scores as a substitute for IELTS and TOEFL during this time. Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved the delivery of immigration

Graduate Assistantship and Postdoctoral Scholar Offers for New Students and Postdocs

No existing offer should be rescinded. However, in light of fiscal guidance, any new offers, including as a replacement for a student who did not accept an offer, should be reviewed at the school or college level to determine whether an offer should be made. Postdoc offers that are submitted to the Office of Postdoctoral

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