Summer 2008

A NEWSLETTER FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, ALUMNI, AND FRIENDS

Newsletter Index:
A Message from the Dean...
Spotlight on Graduation
Deadlines for Submitting Thesis
2008 Citation of Excellence
Research Report
People Soft Upgrade
Important Dates
Meet the Staff
Graduate Assistantships!
Coming Soon
Contact Information

A Message from the Dean...
On behalf of the MSU Graduate School staff, welcome to the inaugural issue of the Graduate School Newsletter. Through this semester publication, we hope to keep you informed about important events both on campus and specific to graduate education at MSU. Additionally, each issue will include articles about current students, alumni, and graduate faculty, including their research and career activities. Your feedback on the newsletter content is encouraged and appreciated.

Be sure to stop in and say hello when you are on campus this summer!

Dr. Linda Cresap, PhD
Dean, Graduate School and Research/Sponsored Programs



Graduate students wait for the Hooding Ceremony to begin.

Spotlight on Graduation
This spring, ninety-two students participated in the Hooding Ceremony during graduation. Students graduating from Minot State University’s Graduate School participated in the hooding ceremony at 8:00 am at the Ann Nicole Nelson Hall. The Graduation ceremonies followed at 10:00 am.

 

Deadlines for Submitting Thesis
The following Deadlines for Submitting Thesis were not included in the 2008-2010 Graduate Catalog:

These dates have been added to the online MSU Event Calendar and can be found at www.minotstateu.edu/calendar. Brenda would like to remind students to "Remember to check the dates on the online calendar and hand in your forms!" Also, please note changes to curriculum made after the publication of the Graduate Catalog will be noted at www.minotstateu.edu/graduate/catalog/add.shtml.



Linda Cresap and Lori Olson

2008 Citation of Excellence
Lori Olson, a 2007 graduate in the Master of Education English concentration program, was this year’s recipient of the Citation of Excellence awarded by the Graduate School. Each year the Graduate School invites master’s degree program directors to nominate students for this award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding achievements by students who exemplify excellence in areas consistent with the mission of the Graduate School, including critical inquiry, creativity, discovery, and leadership.

When asked why she decided to pursue a Master’s Degree, Mrs. Olson replied, "I have always wanted to pursue my Master's Degree. Originally, I had interest in the areas of special education and remedial reading. It was not until after I participated in the Summer Institute of the Northern Plains Writing Project that I decided to focus my area of study in English."

Mrs. Olson’s thesis is titled The Importance of Oral Narrative Structure in Classroom Discourse. She explained her research by saying, "In her book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Dr. Ruby Payne proposed that individuals living in the culture of poverty utilize different language patterns. She briefly mentioned the oral narratives shared by these children did not follow the prescribed pattern of beginning, middle, and end. It was her stance that these children often ‘circled the mulberry bush’ to tell their stories. I was intrigued by this notion and designed a phenomenological study to analyze oral narratives of twelve students living in different states of poverty. Narratives were electronically recorded and transcribed into clausal units in order to examine implicit language, story components, intonation and narrative patterns."

Mrs. Olson feels the Master’s Degree she obtained at Minot State University makes her a better teacher because the dialogue and coursework in all of her graduate classes forced her to examine what she teaches and how to incorporate different strategies to foster a deeper understanding for her first grade students.


Research Report
The following vignette gives you information about the research one Master’s Degree student has done. Chad has successfully defended his thesis.

Chad Carr, Criminal Justice; Dr. Gary Rabe, Chair

Status Offender’s Perception of Self and Others: The Impact of Labeling on Self-Perceptions and Delinquency

This study involved a a secondary analysis of data collected by Cheryl Maxson and Malcolm Klein for their previous study, "The Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders: A Study of Intervention Practices for Youth in Seven Cities in the United States, 1987-1991," Maxson and Klein’s study examined the impact of labeling on the development of status offender’s self-image and subsequent behaviors. Chad used the status offenders from juvenile programs separated into three philosophical paradigms: deterrence, treatment, and normalization. Comparisons were drawn on the status offender’s perceptions of self, participation in socially accepted behaviors, status offense recidivism, and escalation in delinquency. Study results indicate the normalization group had a significantly better self-image than the deterrence and treatment status offenders. However, the results failed to demonstrate any statistically significant differences among the youth in the three programs regarding participation in conforming behaviors, status offender recidivism, and delinquency. These findings establish support for labeling theory’s propositions concerning the impact of labeling on self-image development, but show no support regarding the impact of labeling on subsequent behaviors.


People Soft Upgrade
On June 19, 2008, MSU upgraded to the Production 9.0 CampusConnection (Campus Solutions) system. The upgrade was performed because the 8.0 version was no longer supported by Oracle. The new version of the software is more student friendly and contains additional features and options. The Student Center allows students to access all of their information, including their financial and contact information and class schedules, from one page. Also, students can look for classes using the shopping cart feature.

Student training materials are available at www.minotstateu.edu/cc/cc_v9.html. They include Quick Guides with information on how to perform functions such as printing class schedules, updating and view personal information, and adding, dropping or swapping classes.


Important Dates



Meet the Staff:


Dr. Margi Coxwell, Assistant to the Dean
Brenda Anderson, Administrative Assistant
Terri Gordon, Graduate Assistant


Graduate Assistantships!
Students! Many departments are still looking for Graduate Assistants for Fall 2008! Apply for Graduate Assistantships in your Department by completing the form available in the Graduate Office or online at www.minotstateu.edu/graduate/pdf/form_assistantship.pdf!


Coming Soon
The next issue of the Graduate School Newsletter will be out Fall 2008! Have ideas for the newsletter? Send them to terri.gordon@my.minotstateu.edu.


Contact Information

Graduate School and Research & Sponsored Programs
Phone: 701-858-3250  -or-  1-800-777-0750 ext. 3250
Fax: 701-858-4286
200 Memorial Hall (2nd floor)
500 University Avenue West
Minot, ND 58707
www.minotstateu.edu