Graduate School Newsletter

February 2026

Important Announcements

Message from the Dean

Hello MSU Graduate Students!

I hope you have settled into the new semester well. Spring is always the busiest semester of the year, so I know you have a lot to do.

The Graduate School is offering a number of professional development seminars and training opportunities this spring, and I hope you take advantage of these. The job market is always changing, so keeping up on how to position yourself for the job market you will face is worthy of your time investment. Plus, some of the opportunities are designed to promote self-care, which is important when you are over-the-top busy.

We look forward to seeing you at some event or in the office this semester! Don’t forget—we do have snacks for you in 104 Montana Hall!

Deborah Haynes, Ph.D.

Dean, MSU Graduate School

Spring Graduate Professional Development Series

This series is offered by The Extreme Biofilms National Research Traineeship (NRT) Program and The Graduate School. Attend two NRT-hosted workshops and apply for up to a $1,500 Seed Grant. Use the funds to attend a conference, participate in a technical workshop, or pursue emerging research.

Feb 10, 2:30-4pm, Ballroom B: Pitch and Present Your Graduate Work with Impact
Feb 23 - 27, Wellness Week in The Graduate School (multiple events)
March 10, 12-1:30pm, Ballroom B: From Meetings to Mentors: Building Connections that Matter
March 26, 11:30am-1pm, SUB Alumni Legacy Lounge: Job Search 2.0. LinkedIn and ChatGPT Secrets Revealed with Jeremy Schifeling (Hybrid/in-person and online option)
April 3, 12-1:30pm, SUB 233: Essential Tools for Effective Technical Writing with Jennifer Brown
April 14, 12-1:30pm,SUB Ballroom B: Leadership Essentials for Emerging Scholars

Please see the GradCat 360 Calendar for further information and scheduling updates.

Electronic Thesis & Dissertation (ETD) Workshops

Whether you are defending your Thesis/Dissertation this Spring or are taking 590/690 research credits for the first time, plan on attending one of the ETD Workshops from the Graduate Formatting Advisor. These workshops will inform you about the formatting and submission process and about resources you can access while you work on your paper. There will be two Workshops in February, followed by Drop-In Sessions through March and April. For more info and resources, or to join on WebEx, visit the ETD Website.

Workshop Offering 1: February 4^th 5:30-6:30 AIH 102
Workshop Offering 2: February 19^th 5:30-6:30 Wilson 1142

Wellness Week!

February 23rd - 27th is Wellness Week at the Graduate School! This spring’s theme is Rest & Recharge, with the goal of promoting physical and mental wellbeing through intentional pauses and activities that nurture energy, joy, and purpose. Please join us at our FREE events and look out for emails throughout the week!

GradCat Community Dinner – Tues Feb 24th from 5-7pm, FREE dinner at Rendezvous Dining Pavilion for graduate students
GradCat Pickleball Clinic – Fri Feb 27th from 5-6:30pm, learn how to play pickleball and compete against other graduate students (all levels welcome)

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

Full List of Grad School Dates & Deadlines

February 3rd: Last day to drop classes without a "W" grade
February 5th: Last day for graduate students to file for graduation in MyMSU or via a Graduation Application (only used when a student has applied for the same degree in a prior term).
March 16-20: Spring Break (no classes, offices open)

Funding & Fellowships

Identify Scholarships and Research Funding for Your Graduate Education!

The University of Illinois has an excellent Fellowship Finder featuring awards that are open to grad students from any university. It features several filters to aid your search.

The National Research Council postdoctoral program is used by federal agencies across the country to support postdoc searches. This is a great place to look when you are close to finishing your PhD and the salaries are quite good. Quarterly application deadlines.

2026 Ivan Doig Research Awards and Fellowship

The Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands & Peoples of the North American West is pleased to announce the call for applications for the Ivan Doig Summer Dissertation Fellowship and the Graduate Student Research Award. Applications are open MSU CLS students studying the North American West and who are Doig Center Affiliates. For more information or to apply, visit the Doig Center Website.

For more funding opportunities, visit MSU’s Research Funding Opportunities and the MSU Graduate School's Funding and Fellowships webpage.

Workshops & Events

Graduate Wellness Champions - Spring Applications Open

The Graduate School is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. To support the well-being of graduate students, department-level initiatives are key – both in running local well-being events, but also to help change culture and practices. A $500 fellowship ($250 per semester) is available for graduate student wellness champions who will advocate and organize well-being events in their departments. This fellowship is to support the student for organizational work during the academic year. For more information, please visit the GradCat Wellness Champion Program website.

NSF ART Introduction to Research Translation

Did you know that university research can have a tremendous impact in helping create a better world? Did you know that 77% of projects that aim to create impact from research deeply involve graduate students' work?

You too can be one of those changemakers. Check out and apply for this four-hour program that's meant to help you explore possibilities. Those who complete the program are eligible to receive a $200 scholarship, and additional support when they are ready to take their idea/project to impact.

MSU Writing Center

The MSU Writing Center provides ongoing support for students working on graduate-level writing. Our team of graduate tutors come from diverse disciplines and offer several types of support to meet students’ varied needs:

• Looking for individualized writing support? We offer one-on-one sessions with a graduate tutor, online or face-to-face. Our tutors can help with everything from planning and organizing to citing sources, restructuring sentences, and proofreading. Writers are welcome to set up recurring appointments.

• Looking for accountability, camaraderie, and feedback? We offer facilitated interdisciplinary writing groups for writers looking for consistent, ongoing support and community.

• Looking to get some writing done? We offer “Focus Friday” every Friday 9 a.m.-noon in our Wilson Hall Writing Center (Wilson 1-114) as well as weekend writing retreats for writers seeking dedicated writing time.

For more information about the Writing Center’s graduate programming, visit https://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/graduate-students/index.html

Professional Development: GradCat 360

GradCat 360 is a comprehensive professional development program for graduate students at Montana State University. It is a series of programs and events designed by the Graduate School and departments across campus that center around nine focus areas. These areas are tailored to help students cultivate a unified set of skills and knowledge for educational success and professional preparation.

Check out our GradCat 360 Event Calendar, specifically curated for Graduate Students. We are constantly updating the GradCat 360 calendar with workshops and events that are uniquely useful for Graduate Students.