Continuing Doctoral Students
Funding Application for 2007-08
All students currently enrolled in the School of Criminal Justice Doctoral Program who are seeking financial support from the School of Criminal Justice for the 2005-06 academic year MUST complete this form and turn it in by March 16, 2007 to the Student Services Office or mailbox.
This requirement applies to all students requesting funding, including those to whom the School has made a three-year commitment. That commitment was a promise that you would be funded somehow, but it did not include a decision about what your assignment would be. In order to determine those assignments, we must have the following information.
In addition, some of the students to whom we have made those commitments have now found external funding for Fall 2007 and beyond, as we had assumed would occur. Those students who have secured external funding (Hindelang Center funding, DCJS funding, etc.) for Fall 2007 do not need to apply. However, we still would like to know that you have secured funding as that information is important for our overall planning. Thus, if you already have secured funding for the upcoming academic year, kindly let us know the particulars.
If you do not return a completed funding application we will assume that you do not need to be considered for university funding.
If you are in the process of seeking project funding but have not yet secured it, please fill out this application and continue to apply for external positions as they are announced. We will continue to make every effort to be flexible in making awards and assignments for the School positions, since we know that the timing of research positions is hard to predict and does not always coincide with the school year. There will come a point toward late spring or early summer when we will have to insist that people assigned to TA duties commit to those duties for the coming term. But until we reach that point, we will try to be flexible and make every effort to bring other opportunities to your attention and to let project directors know about your availability for project positions.
In summary, unless external funding is secure and your duties for the fall are known (in which case, let us know the details), it is important that you:
(1) Apply for positions that are advertised in research projects, and let professors and project directors know about your interest. As you apply for other positions, please inform us immediately, so that we can anticipate possible changes in School awards.
(2) Complete the attached form, which we will use to compile information about individual students (to share with interested project directors), as well as to make decisions about TA and GA positions. Please note: If you do not wish to have academic performance information shared, confidentially, with project directors from outside of the School, so indicate on the attached form.
(3) Return the application by March 16 to the Student Services Office (Draper 220).
Please feel free to contact the Associate Dean or the Student Services Administrator if you have questions about this process (but please read the next page first).
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Frequently asked questions:
Q: If I don’t return this form by March 16, 2007, can I still be considered for school funding?
A: No. March 16 is a firm deadline.
Q: If I am a 1st year student who received a 3-year commitment letter, should I do this?
A: Yes! (If you are seeking School funding). If we don’t receive this form, we will assume you are not interested in funding.
Q.: If I am already sure that I will be funded, or continued on funding, on a research project next year, should I complete this application anyway?
A: No. However, please let us know that you have secured funding, including the details of your position. Several project directors have already made commitments to students for next year. If you are among these you should not “throw your hat in the ring.” We will check with project directors if necessary to confirm their plans.
Q: If I think I have a good chance of having my research job continue, but not a definite commitment yet, should I apply for school funding as a backup?
A: Yes – if you are interested in teaching. However, you should indicate your current status with your research project. This will in no way disadvantage you in eligibility for a school appointment, but will permit us to be prepared for replacing you if your Hindelang or DCJS assistantship comes (back) in.
Q: If I am funded on a research project for fall only, can I apply for school funding?
A: Yes, but please indicate that you are only applying for spring.
Q: Does this apply to summer funding?
A: No, summer funding is a separate category. Summer teaching applications are considered separately.
Q: What will you do if more students seek assistantships than you have available?
A: In the short run, this outcome is likely, as it has always been. We will (1) remember that many students who apply for school funding will actually end up as RAs and not need School support; (2) seek additional resources if possible; and (3) devise a process for prioritizing applications if/when that becomes necessary. We anticipate having sufficient funding to meet our commitments.
Q: Can I choose the kind of assistantship I would like to have or the class I’d like to teach?
A: No, but we will make every effort to optimize the fit between students’ interests and abilities, and their opportunities.
Q: What stipend is associated with assistantships?
A: We expect that School TA & GA lines will be at least 11,000 per academic year, plus in-state tuition waivers (or out of state for international students). (External RA lines vary but average about $11,000 per academic year and often include summers too, unlike school funding).
Q: Is anybody ineligible for School assistantships?
A: Yes. You are ineligible if you (1) have already received 4 years of any kind of university support (fellowships and/or assistantships through the School); (2) you are not registered full-time; or (3) you are on, or eligible for, academic probation; or (4) otherwise fail to satisfy University eligibility requirements.
Q: When will I find out the outcome?
A: We anticipate making the initial assignments by the end of the Spring semester. If some of those positions turn over, we will make new assignments as soon as possible.
Q: If I get an assistantship, for how many credits should I register?
A: The School will do its best to cover 9-10 credits of tuition each semester, AT THE IN-STATE RATE (or at the out-of-state rate ONLY if you are not a US citizen). (Please note: students remain responsible to pay fees.) This policy applies to all 20 hour a week assistants, whatever the funding source, EXCEPT for those students eligible for 1 credit of CRJ 899 (dissertation load). If you are an assistant, you MUST register for 9 credits in order to be considered full-time.
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Application for SCJ Assistantships: 2007-08
Name ______SSN:______
Local Phone ______Campus ID: ______
Current e-mail ______
This application form is due March 16, 2007. Please leave it in the Student Services office or mailbox. This form will be used to make decisions about School assistantship jobs (TA & GA), and may also be used, with your permission below, to provide information to research project directors who may be making plans to hire RAs. Please note: This form is not a substitute for applications or expressions of interest that research projects (e.g., Hindelang and DCJS) may solicit.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTACH OTHER INFORMATION SUCH AS VITA OR PUBLICATIONS, WHICH WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONSIDER.
The Dean’s office has access to student records on academic performance (grades, credits completed, comprehensive exams, etc.) Research project directors who are not faculty do not. Please check and sign ONE of the following boxes:
r I give the School permission to share, on a confidential basis, information on my academic performance in this graduate program, with research project directors who may wish to consider me for an assistantship.
r I do not give the School permission to share information on my academic performance with project directors.
______
Name (printed) Signature
- If you have taken (the old) comprehensive examinations, in what subjects did you take them?
____ Law _____ Nature _____ Admin ______Planned Change
- If you are currently engaged in the new comprehensive examination, what are you working on?
- What will you use to fulfill your tool requirement (and have you completed it yet)?
______rPlanned rCompleted
- What are your primary area(s) of academic and research interest?
- Which of the following best describes the type of position you hope to obtain upon completing your PhD?
rUniversity faculty: research and teaching
rCollege/university faculty: primarily teaching
rFederal, state, private agency: primarily sponsored research
rFederal, state, private agency: primarily administration
rOther ______
- Please describe research projects in which you have participated, briefly summarizing the nature of
the project, faculty supervision and/or student collaboration, and products that have resulted (if any).
- Please indicate research methodologies and technical skills in which you have strong interests and/or experience and expertise.
Qualitative research methods rInterest rExperience
Database management rInterest rExperience
Interviewing/surveys rInterest rExperience
Crime mapping rInterest rExperience
Historical research rInterest rExperience
Legal research rInterest rExperience
Bibliographic research rInterest rExperience
Quantitative data analysis rInterest rExperience
Other: ______
- With which, if any, software programs and applications are you experienced?
rSPSS rSAS rExcel rSYSTAT
rAccess rMapinfo rParadox rOther?_____
- List all college-level teaching experiences you have, including work as a discussion leader or adjunct, here at Albany or elsewhere.
______
______
______
______
______
- Please indicate your primary areas of teaching interest:
rCriminology rCriminal justice
rLaw rMethods and/or statistics
rOther? ______
Assignment Preferences
Before you complete the following, you should meet with your advisor to discuss your own graduate course plans, obtain an undergraduate schedule (in Draper 220), to determine when those courses are scheduled, and, if need be, consult the University Undergraduate Bulletin (available on-line) or undergraduate syllabi (available in Draper 220).
The following request for your teaching preferences does not constitute an offer of a specific type of assistantship, but is simply the beginning of the process of gathering information for making assignments. While we will do our best to match preferences to opportunities, we cannot ensure that you will be offered one of your first choices. Please note that university policy prohibits accepting an assistantship if one is holding a fellowship, other assistantship, or outside employment, without prior permission and authorization.
My first preference for an assistantship position would be as a:
_____ Teaching Assistant (full responsibility for one section of a 3-4 credit UG course)
_____ Research Assistant (20 hour/week assignment to faculty member)
_____ Discussion Leader in 201, 202, or 203 (If you have no prior teaching experience, you will
be assigned to lead discussion before you are assigned to a class of your own)
Please list your first, second, third, and fourth choices for teaching next fall, taking into account your own class scheduling constraints . Please indicate days/times for course (there is more than one section for several courses.)
- ______3. ______
- ______4. ______
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The following information would be helpful for the School as it plans for its requests for various types of tuition waivers from the University. This information will be kept confidential and used only for internal administrative purposes. Your responses will in no way affect whether or not, or what type, of assistantship offer you might be offered.
- For how many credit hours do you intend to register next year?
Fall semester: ______Spring semester:______
- Do you anticipate needing or wanting eligibility for university health insurance next year?
Yes ______No ______Not sure______
- Please check if either of the following apply:
___seeking School funding for fall only ___seeking School funding for spring only
___currently on research line that may continue through next academic year
___currently on fellowship line that will continue through next academic year
- Please indicate other sources of funding that you plan/hope to seek or investigate if they become available (eg, DCJS internships, Hindelang Center projects, other university employment, etc.)
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