The Graduate School Blog

Hey everyone,

I would like to invite you all to a meet and greet with the new graduate students of this semester. It will be at 7pm on Thurs. at Yo Burrito.

I would like to see at least one  representative from each program there. This way the new students can meet their representatives and get more involved in the GSA. Remember, if we don’t try to connect to the new students, the GSA will not continue to survive and grow.

In addition, there is a CofC basketball game next Mon. Jan 12th. at 7pm. Admission is free with a CofC ID. It is supporting Dance Marathon that night, but even if you are not attending Dance Marathon, a group of us will be attending and I am sure it will be a good time.

Oh, and keep this in the back of your mind. When we volunteered at the Lowcountry Food Bank a couple of months ago, they said that during Jan and Feb, there are few donations and the same demand. Therefore, to help them out with this, we will be having a food drive. More details to follow soon.

More events to come,

Bryan Danson
Chair of GSA Social Activities and Student Outreach Committee
bryan.danson@gmail.com

After two wonderful weeks, we’re back in the office ready to make the most out of the new year.  Granted, we haven’t all had our coffee yet and are still waking up.

I’m sure you’re eagerly working on planning and sticking to those resolutions, and we want to help.  If you’re thinking about going back to school and want to know more about our programs or what materials you need to submit with your application, feel free to ask.  You can call us (843.953.5614), email us, or even stop by.  We are located in room 310 of Randolph Hall (#40 on any campus map) and are open from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  If you can’t get downtown during those hours, we are open until 7:00 p.m. on the third Monday and Thursday of each month.  And if that still doesn’t work for your schedule, just let us know and we’ll schedule an appointment with you for after hours.

If you’re a new student, be sure to register for orientation if you haven’t already!  Orientation is this Thursday, and check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Robert Scott Small Auditorium.  The presentation will begin promptly at 6:00.  And be sure to stick around after Orientation for the Graduate Student Association’s meet & greet at Yo Burrito.

Happy New Year!

The Graduate School of the College of Charleston now offers a Graduate Certificate in Special Education!

I was excited to learn this week that the School of Education, Health and Human Performance has approved our ninth graduate certificate! The added bonus?  General and special education teachers can begin taking classes as early as January 12!

As an educator, you can concentrate in learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, mental disabilities and multicategorical disabilities - in your backyard.  The closest graduate program in special education is in Orangeburg.  This is also beneficial to the school system, as the five local school districts lose between 15 and 80 special educators each year to relocation and retirement.  Nationally, the employment needs for special education teachers is expected to grow 15% through 2016.

To apply for January classes, submit your non-degree Special Education application by Friday, January 9.  If you have questions about this program, please contact our program representatives, Dr. Springer or Dr. Gurganus.  For questions regarding the applciation process, please contact Mrs. Hallatt.

While everyone’s getting ready to visit friends and family for the holidays, it may be easy to forget a few last minute tasks like registering for orientation.

All new graduate students are encouraged to attend graduate student orientation on Thursday, January 8.  Check-in begins at 5:30, and the presentation begins at 6:00.  Be sure to plan on sticking around after Orientation so the Graduate Student Association can get to know you better at a local haunt, like Yo Burrito on Wentworth Street.

Tell us you’re coming by registering online.  Thanks!

Since we’re getting ready to take a two-week break, I decided it was time to face the 14 inches of paperwork shoved in a dark corner of my office.  An inch in, I found the College of Charleston Magazine. Since I’ve been remiss in reading the various newspapers and magazines that come through my office, I propped up my feet and turned the cover.

Flipping through, I came across Found in Translation, an article written on the volunteer work of Dr. Elizabeth Martinez-Gibson.  Not only does she volunteer 100+ hours each year at the Medical University of South Carolina as a medical interpreter, she is also the founder of the first medical interpreting graduate-level certificate program in the southeast.

The certificate is offered in conjunction with our master’s in Bilingual Interpreting.  When enrolled in the degree program and take one additional course in the certificate program, you graduate with both a master’s in interpreting and a certificate in medical & healthcare interpreting.  Not a bad deal if you ask me!

Dr. Martinez-Gibson is also working on expanding opportunities to study medical translation at the undergraduate level at College of Charleston.  Her “main focus now is to give students an opportunity for another career choice.  There is a great need throughout the United States for medical interpreting, and opportunities in other countries as well, if their Spanish is strong.”  We are very excited and proud of the energy and devotion Dr. Martinez-Gibson has put forth for all of our programs.

Learn more about our graduate-level interpreting opportunities online.

College of Charleston is taking a vacation!  Our offices will close Friday afternoon (Dec 19) and will not reopen until Monday, January 5.

By no means are we staying still though!

Our recently engaged director of student records, Miss Regan, will be spending time with their new kitten to hopefully decide on a name.  Currently, the choice is between Niko and Peak-A-Boo.  She and her hubby-to-be will also be traveling to visit her mother in Columbia, SC and make the uber-important decision on their wedding invitations.

Cliffs of Moher

Susan, our Director of Admissions, will have a most relaxing time at home with her husband watching Planet Earth.  She most certainly deserves a break after her brilliant performances!

One of our graduate students, Miss Bonnie Fee, will be traveling back home to Atlanta, GA to visit with her family.  She’s incredibly excited about taking her cousins (ages 3 and 1) on their first trip to the Georgia Aquarium.  Can’t you just see their wide eyes now?

Dean McCandless is taking yet another adventure.  Each Christmas, she and her sons visit a different country.  Last year it was the Czech Republic; this year it’s Ireland.  Amy & Co. will visit the Cliffs of Moher, tour Galway City, spend a day in Athenry, explore at least five castles, and of course find a chocolatier.

And because I enjoy driving so much, I’ve opted to drive at least 2,157 miles in nine days to visit friends and family.  That covers two countries, one province, six states and the District of Columbia.  I’m pretty excited because I’ll see snow for the first time in nearly seven years, and hopefully see the Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls at Night

Whatever your plans include, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday season.  Please feel free to send us emails while we’re away.  We may not be able to respond to them immediately, but we will try our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Happy Holidays!

Commencement ceremonies will take place on Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 10:00AM at the Carolina First Arena. Parking will be provided for both you and your guests at the Liberty Street Garage. Please retain your commencement program to qualify for the reduced rate.

Associate Dean Owens with Graduates

Graduate Students should enter the arena on the Meeting St. side and proceed to the immediate right of the lobby, and follow signs to the Graduate Student robbing room. Signs will guide you to the proper room. Graduate students need to be present at the arena no later than 9:15AM. Please respect this time, as it is essential that you be punctual in order to line-up for the procession. Latecomers may not be able to process. Last minute details will be provided at this time. There will be a guard from Public Safety remaining in the area, so you may leave your items there until after commencement.

If you encounter any problems with your regalia, please notify the Graduate School Office immediately.

Please remember that beginning this semester, every guest must have a ticket in order to enter the Carolina First Arena. Each student is allowed 8 tickets. If you have not picked up your tickets at the Graduate School Office, you must do so immediately. All tickets must be picked up by Friday, December 19, 2008.

PLEASE BE REMINDED THAT YOU MUST HAVE YOUR CAP, GOWN, AND HOOD WITH YOU AT THE CEREMONY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE!

Please notify us if you require special assistance in order to participate in the ceremony.

There will be a reception immediately following commencement for you and your guests.

We look forward to your graduation and hope this will be a very happy time for you and your guests.

NOTE: If you have changed your plans concerning your ceremony attendance, please notify me at 953-5614 or Fantryr@cofc.edu immediately.

The College of Charleston is the only institution in the nation offering a Master’s degree in bilingual interpreting during a widespread shortage of court interpreters. Cases are being reversed, rescheduled and retried in nearly every state because of the shortage of qualified interpreters, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Demand is steadily increasing for the College of Charleston’s Master of Arts degree in bilingual interpreting (36 credits) as well as the graduate certificates available in medical and health care interpreting and bilingual legal interpreting (12 credits). Applications for the legal interpreting certificate have doubled in size over just the past year.

Graduate student Lydia Lester is in her first semester of the program and says the career opportunities made the decision easy. “I’m interested in law, but didn’t want to go to law school and I lived in South America for three years. I love the idea of combining both of those interests. Plus it is good to know that I’ll have a job as soon as I graduate.”

To become certified, court interpreters must have a high level of proficiency of two languages and must past a difficult test. Once certified, court interpreters can make anywhere from $59,000 to $89,000 according to recent job postings.

“Our graduates are in a very unique position,” Bilingual Interpreting Program Director Gladys Matthews said. “With a graduate-level degree, they are able to take leadership positions and contribute to the development of the field. Several of our graduates are not only interpreting but also training the new generation of interpreters in various programs. Right now one of our students is interning in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and was able to interpret in front of the judge. That is a very high honor.”

The bilingual interpreting program at the College of Charleston is poised to grow with the infrastructure already in place. Matthews hopes to increase enrollment and add tracks like community interpreting and conference interpreting.

- Melissa Whetzel, News Manager

If January is about setting goals, then December must be about recognizing the goals you’ve accomplished in the last twelve months.  I’ve invited our Graduation Czarina, Regan Fantry, to guest blog about our wonderful graduate students who will be walking the stage in eight days.  Congratulations!!!

As the semester draws to a close, we are quickly approaching Graduation Day!

The Graduate School would like to take a moment to congratulate the members of the December 2008 graduating class. This semester, a total 50 students will graduate from the Graduate School.

The Fall Commencement Ceremony is returning to campus for the first time in several years, taking place in the College of Charleston’s brand new Carolina First Arena on Meeting Street. We’re extremely excited to have the opportunity to show off the beautiful new arena with such a great event! The ceremony is also moving from Sunday morning to Saturday morning, December 20 at 10:00AM. This year’s speaker will be Jennet Robinson Alterman, Executive Director of the Center for Women, and there will be a reception after the ceremony for graduates and their families.

If you are graduating and participating in Saturday’s ceremony, don’t forget to stop by the Graduate School Office and pick up your tickets by 5:00PM on Friday, December 19. Each graduate is allowed 8 tickets. If you need more, though, don’t worry– On December 15, we will begin offering extra tickets on a first come, first serve basis!

Please feel free to contact Regan Fantry at the Graduate School Office if you have any questions, and again, congratulations to the Class of 2008!

The Graduate Studies Office is located in suite 310 of Randolph Hall.  Our phone number is 843.953.5614.

Video on the new Carolina First Arena

According to Regina, it’s December 12 and we’re halfway through exams.  Our dedicated students definitely deserve a break, and it looks like our students got what they deserve!

Yes, this is Addlestone Library, and yes - those are students crowd surfing.

I wish I could have seen this first hand, but I was working on a secret project of my own last night. In fact, you could help if you’re a working professional. Tell us - what would it take for you to go back to school for your master’s degree?

Oh, and here’s a picture of Regina. Can you tell what day it is?

December 12