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Welcome to Academic Year 2022-2023!
A heartfelt welcome to all new students and welcome back to all continuing graduate students!
We at the Graduate School have been working hard this summer to update and reconfigure to provide you with the best experience yet! Thanks to Ph.D. student Azmery Afnan and the Office of Communications and Marketing, in addition to this newsletter, we are working to refresh the Graduate School web pages for easier navigation and better information. We will continue to improve the web pages throughout the academic year.
Please let us know if you have suggestions for doing so. We also drafted a new mission statement and an EDJIA oath. We welcome your feedback on all that we are doing to make this a great experience for everyone.
ESF Graduate School Mission
The Graduate School at ESF advances environmental leadership through relationship by enabling graduate and professional students to create knowledge and develop skills to improve our world.
ESF Graduate School Commitment to
Equity, Diversity, Justice, Inclusion, and Access
The Graduate School at ESF is committed to sustained learning, action, and accountability to continually improve our environment for equity, diversity, justice, inclusion, and access at ESF.
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Graduate Dean’s Advisory Board Applications Being Accepted
The Graduate Dean’s Advisory Board is being established to bring together a group of graduate students with a range of experiences, degree goals, and fields of study to provide a graduate student perspective on topics related to the graduate student experience and to assist in the development of programs and services to meet those needs. The Advisory Board strives to be an inclusive body, representing diverse academic disciplines, student backgrounds, and perspectives. We seek members in different stages of their graduate careers and at different points in their career paths overall, bringing diverse viewpoints to the table.
The Board will meet regularly with the dean of the Graduate School throughout fall and spring semesters. As an advisory board, students will discuss policy proposals and provide feedback to the dean. Members will also be able to talk directly with the dean about their or their peers’ concerns.
Students who are selected to serve on the Graduate Student Advisory Board will be given the opportunity to represent their program and the College through various mediums, including on-campus events, written testimonials, and student panels.
ELIGIBILITY: Graduate students who are currently enrolled in a graduate degree or certificate program. Students must be in good academic standing. We seek students from our broad range of professional degrees, M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
TERM: Each academic year, graduate students will be selected to serve on the Advisory Board for a one-year term. Students may apply to be re-appointed to the Board.
APPLICATION: Students are asked to submit a resume and letter of interest expressing their desired contribution to the Board no later than Sept. 15, 2022, to ESFGrad@esf.edu. Please put “Advisory Council” in the subject line.
SELECTION: Students will be selected based on their level of interest and ability to bring diversity of thought and experience to the Board.
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Need a Form Signed? Have a Question?
Please send all forms and questions to ESFGrad@esf.edu. We ask all students and faculty to please use the ESFGrad@esf.edu email address for all regular business requests including any forms that need signatures, CPT, OPT, petitions, etc. Please also use this for questions about any Graduate School business at all. We are best able to manage requests this way (rather than through personal email addresses). Thank you!
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Fall 2022 Orientation
This year’s orientation will be hybrid:
Aug. 15: Virtual orientation opens | Blackboard
Aug. 17-19: International student orientation
Aug. 22: Orientation | 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | The Gateway Center
Aug 24: Grad Assistant colloquium | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Moon Library
Thanks to MS student Aaron Otis for all the help with orientation. You will be seeing Aaron there!
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Tuition Billing Reminder
Your tuition bill is due on Monday, Aug. 15. To calculate how much you owe, take your total charges and subtract your pending aid. If you have any questions about your financial aid, come to the Graduate School first to check on it (227 Bray Hall).
You will not be charged a late fee on any bill paid before Oct. 15. Any account with an outstanding balance after that date will receive a late fee charge based on the amount due. If your bill is not paid by the 15th of the next month, another late fee will be charged.
To avoid late charges, you can sign up for a payment plan. If you sign up before Aug. 15, you can pay your balance over four installments. If you sign up after Aug. 15, you will pay over three installments. Information about payment plans is found on the site where you pay your bill.
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Timeline of Activities
The following items are on your to-do list and can be completed immediately:
Need more information? Visit our student resources page.
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Health Information
Below is an overview of health-related obligations you have as an ESF student.
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COVID-19 Vaccination
All students engaging in in-person activities sponsored by ESF must be vaccinated, consistent with the New York state directive for SUNY campuses and the SUNY COVID-19 vaccination policy. Additionally, ESF students taking classes in person on the Syracuse campus must meet the COVID-19 vaccine requirements at Syracuse University in order to utilize the resources and programs there (including dining facilities, libraries, classrooms, labs, and recreational facilities).
MMR and Meningitis Immunizations
New York state law requires vaccination against MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), as well as certifying you have been informed about the risks related to meningitis. Read more about the College’s policy here.
Flu Vaccine
Although the flu vaccine is not required by ESF or SUNY, Syracuse University requires it for its students. Because of our close relationship with SU, any ESF student wishing to utilize the resources and programs there (including dining facilities, libraries, classrooms, labs, and recreational facilities) will be required to provide the College with proof of flu vaccination.
Exemption Information
New York State law, SUNY policy, and Syracuse University policy direct the MMR and COVID-19 immunization and vaccination requirements for ESF students. Any student who believes they should be exempted from either/both the MMR and COVID-19 requirements must apply for and be granted an exemption. More information can be found here.
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Health Insurance
All full-time students are required to have health insurance, and we strongly urge you to make certain it is usable in/around Syracuse, as we do not have a health service on campus.
The charge for the ESF Student Health Insurance plan is placed on the bills of all full-time students each year. If you have health insurance through your parents, guardians, spouse, employment, or some other means, you can easily waive out of the ESF Student Health Insurance plan.
This process is managed by the College’s health insurance broker, Haylor, Freyer, and Coon. Look for an email from them with instructions to waive out of (or proactively enroll in) the ESF Student Health Insurance plan. The fee for the plan will be removed from your bill (allow up to 48 hours for processing). The deadline to waive out each year is Sept. 30 or Feb. 15 (for new admits only). Failure to waive out by the deadline will result in your being financially responsible for this charge.
There is sometimes confusion for graduate students with assistantships as you are provided health insurance through that role. The ESF Student Health Insurance Plan is separate and distinct from this, and you still need to waive it off your bill if you have the graduate student health insurance.
International Students
All international students are required to have international student health insurance. This plan differs from the domestic ESF student health insurance plan and, thus, international students do not need to purchase the domestic ESF student health insurance plan nor do they need to waive that plan. Instead, all international students must be enrolled in one of the following:
NOTE: Failure to opt out of the ESF International Health Insurance Plan will result in you being automatically enrolled in the plan and charged for the annual cost.
More health-related information can be found here: www.esf.edu/health
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the Division of Student Affairs at studenthelp@esf.edu or by calling 315-470-6660 during business hours.
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Graduate Assistant Colloquium
The Open Academy invites Graduate Teaching Assistants to the Graduate Assistant Colloquium 9 a.m.–4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24 in Moon Library. Graduate Assistants will have access to support resources via Blackboard starting on Aug. 22 and continuing through the semester.
This program is required for all Graduate Assistants to take once during their time as a GA, so those who have held a GA position, but not yet completed the Colloquium are still required to attend. We also invite RPAs and Fellows, as some of the information is good to have regardless of your role. If you complete the requirement as an RA or Fellow, attendance this year would satisfy the requirement should you be appointed as a GA in the future.
Registration for the GA Colloquium is now open. Please reach out to the Open Academy with any questions.
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Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology
The Directorate for Biological Sciences awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology.
For applications under this solicitation, these areas are (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology, (2) Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes, and (3) Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.
Access the details here.
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Photographs of the Graduate School Experience Requested
As we continue to update our web pages and marketing materials, we would very much like to refresh our stock of photographs of ESF Graduate School experiences. We will be organizing a place for you to upload photos that you are willing to share with us. Watch this space in our next newsletter for that link! In the meantime, please take lots of great photos of ESF grad life to help share the experience with others.
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Important Contacts
Tuition, Scholarships, Billing, or General Inquiries
Graduate School
315-470-6599 | esfgrad@esf.edu | 227 Bray Hall
Course Scheduling
Registrar
315-470-6655 | registrar@esf.edu | 111 Bray Hall
Course Questions
Contact your Major Professor and/or the instructor of record for more information on courses.
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